The Imperial Theatre is an 853-seat
theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...
located in downtown
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The theater opened on February 18, 1918.
It is named after the
Imperial Theatre
The Imperial Theatre is a Broadway theater at 249 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1923, the Imperial Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructed fo ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
History
Augusta's Imperial Theatre began in 1917 as a vaudeville showcase named The Wells Theatre. It was founded by impresario Jake Wells and was designed by architect G. Lloyd Preacher in the Victorian Renaissance style for a total cost of $47,792.00.
Below are price listings for opening night.
Prices for opening night, February 18, 1918:
* Matinee: $0.10 and $0.20
* Evening: $0.15
* Orchestra $0.35
* Balcony: First Section: $.35, Remainder: $0.25, Gallery (Colored Section) $0.15
The Wells Becomes The Imperial
On Sunday, October 6, 1918, over 3,000 cases of Spanish Flu were reported. With the death of 52 servicemen from a local military camp (now known as Fort Gordon), the city announced the closure of all public venues, including the theatre. The quarantine began October 7, and during this time Jake Wells encountered great financial difficulties. He sold The Wells to Lynch Enterprises. On November 27, 1918, shortly after the sell, the quarantine is lifted. Two weeks later the theatre opened under the name of Jake Wells with The B. F. Keith Supreme Vaudeville Co. After the acquisition of several other local theatres by Lynch Enterprises, The Wells Theatre's was changed to The Imperial Theatre. Throughout the early 1900s the theatre continued to provide the city of Augusta and the surrounding area with great entertainment. In 1929, as vaudevillian acts decreased in popularity and motion pictures enjoyed meteoric success, Miller decided to renovate the Imperial into a full-time movie house in the popular art deco style. In March 1936 "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine," starring Henry Fonda and Fred McMurray, became the first color film to be shown at the Imperial. It is in the Broad Street Historical District and is listed on the National Register as important to the character of the entire district.
Due to the decline of the downtown area, the Imperial continued as a film theatre until it closed in 1981. In 1985 it was recognized for its architectural significance and reopened as a performing arts venue with the help of local performing arts groups like the Augusta Ballet and the Augusta Players.
Today the Imperial Theatre is a vibrant arena for entertainment, with a full season of musicals, dance, concerts, comedy and more. It is noted in the National Register as critical to the character of the Broad Street Historic District. Currently, the Imperial is the only operating historic theatre in Augusta, connecting artists and patrons by providing superb entertainment in a gracious and historic setting. Today, the Imperial is still the home for the Augusta Ballet, the Augusta Players, as well as the Morris Museum of Art's Southern Soul + Song Series, Storyland Theatre, Dance Augusta, Columbia County Ballet, Ed Turner and the Number 9 Band, Westobou Festival events and the
Poison Peach Film Festival.
Celebrity at the theatre
Although it is a certainty that a large number of celebrities of the day must have graced the stage of the theatre, only a few are documented in the Imperial Theatre's archives. Among the earliest recorded appearances was the visit of
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
, who appeared at the theatre on April 18, 1918, selling Liberty war bonds.
Included in this bill of fare was
Leo Carrillo
Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo (; August 6, 1880 – September 10, 1961), known professionally as Leo Carrillo, was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist.
He was best known for playing Pancho in the television ...
, who later became the Cisco Kid's partner, Pancho; and the famous ballet dancer
Anna Pavlova
Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20th ...
.
See also
*
Broad Street Historic District (Augusta, Georgia)
*
Arts and culture in Augusta, Georgia
The culture of Augusta, Georgia is influenced by the many different perspectives and histories of its community members, as well as its own history. The large low income population of the area as well as the city's rural surroundings have affecte ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Imperial Theatre— official website
*
Theatre and Democracy' - Segment from
C-SPAN
Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...
's ''
Alexis de Tocqueville Tour
The ''Alexis de Tocqueville Tour'' was a series of programs produced by C-SPAN in 1997 and 1998 that followed the path taken by Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont through the United States during their 1831–32 visit. It explored many ...
''
Theatres in Georgia (U.S. state)
Buildings and structures in Augusta, Georgia
Culture of Augusta, Georgia
Tourist attractions in Augusta, Georgia
Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)
National Register of Historic Places in Augusta, Georgia