Olson moved to Boston in 1992 to lead the Cutler Majestic Theatre.  Under his leadership the Majestic became the performance home for many of Boston’s exceptional not-for-profit cultural organizations, as well as Emerson College’s premiere showplace.  The Majestic became the most active venue in Boston’s historic theatre district, with performances 45 weeks each year. 

 

During his first three years at the Majestic he increased license fees revenue by 200%; improved annual net operating income by $125k; increased weeks under license from 34 to 42; increased professional staff from three to seven people and overhire crews from 20 to 50; and led Emerson’s “Majestic Masters” series that featured great artists at the peak of their careers and geniuses developing future art forms.  Artists included Eve Ensler performing The Good Body, the Guthrie Theater’s Othello, Aquila Theater’s Hamlet, Vox Lumiere’s multi-media musical of the 1923 Lon Chaney silent film Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Attack Theatre’s music-dance production Games Of Steel. He increased the active client base from seven to 15 not-for-profit partners including such leading groups as Opera Boston, Handel and Haydn Society, Celebrity Series of Boston, World Music/CrashARTS, Dance Umbrella, and the Boston Early Music Festival. By 2009 he had produced net operating surpluses of up to $280k in 11 of last the 13 open seasons, yielding an accumulated NOI surplus approaching $1MM. 

 

During his tenure the College fully restored the Majestic and led the revitalization of the neighborhood.  In 2003 it completed its first new building in its 125-year history, which included the first new theaters built in downtown Boston since 1933.  He spearheaded the December 1998 installation of the Majestic digital marquee, the first such display in the theater district, leading the way to today’s distinctly energetic neighborhood feeling.  As a result Emerson won awards including the National Trust for Historic Preservation Honor Award, the League of Historic American Theatres’ Outstanding Restoration Project, and awards from the Massachusetts Historical Commission and Boston Preservation Alliance, among others. 

​

Olson led Emerson’s “Majestic Masters” series that featured great artists at the peak of their careers, and geniuses developing future art forms.  Artists included Eve Ensler performing The Good Body, the Guthrie Theater’s Othello, Aquila Theater’s Hamlet, Vox Lumiere’s multi-media musical of the 1923 Lon Chaney silent film Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Attack Theatre’s music-dance production Games Of Steel. 

​

While at Emerson, Olson founded ParkArts summer festival that reanimated Boston Common, paving the way for the open air productions of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.  He served on the analysis task force of the Boston Historic Theaters Charrette that made the recommendations resulting in the reanimation of the lower Washington Street theatres.  He was president of Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts Sciences and Humanities and founding president of MAASH-Ed.  He was a trustee and treasurer of the League of Historic American Theatres, advocacy task force member for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, and served on numerous boards and panels. 

​

In 2010 Emerson opened the Paramount Center mixed use development, and created ArtsEmerson to program its venues, consolidating the Majestic and academic theater operations into the Office of the Arts, supporting both the presented and collegiate events.  Rob Orchard was recruited from Harvard’s American Repertory Theater as Executive Director, and Olson became Associate Director. 

 

Before joining Emerson College Olson was program manager at Newark (NJ) Symphony Hall, and founding managing director of Rutgers SummerFest that featured art music, dance, theatre and opera in ten venues around New Brunswick, New Jersey, with 125 performances in July and August each season.  He holds an MFA degree in Theatre Administration from Brooklyn College. 

​​

Click for info about Lance's consulting services | Detailed Resume