Fenway Sports Group has worked for the past decade to make Fenway Park into a year-round venue and is expanding its offerings with the construction of a 5,000-seat theater beyond the ballpark’s right-field corner.
The new theater is a group effort, built by Fenway Sports Group and managed by Fenway Music Co., a partnership between Fenway Sports Management and Crossroads Presents, an affiliate of booking giant Live Nation. The theater is slated for a triangular plot of land across from the right-field corner of Fenway Park, at Lansdowne and Ipswich streets. That area is currently used by satellite trucks and for other parking during Red Sox games. It would appear the working name for the project is Fenway Theater, though it’s hard to imagine we won’t see some sort of naming-rights deal pitched and announced down the line. No word on an opening date, as city approval is still needed.
“The success of Fenway Park as a year-round venue has paved the way for this project, which will ensure the Lansdowne Street area remains a true entertainment district in Boston,” said Fenway Sports Group Chairman Tom Werner in a press statement. “To have an intimate, indoor performing arts space for smaller-scale events will allow for a wider array of uses throughout the year.”
Fenway Park has been used for a variety of non-Red Sox events in recent years, hosting high-end concerts, winter festivals (including ski jumping), college football and hockey games.
“For a decade and half, we’ve enjoyed a successful partnership with the leadership team at Fenway Sports Group, and we are pleased to now expand on that relationship through this new venture,” said Don Law, president of Crossroads and Live Nation New England in a press release. “We look forward to making the Fenway Theater an essential stop for artists planning tours in the Boston area.”