Press Release: 12/8/2025
Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $7 Million in Inaugural Live Theater Tax Credits to 28 Productions Statewide
Massachusetts launches program to grow the live theater industry and strengthen the creative economy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
12/08/2025
MEDIA CONTACT
Karissa Hand, Press Secretary
Phone
Call Karissa Hand, Press Secretary at 617-725-4025
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced 28 inaugural awards totaling $7 million through the state’s newly established Live Theater Tax Credit Program, a groundbreaking initiative designed to expand Massachusetts’ live performance sector, support local venues, and boost the state’s visitor economy.
The Live Theater Tax Credit is one of several initiatives launched under the Mass Leads Act, the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s comprehensive economic development strategy to grow jobs, foster innovation, and strengthen communities across the state. the Live Theater Tax Credit provides financial incentives to professional theater companies that develop, produce, and/or present live stage performances in Massachusetts.
“Live theater is a catalyst for creativity and community,” said Governor Maura Healey. “It fuels our downtowns, inspires our residents, and draws visitors from around the world. By investing in the people and places that bring stories to life, this new tax credit program positions Massachusetts as a national leader in live performance, a state where imagination drives opportunity and culture powers our economy.”
“From the Berkshires to Boston, this program helps our stages shine,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “By incentivizing live productions, we’re helping our local venues attract national-caliber performances, extend visitor stays, and strengthen year-round tourism in every region of the state.”
Administered by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) in partnership with the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR), the program encourages both local and national producers to stage new works and pre-Broadway runs in the state, making Massachusetts a national destination for live theater.
“Massachusetts competes on talent, creativity, and quality of life,” said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley. “Through the Mass Leads Act and initiatives like the Live Theater Tax Credit, we’re expanding the tools that drive growth across our innovation and creative sectors. This program helps attract new productions, support local businesses, and generate powerful ripple effects in communities statewide. It’s smart economic development that strengthens our competitive edge and ensures Massachusetts continues to lead on a national stage.”
The Live Theater Tax Credit allows eligible theater companies to receive non-refundable credits equal to 35 percent of qualifying payroll costs, 25 percent of production and performance expenditures, and 25 percent of transportation expenditures. Credits may be carried forward for up to five years and are transferable.
Applications for the FY26 pilot program opened July 15, 2025, and closed August 26, 2025. The 28 initial awardees represent a diverse mix of regional professional theaters, national tour launches, and pre-Broadway and pre-Off-Broadway productions performing at qualified Massachusetts venues.
“Live theater is both an art form and an industry, and Massachusetts is ready to lead in both,” said Kate Fox, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. “By supporting productions that launch and grow here, we’re building a stronger ecosystem for the arts, creating jobs, attracting visitors, and celebrating the stories that connect our communities across the state.”
“This program helps Massachusetts stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other major theater destinations across the country,” said Naomi Berlin, Assistant Secretary of Business Growth at the Massachusetts Office of Business Development. “By attracting new productions and supporting local theater companies, we’re fostering an ecosystem where creativity, business growth, and community connection all thrive together.”
A full list of grant recipients is available below:
| Location | Business | Production | Facility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashfield | Double Edge Theatre Productions, Inc. | The Heron’s Flight | Double Edge Theatre |
| Beverly | Entertainment Live Events, LLC | THE WIZARD OF OZ | NORTH SHORE MUSIC THEATRE |
| Boston | City Ballet of Boston, Inc | Anthony Williams' Urban Nutcracker | Boch Center - Shubert Theater |
| Boston | The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Inc. | Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" | Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre |
| Boston | Huntington Theatre Company, Inc. | Fun Home | The Huntington Theatre |
| Boston | Boston Lyric Opera Company, Inc. | Macbeth | Emerson Colonial Theatre |
| Boston | SpeakEasy Stage Company, Inc. | Primary Trust | Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at Boston Center for the Arts (aka Calderwood Pavilion) |
| Boston | Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Inc. | SOMETHING ROTTEN! | Lyric Stage Boston |
| Boston | Front Porch Arts Collective, Inc. | The Mountaintop | Suffolk University's Modern Theatre |
| Boston | Boston Ballet, Inc. | The Nutcracker | Citizens Opera House |
| Boston | Ballet Theatre of Boston, Inc. | The Nutcracker | Strand Theatre |
| Boston | Naughty Playwright Limited Liability Company | When Playwrights Kill | The Huntington Theatre |
| Boston | White Snake Projects, Inc, formerly Friends of Madame White Snake | White Raven, Black Dove | The Strand Theater |
| Cambridge | Cambridge Chamber Ensemble | Down in the Valley | Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center |
| Cambridge | Revels, Inc. | Midwinter Revels: A Scandinavian Story for Christmas | Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall, Harvard University |
| Cambridge | Central Square Theater | The Moderate | Central Square Theater |
| Dennis | Cape Cod Center for the Arts, Inc. | Anastasia: The Musical | The Cape Playhouse |
| Dorchester | Company One Inc. | THE MEETING TREE | The Strand Theatre |
| Gloucester | Gloucester Stage Company | MS. HOLMES & MS. WATSON- APT 2B by Kate Hamill | Gloucester Stage Company |
| Lenox | Shakespeare & Company, Inc. | Romeo and Juliet | Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre |
| Lowell | Merrimack Repertory Theatre | Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash | Merrimack Repertory Theatre |
| New Bedford | New Bedford Festival Theatre, Inc | Jimmy Buffett's Escape to Margaritaville | Zeiterion Performing Arts Center |
| Pittsfield | Barrington Stage Company, Inc. | JOAN | Boyd-Quinson (BQ) Theater |
| Rockport | Lanes Coven Theater Company Inc | As You Like It | Windhover Performing Arts Center |
| Stoneham | Greater Boston Stage Company | An Irish Carol | Greater Boston Stage Company |
| West Springfield | The Theatre Project, Inc. | Once | Majestic Theater |
| Williamstown | Williamstown Theatre Foundation, Inc. | Camino Real | '62 Center for Theatre and Dance MainStage Theatre |
| Worcester | Worcester Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. | A Christmas Carol | The Hanover Theatre & Conservatory |
For more information about the Live Theater Tax Credit Program, visit /www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-live-theater-tax-credit-pilot-program.
The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
Massachusetts is made for nights on the town, days on the trails, and everything in between. The mission of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) is to promote Massachusetts as a four-season leisure and business travel destination for domestic and international travelers and contribute to the state’s economic growth. MOTT offers assistance with itinerary planning, familiarization trips, images, and photographs and offers support in providing information to the travel trade, press, and media. To plan your trip to Massachusetts, please go to visitma.com.