PARAMOUNT THEATRE

The Paramount Theatre is part of the Emerson Paramount Center at 559 Washington Street in Boston's Theater District, owned and operated by Emerson College. The renovated complex includes the 596-seat Robert J. Orchard Theatre, the Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre, and the Bright Family Screening Room. The building features a restored Art Deco exterior and marquee.

The venue hosts ArtsEmerson professional productions, Emerson College performances, film screenings, and special events across its multiple spaces. The Robert J. Orchard Theatre serves as the primary performance space, while the black box and screening room accommodate smaller and more experimental programming.

The Paramount opened on February 26, 1932 as a 1,700-seat single-screen movie theater, premiering with Marlene Dietrich in *Shanghai Express*. It was one of the first Boston movie houses to play talking pictures. The theater closed in 1976, and most of the original Art Deco interior was destroyed during asbestos removal in the 1980s. Emerson College announced renovation plans in April 2005, and the restored Paramount Center reopened on March 18, 2010.