The Ritz Theatre is an active live producing non-profit theatre located in Haddon Township, Camden County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It is home to The Ritz Theatre Company (formerly Puttin' on the Ritz, Inc.) The company produces mainstage plays and musicals, children's theater, runs a summer theatre arts day camp, and reaches out to its community with educational and entertaining programming.

History

The Ritz Theatre was built in a

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

and opened in September 1927 as a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

theatre. It quickly became a focal point of the community.The Ritz Theatre Co. , Haddon Township NJ. WCIT LLC, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. The architecture is

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

with the auditorium walls featuring 25-foot high neo-classical canvas murals with gilt trimmed columns and velvet draped balconies enclosed by classic carved balustrades. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Ritz was known for its fine art and foreign film showings, drawing audiences from Philadelphia and the Southern New Jersey regions."The Ritz Theatre Company." The Ritz Theatre Company. South Jersey Cultural Alliance, Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. In the 1970s, the Ritz then became an

adult movie theater An adult movie theater is a euphemistic term for a movie theater dedicated to the exhibition of pornographic films. Adult movie theaters show pornographic films primarily for either a respectively heterosexual or homosexual audience. For the patro ...

. The theatre closed until 1985, when the Ritz returned to live theatre when Puttin’ on the Ritz, Inc., a production company led by Producing Artistic Director Bruce A. Curless, took over. In January 1986, Puttin’ On The Ritz reopened the doors of the Ritz Theatre, to once again become the focal point of South Jersey entertainment. The first production of Puttin’ on The Ritz was the musical The Boy Friend by Sandy Wilson. In 1990, the theatre's production of Children of a Lesser God would begin a long time commitment an ASL (

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual lang ...

) Initiative. This initiative would later turn into having Shadow Interpreters for the theatre's annual Christmas tradition of Scrooge in 2006 and 2008, as well as mainstage shows such as Arsenic and Old Lace in 2010. The Ritz Theatre Company, Inc. presents six mainstage productions and eight children's productions each season. They serve more than 73,300 patrons annually. Also offered are holiday shows, special events, summer theatre camp, dramatic workshops and outreach programs. The Theatre building also boasts The Gallery at the Ritz, an in-house art gallery that offers professional monthly art exhibits. Being a non-profit company, there is an active board of directors. In 2001, the group purchased the 466-seat theatre, making it the permanent home of the ensemble. In 2002, the Ritz was added to the

and

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. It is currently in the midst of renovation. To date, the roof has been replaced along with upgrading the electrical system and installing sprinklers. The lobby has been renovated with new carpeting and paint and work has begun on restoration of the front of the building and the classic marquee as well as the classical Greek interior

murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...

. In April 2014, the Ritz held its first ever fundraiser to help raise money to keep the building and theatre alive. The first annual “Rock The Ritz” fundraiser brought in over $11,000 to help the organization. In 2015, The Ritz will enter its 30th season providing live theatre to South Jersey and the surrounding areas.

Notable people

Cristin Milioti Cristin Milioti (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for playing Tracy McConnell in the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' from 2013 to 2014, and for her work in theater productions such as ''That Face'', ''Stunning'', a ...

: Tony Award Nominated Actress for the Musical,

Once Once means a one-time occurrence. Once may refer to: Music * ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten'' * ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper * ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...

."Cristin Milioti." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Played The Mother on the final season of the TV series ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...

''. Ritz productions include Carousel, Romeo and Juliet, as well as the Christmas tradition of Scrooge."Ritz’s Concert Version of Scrooge This Weekend." Ritz’s Concert Version of Scrooge This Weekend. The Retrospect, 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

References

External links

Ritz Theatre Online

Ritz Theatre at Cinematreasures.org
{{NRHP in Camden County, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Camden County, New Jersey Theatres in New Jersey Theatres completed in 1927 1927 establishments in New Jersey Tourist attractions in Camden County, New Jersey Haddon Township, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Camden County, New Jersey Colonial Revival architecture in New Jersey Vaudeville theaters Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey

History

Notable people

See also

References

External links