Movie Night at the Modern Theatre

In 1928 the Modern Theatre was the first Boston movie house to premiere The Jazz Singer, Hollywood’s breakthrough “talkie” and on October 18th,  Suffolk University and Boston Preservation Alliance team up to showcase this classic film as we celebrate the first anniversary of the restored Modern Theatre.

After the screening Dr. Marilyn Plotkins, Chair of the Theatre Department and Director of the new Modern Theatre at Suffolk University, and Dr. Monika Raesch, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism, will be hosting a discussion that covers the development of the "talkies" in American film history and the historic role that blackface has played in popular American entertainment. 

A tenured professor, Dr. Plotkins has been teaching, producing, and directing theatre for over forty years and  facilitated hundreds of professional performing arts events at the university's theatres. She is the founding director of the Boston Music Theatre Project which has been developing new musicals for the academic and professional stage for over twenty-five years. Marilyn is  the author of The A.R.T. Reference Book: The Brustein Years published by Praeger Publishers.

Dr. Monika Raesch, a German native, teaches both film studies and video production classes, including a course on the first fifty years of cinema development.  She is the co-founder and co-organizer of the Suffolk Cinema Series, which brings filmmakers and other film professionals to campus.  Monika is the author of The Kiarostami Brand: Creation of a Film Auteur published by LAP.

This event is free for Alliance members and members of the Suffolk University community; $5 for non-members. Seating is limited and advance registration is required.

***Please be prepared to show your Suffolk University ID or Boston Preservation Alliance membership card with your ticket the night of the event.***

Contact Christine Piontek at cpiontek@bostonpreservation.org or 617.367-2458 for more information.