United States Theater

    Imperial Theatre, Northeast USA

  249 West 45th Street - Theatre District - New York, NY           
The Imperial Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 249 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan. The theatre seats up to 1417 people.
The Shubert Organization's fiftieth venue in New York City, it was constructed to replace their outdated Lyric Theatre. Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp specifically to accommodate musical theatre productions, it opened on December 25, 1923 with the Oscar Hammerstein II-Vincent Youmans production Mary Jane McKane. Since then, it has hosted numerous important musicals, including Annie Get Your Gun (1946), Fiddler on the Roof (1964), Dreamgirls (1981), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1985), and Les Miserables (1990), which played at the theatre until 2003. Source
    Ambassador Theatre, Northeast USA
  219 West 49th Street - Theatre District - New York, NY
          
The Ambassador Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 219 West 49th Street in midtown-Manhattan.
Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp for the Shuberts, the structure is unusual in that it is situated diagonally on its site to fit the maximum number of seats possible. Its external appearance, indistinguishable from many other Broadway houses, does not hint at the strange layout within. The building has been designated a New York City landmark.
The theatre opened on February 11, 1921 with the musical The Rose Girl. The Shuberts sold the property in 1935, and for the next two decades it was used as a movie theater and television studio for NBC and the DuMont Television Network. In 1956 the Shuberts assumed ownership again and returned it to strictly legitimate use. Source
    Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum, Southeast USA
  829 N. Davis Street - Jacksonville, FL           
The Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum Celebrates the rich legacy of the African-American community that thrived in LaVilla for more than 100 years. The theatre and museum are revered as the premiere cultural institution in Jacksonville, Florida, showcasing art, music, drama, poetry, and African American history.
The stories and legends of LaVilla, known as the "Harlem of the South," live on within the walls of the refurbished museum and theatre. Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum is committed to reclaiming the past, celebrating the present, and embracing the future.
    John Golden Theatre, Northeast USA
  252 West 45th Street - Theatre District - New York, NY           
The John Golden Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 252 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.
Designed in a Moorish style along with the adjacent Royale Theatre by architect Herbert J. Krapp for Irwin Chanin, it opened as the Theater Masque on February 24, 1927 with the play Puppets of Passion. Seventy-six years later it would house another production known for its puppets, the award-winning Avenue Q.
In 1937, impresario John Golden acquired the theatre and renamed it for himself. It operated as a movie house in the 1940s and '50s before it was purchased by the Shuberts, who returned it to legitimate use.
With a seating capacity of only 800, it is one of the smallest houses on Broadway. Source
    Cort Theatre, Northeast USA
  138 West 48th Street - Theatre District - New York, NY           
The Cort Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 138 West 48th Street in midtown-Manhattan. The Shuberts purchased the theatre in 1927.
Designed by Thomas W. Lamb, its facade was modeled after the Petit Trianon at Versailles, while architecture from the period of Louis XVI inspired the interior. The building was constructed by and named for former vaudevillean John Cort, general manager of the Northwestern Theatrical Association.
It opened on December 20, 1912 with Laurette Taylor starring in the play Peg o' My Heart, which ran for 603 performance, an auspicious start for the new venue. Numerous famous British actors have appeared at the Cort: Basil Rathbone played Dr. Nicholas Agi in The Swan in October 1923, and in April 1927 appeared as Vladimir Dubriski in Love is Like That. In October 1924 Henry Daniell appeared as Aubrey Tanqueray in The Second Mrs Tanqueray, was there again in August 1943 in Murder Without Crime, and in January 1946 appeared as Leontes in The Winter's Tale.
The theatre was used as a television studio housing The Merv Griffin Show from 1969-72. Source
    Broadway Theatre, Northeast USA
  1681 Broadway - Theatre District - New York, NY           
Coming up: Rodgers And Hammerstein's Cinderella. Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella is coming to Broadway for the first time ever! Four-time Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane’s (Sister Act, Xanadu) delightfully romantic and hilarious take on the ultimate makeover story features all the classic elements you remember—the pumpkin, the glass slipper, the masked ball and more—plus some surprising new twists! Rediscover some of Rodgers + Hammerstein's most beloved songs, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible” and “Ten Minutes Ago" in this outrageously fun Broadway musical for dreamers of all ages. And not to worry... you'll be home well before the stroke of midnight!
The Broadway Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1681 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.
Designed by architect Eugene DeRosa for Benjamin S. Moss, it opened as B.S. Moss's Colony Theatre on Christmas Day 1924 as a venue for vaudeville shows and motion pictures. It was re-named Universal's Colony Theatre, B.S. Moss' Broadway Theatre, and Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre before becoming a legitimate house simply called Broadway Theatre on December 8, 1930 . (In 1937, known as Ciné Roma, it showed Italian films). The Shuberts bought it in 1939. It was renovated extensively in 1956 and 1986. The large stage (nearly sixty feet deep) and seating capacity (1761) have made it a popular theatre for musicals throughout the years.
    Broadhurst Theatre, Northeast USA
  235 West 44th Street - Theatre District - New York, NY           
The Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.
