Fodor's Expert Review Boston Center for the Arts

Comprising more than a dozen quirky resident, emerging, and visiting troupes in six performance areas—two in the Calderwood Pavilion (Roberts, Wimberly), two black-box (Plaza) theaters, and two rehearsals halls—the massive circular brick Cyclorama, built in 1885 to house a 360-degree mural of the Battle of Gettysburg, today hosts concerts, trade events, and beer and wine festivals. The socially provocative and civically engaged Company One, the LGBTQ group Theatre Offensive, and the cutting-edge (off-off-Broadway) SpeakEasy Stage Company present shows here year-round. Forty resident visual artists work in studios above the spacious Mills Gallery, which presents six exhibits a year, and is home to the innovative Run of the Mills performance series. The eateries Banyan Bar + Refuge and the Beehive share this lively, diverse BCA enclave.