BC Arts Festival April 23-25
This year’s Boston College Arts Festival—which runs from April 23-25—will sport the theme “Artchella,” in tribute to the popular Coachella music and arts extravaganza.
BC’s annual Arts Festival, a celebration of the variety and vibrancy of campus arts, features some 50 family-friendly events—most free and open to the public—showcases dance ensembles, the work of studio art students, as well as music, theater, film, creative writers, and more.
Discussing the “Artchella” theme, Arts Festival Director Kara Robbins said, “When you attend a festival like Coachella, whether it’s for one day or multiple days, you hear your favorite bands, create art with a community of new friends, and take time to nurture your soul. That’s what we’re inviting our audience to experience: to immerse themselves in art of all disciplines, form new connections, and take care of one another.”
“The launch of April always gets me excited for the Arts Festival, the opportunity to venture into warmer weather and enjoy the variety of arts experiences this campus community has to offer,” said BC Arts Council Chair Crystal Tiala, a Theatre Department professor and Music Department chair. “Fresh creative ideas spring up from the hundreds of performers you are likely to see. I hope everyone does themselves a favor and comes to the many wonderful events we have in store.”
The festival’s 28th edition will involve some 1,500 faculty, students, staff, and alumni artists, and more than 100 volunteers. Centered on Lower Campus, the festival’s Main Performance Tent is in the Mod Lot behind Robsham Theater Arts Center, and an art gallery exhibition will be on display in the theater lobby. Other venues include the RTAC’s Bonn Studio, Gasson 100, Vanderslice Hall Cabaret Room, Burns Library, and Carney Hall’s Gallery 203.
ARTS FESTIVAL HONOREES
Will and Anthony Nunziata
Twin brothers and 2006 alumni Will and Anthony Nunziata, both critically acclaimed arts professionals, will be feted as this year’s Alumni Artist Award winners. A highlight of the festival, the awards recognize graduates who have demonstrated creativity, innovation, leadership, and vision through contributions to the arts, and serve as role models to BC student artists.
The Nunziatas will discuss their professional and personal journeys and formation at the Arts Awards Ceremony on April 23 at 4:30 p.m. in Gasson 100. They also will meet with students in the respective disciplines of film, theater, and music.
Active in theater at BC, following graduation the talented duo rose to professional prominence in the arts, in New York and beyond. The brothers performed together for two decades, touring nationally and internationally, and had the distinction of co-headlining Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Symphony Orchestra.
Will Nunziata is a New York City-based award-winning filmmaker, theater director, and writer whose directorial short film debut, “The Old Guitarist,” garnered over a dozen national and international awards in London, New York City, and Paris. He will make his feature film directorial debut later this year with his psychological horror screenplay “The Kept,” which won Best Horror Screenplay at the 2025 Melbourne International Screenplay Festival. Will has directed stage productions on both sides of the Atlantic, with several off-Broadway credits, and had his West End debut directing at the prestigious London Palladium in 2025.
Anthony Nunziata is a Nashville-based singer, songwriter, actor, and entertainer dubbed by Broadwayworld as “America’s new romantic singing sensation,” who brings his soulful voice to classic jazz, pop stanadards, Italian arias, and his original music—which has included collaborations with prominent artists, and been featured on MTV, Comedy Central, CBS and NBC News. He has performed in over 400 concerts at performing arts centers, theaters, concert halls, jazz clubs, and private events around the world. Anthony, who also trained in improv comedy at the famed Upright Citizens Brigade, is most proud of his “Arts Matter!” Educational Outreach Initiative and Master Class Workshops, which educate and inspire students to pursue their passions.
Luke Jorgensen (Lee Pellegrini)
The Arts Awards Ceremony also will include presentation of BC student and faculty art awards to honor accomplishments in and contributions to the arts.
Among those being recognized is Theatre Department Chair and Professor of the Practice Luke Jorgensen, whose scholarship centers on theater education, actor training, new play development, and the work of Augustus Boal and the Theatre of the Oppressed. He serves as a First Year Experience director and consultant, and as faculty advisor for My Mother’s Fleabag and Hello Shovelhead! His directorial credits at the University include “The Servant of Two Masters,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” “Metamorphoses” (a Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Ensemble Award winner), and his original “Codemonkey,” a semi-finalist in the NY Musical Theatre New Works.
Student Award winners include seniors Charlotte Caine, Lola Ellis, Lucy Farran, Marko Grgurevich, Lauren Heinzelman, Barry Spoto, Avery Suza, Amoggrajat Venkat, Simon Xie, and Elyza Tuan. Full biographies of all Arts Awards winners are available at bc.edu/artsfestival.
OTHER FESTIVAL HIGHTLIGHTS
Other Arts Festival highlights include a new look for The Gallery in the RTAC lobby, where Studio Art faculty members will curate an exhibit showcasing the work of senior majors which previews the respective artists’ upcoming thesis exhibits. Burns Library, meanwhile, will be the venue for Creative Writing Concentration Readings on April 24 at 3 p.m.
The BC Symphony Orchestra’s family-friendly concert on April 25 at 11 a.m. features music from “KPop Demon Hunters,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Jurassic Park,” and more. At 8 p.m. that evening, BC’s Middle East music ensemble Astaza! will present “One Thousand and One Nights” in the Main Tent.
In conjunction with the Arts Festival, the Theatre Department/RTAC will present “Legally Blonde: The Musical” on the main stage from April 23-26. For performance times and information go to bc.edu/theatre. For tickets, see bc.edu/tickets or call ext. 2-4002.
The McMullen Museum of Art’s current exhibition, “Collaborating in Conflict: The Yeats Family and the Public Arts,” is on display through May 31 in the Daley Family and Monan Galleries. For more on the exhibition, see mcmullenmuseum.bc.edu.
Organized by the Arts Council, the BC Arts Festival includes sponsorship from the offices of the President and the Provost and Dean of Faculties, the Arts Council committees, Student Affairs, and the Dean’s Office of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, with support from the Alumni Association, the Boston College Police Department, the Boston College Bookstore, and BC Facilities and grounds crew members.
The schedule (subject to change) with event days, times, and locations is available at bc.edu/artsfestival. Events with admission costs are indicated.