The Platform Opens in Kendall Square with BANDALOOP Performance

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 6, 2026--

BioMed Realty, Global Arts Live and Takeda celebrated the grand opening of The Platform at 585 Kendall on Nov. 5, marking the arrival of a new performing arts center designed to expand access to professional performance, rehearsal and gathering space in Cambridge.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261106982713/en/

The celebration featured internationally recognized vertical dance company BANDALOOP performing on the exterior of 585 Kendall while suspended from the building’s roof. Inside, French-Algerian dance company Compagnie Hervé Koubi presented the Boston premiere of Sol Invictus in the 400-seat Takeda Theater at The Platform.

“The opening of The Platform marks an important moment for Kendall Square and the broader Cambridge community,” said Salvatore Zinno, Senior Vice President of Development at BioMed Realty. “BANDALOOP’s performance captured the vision behind this project by bringing an extraordinary artistic experience directly into the neighborhood. We are proud to open a place where artists, researchers, neighbors and visitors can come together.”

“The Platform expands access to the arts while creating a new place for Cambridge residents, workers and visitors to connect,” said Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui. “Its opening reflects the collaboration and sustained commitment that strengthen our cultural community and contribute to the vitality of Kendall Square and our region.”

The celebration continues Saturday, Nov. 7, with a free public Opening Day from noon to 4 p.m. BANDALOOP will return for two outdoor performances at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., both visible from the surrounding area.

The public program will also feature Malian master drummer Sidy Maiga; the Kendall Square Orchestra, whose members include professionals from the local science, medicine and technology communities; singer Ella Faye; Bollywood Dance x Purnima; Gamelan Galak Tika; and A Trike Called Funk.

The Platform also commissioned a commemorative poem from Jean Dany Joachim, who served as Cambridge Poet Populist from 2009 to 2011. Opening Day will conclude with a separately ticketed performance of Sol Invictus by Compagnie Hervé Koubi in the Takeda Theater.

“The Platform is more than a new theater,” said Connie C. Chin, Chief Executive Officer of Global Arts Live and The Platform. “It creates space for artists and ideas, for work that expands our perspectives, and for the connections that live performance makes possible. Opening our doors with this range of local and international artists reflects the welcoming cultural home we want The Platform to become.”

Created to help address Greater Boston’s documented need for midsized performance venues, The Platform occupies the first three floors of 585 Kendall. The 45,000-square-foot center includes the 400-seat Takeda Theater, the 125-seat Tempo Stage, a rehearsal studio, artist support spaces and a ground-floor commons with a bar, café and indoor gardens.

The Takeda Theater recognizes Takeda’s naming rights sponsorship of the venue and its broader commitment to the communities where it operates, including Cambridge as its Global Hub. Takeda is also the anchor tenant at 585 Kendall, where its approximately 600,000-square-foot Global R&D Center will support Takeda’s ability to bring teams together, deepen collaboration and accelerate drug discovery.

“Takeda’s commitment to creating a healthier world extends beyond our work to bring life-transforming medicines to patients,” said Rhonda Pacheco, President of Takeda's U.S. Business Unit and U.S. Country Head. “The Takeda Theater will provide a place where people can connect, exchange ideas and broaden their perspectives, strengthening the Cambridge community we call home.”

Global Arts Live will operate The Platform and curate approximately one-third of its programming. Performance and rehearsal spaces will also be available to independent artists and community organizations at subsidized rates, with 25 nights offered rent-free each year through an application process.

The Platform was developed by BioMed Realty, a Blackstone Real Estate portfolio company, in collaboration with Global Arts Live and project partners including Takeda, CBT Architects, Suffolk Construction and Redgate.

Additional information about the Nov. 7 Opening Day celebration, including the full schedule and tickets for Compagnie Hervé Koubi, is available at www.theplatformkendall.org.