It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, one of the major theatre designers of the early 1900s. Built back-to-back with the Plymouth, it was meant to resemble the style of the neighboring Henry B. Herts-designed Shubert and Booth theaters, using less expensive brick and terra cotta materials on the facades. Like all of Krapp's work during this period, it features minimal ornamentation, a single balcony, wide space, and excellent sightlines. Unlike the Majestic Theatre, which has housed The Phantom of the Opera (musical) since 1988, the Broadhurst does not run parallel to the street, but rather the stage is perpendicular. Source
    Circle in the Square Theatre, Northeast USA
  1633 Broadway (at 50th Street) - Theatre District - New York, NY           
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 50th Street in midtown Manhattan.
Designed by architect Alan Sayles, it is one of two theatres occupying the underground levels of Paramount Plaza, which was constructed as the Uris Building on the site of the famed Capitol Theater movie house. It originally served as the uptown home to the Circle-in-the-Square repertory company founded by Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in 1961 in Greenwich Village. The first production, a revival of Mourning Becomes Electra, opened on November 15, 1972.
The rather small auditorium has a seating capacity of 650. It is one of only two Broadway houses with a thrust stage (the other is Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre).
The building also houses the Circle in the Square Theatre School, the only accredited training conservatory associated with a Broadway theatre, which offers a two-year training program in acting. Source
    Belasco Theatre, Northeast USA
  111 West 44th Street - Theatre District - New York, NY           
The Belasco Theatre is a legitmate Broadway theatre located at 111 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan.
Designed by architect George Keister for impresario David Belasco, the interior featured Tiffany lighting and ceiling panels, rich woodwork and expansive murals, and a ten-room duplex penthouse apartment that Belasco utilized as combination living quarters/office space.
Technically it was outfitted with the most advanced stagecraft tools available, including extensive lighting rigs, a hydraulics system, and vast wing and fly space.
It opened as the Stuyvesant Theatre on October 16, 1907 with the musical A Grand Army Man with Antoinette Perry. Three years later Belasco attached his own name to the venue. After his death in 1931, it was leased first by actress Katharine Cornell and then playwright Elmer Rice. The Shuberts bought it in 1949 and leased it to NBC for three years before returning it to legitimate use.
This theater is the subject of an urban legend that David Belasco's ghost haunts the theater every night. Some performers in the shows that played there have even claimed to have spotted him or other ghosts during performances. Source
    Kodak Theatre, Southwest USA
  6801 Hollywood Boulevard - Hollywood, CA           
Kodak Theatre is the crown jewel of the Hollywood & Highland Center retail, dining and entertainment complex located in the heart of historic Hollywood. The 3,332 seat theatre opened in November 2001 and soon thereafter became known to more than one billion people across the globe as the first permanent home of the Academy Awards®.
Built at a cost of $94 million, Kodak Theatre was designed by the internationally-renowned Rockwell Group to be as glamorous as its onstage artists and celebrity guests, yet capable of serving the enormous technical needs of a live worldwide television broadcast on Oscar® night. The naming of Kodak Theatre, in a 20-year marketing partnership with Eastman Kodak Co., was one of the most significant non-sports corporate sponsorships in history. Kodak’s prominence and long-standing connection to the film industry in Hollywood made the relationship a natural. In fact, for the 78th consecutive year, ever since the inception of the Academy Awards, Best Picture was produced on Kodak film.
    Hollywood Bowl, Southwest USA
  2301 North Highland Avenue - Hollywood, CA            
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a current seating capacity of just under 18,000, the Hollywood Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and, in 1991 gave its name to a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
    Barrymore Theatre, Midwest USA
  2090 Atwood Avenue - Madison, WI            
The Barrymore Theatre (originally The Eastwood) was built in 1929 as the third movie theater erected in Madison, Wisconsin. It sustained itself as a neighborhood movie theater until the late 70's. The theater was briefly vacant in the early 80's and was renovated into a live events theatre in 1987. That is when it took up it's present name, and began the transformation into what it is today. Source
    Virginia Theatre, Midwest USA
  203 W. Park - Chicago, IL            
Since 1921, The Virginia Theatre has been a landmark in the business district of Champaign, and in the history of the region. For 75 years, the 1525 seat theatre has offered entertainment as a vaudeville house, legitimate theatre, and movie house. After over three decades as a movie house primarily, the Theatre made the return to live performances in May of 1991 with a live theatre/concert called Songs of America. The show sold out and they had to turn away 200 people. This was the first show at the theatre since the theatre was dedicated to films only. In January of 2000, the Champaign Park District joined in the efforts to save this prized landmark. After assuming control of the theatre, the Park District embarked on a massive renovation to bring the facility back to its original glory and in compliance with local safety ordinances. After renovations are complete, the Virginia Theatre will continue its tradition of quality entertainment that was sparked by such legendary performers such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Red Skelton, Will Rogers, W.C. Fields and the Marx Brothers.
    Theatre Jacksonville, Southeast USA
  2032 San Marco Boulevard - Jacksonville, FL            
A a volunteer-based community theatre whose mission is to create opportunities for community participation in theatre arts. This mission mandates inclusion and the development of diversity in the Company's artistic, volunteer, audience and donor bases. This goal is achieved through presenting plays and programs of noted artistic excellence, supporting volunteers and students with exceptional training opportunities, and allowing for the development of unique and/or original performance projects and events by Florida artists.