About The Platform
The Platform is a new performing arts center and cultural hub in Kendall Square serving artists and audiences across Cambridge, Greater Boston, and beyond. More than a stage, it’s a platform for supporting artists and nonprofits; for showcasing work that expands our perspectives; and for fostering curiosity and conversation.

About BioMed Realty
BioMed Realty is the largest private owner of life science and technology real estate serving the innovation industries in the United States and the United Kingdom. BioMed Realty creates purpose-built environments for innovation, designed to accelerate impact, foster community and keep discovery moving. The Company owns and operates approximately 18 million square feet of purpose-built lab and office space across leading innovation hubs, including Boston/Cambridge, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Boulder and Cambridge, U.K. Throughout these markets, BioMed Realty invests in amenities, public spaces and programming that encourage connection among tenants and surrounding communities, including The Platform, the new performing arts center developed at 585 Kendall in Cambridge. To learn more, visit www.biomedrealty.com.

About Global Arts Live
Global Arts Live is a Cambridge-based nonprofit organization that puts the spotlight on exceptional artists who reflect the diversity and vitality of our community—transcending borders, cultivating connection, and enriching lives. Since 1990, it has been a trusted curator of music and dance from around the world, presenting more than 800 artists from over 110 countries enjoyed by over one million audience members.

The Platform Opens in Kendall Square with BANDALOOP Performance

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal coach Jorge Jesus says that he had not expected Cristiano Ronaldo to retire from international soccer despite their recent public falling out.

“I thought he would return. I certainly intended to call him up,” Jesus said when he presented his Nations League squad on Friday, a day after Ronaldo announced that he was ending his long and illustrious career for his country.

“He felt that this was the right moment to leave, and that must be respected. We can never overlook what he has meant to Portugal, what he has contributed to the country, or the fact that he serves as a symbol for younger players.”

Ronaldo’s final appearance with Portugal was on Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

Jesus kept Ronaldo on the bench for the following match and said he didn’t plan to start him in the next one. Ronaldo responded by leaving the team’s training camp.

Ronaldo later apologized. But the Portuguese soccer federation fined him and suspended him from the team for 30 days.

In a long video posted on his social media accounts on Thursday, Ronaldo said “the day has come for me to hand back the No. 7 shirt of our national team.”

The 41-year-old Ronaldo will still play at the club level in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr. He is in pursuit of his 1,000th career goal and sits on 985. Of those, a men’s record 146 goals came in 234 appearances with Portugal.

The Portuguese federation said on Thursday that it intends to organize a tribute to Ronaldo, who played in six World Cups and helped his nation win the 2016 European Championship.

Portugal hosts Denmark in Braga on Nov. 14 and three days later visits Wales in Cardiff. Portugal has already qualified for the Nations League quarterfinals.

Jesus took over Portugal from Roberto Martínez after a disappointing World Cup when Ronaldo featured as the point of the attack.

Questions about Ronaldo dominated Friday’s press conference, even though Jesus said he wanted to focus on his team.

He also said he did not take the public split with Ronaldo, an icon in Portugal, personally.

“As for any hard feelings? There are none. Why? Because all of my decisions were made with the team in mind,” he said. “As a coach, I’ve always advocated for what was best for the team, so I’m completely at ease with everything.”

Portugal squad:

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting), Samuel Soares (Benfica).

Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Alberto Costa (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Tomás Araújo (Benfica), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), António Silva (Bournemouth), João Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Tavares (Lazio).

Midfielders: João Palhinha (Benfica), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Mateus Fernandes (Tottenham), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Francisco Trincão (Al-Ahli), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United).

Forwards: Carlos Forbs (Club Brugge), João Félix (Al-Nassr), Rafael Leão (Galatasaray), Geovany Quenda (Chelsea), Rodrigo Mora (Roma), Gonçalo Ramos (AC Milan), Fábio Silva (Borussia Dortmund), Gustavo Varela (Monza).

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

FILE - Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus stands by the pitch before the Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Wales in Lisbon, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

FILE - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo prepares to kick a penalty during a round of sixteen match between Portugal and Slovenia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)