The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of
theatres based in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
,
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 ...
. It was founded by the three
Shubert brothers
The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th c ...
in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters in New York and across the country. Since then it has gone through changes of ownership, but is still a major theater chain.
History
The Shubert Organization was founded by the
Shubert brothers
The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th c ...
,
Sam S. Shubert
Samuel S. Shubert (August 27, 1878 – May 13, 1905) was an American producer and theatre owner/operator. He was the middle son in the Shubert family and was raised in Syracuse, New York.
Biography
Born in Vladislavov, in the Suwałki Govern ...
,
Lee Shubert, and
Jacob J. Shubert of
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, Yonkers, and Rochester.
At the 2020 census, the city' ...
– colloquially and collectively known as "The Shuberts" – in the late 19th century in upstate
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, entering into
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 ...
productions in 1900. The organization produced a large number of shows and began acquiring theaters. Sam Shubert died in 1905; by 1916 the two remaining brothers had become powerful theater moguls with a nationwide presence.
In 1907, the Shuberts tried to enter vaudeville with the United States Amusement Co. In the spring of 1920 they made another attempt, establishing the Shubert Advanced Vaudeville with Lee Shubert as President and playing two shows per day in Boston, Dayton, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Philadelphia and in September 1921 opening in New York.
In April 1922, the Shuberts teamed with
Isidore Herk
Isidore ( ; also spelled Isador, Isadore and Isidor) is an English and French masculine given name. The name is derived from the Greek name ''Isídōros'' (Ἰσίδωρος) and can literally be translated to "gift of Isis." The name has survived ...
and E. Thomas Beatty to form the Affiliated Theatres Corporation, which would book shows for the chain. Faced with fierce competition from the
B. F. Keith Circuit, the Shuberts closed their vaudeville operation in February 1923.
By 1929, the Shubert Theatre chain included
Broadway's most important venues, the
Winter Garden, the
Sam S. Shubert
Samuel S. Shubert (August 27, 1878 – May 13, 1905) was an American producer and theatre owner/operator. He was the middle son in the Shubert family and was raised in Syracuse, New York.
Biography
Born in Vladislavov, in the Suwałki Govern ...
, and the
Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texas
...
theaters, and owned, managed, operated, or booked nearly a thousand theaters nationwide. The company continued to produce stage productions in New York until the 1940s, returning to producing Broadway productions in the 1970s after a hiatus.
The company was reorganized in 1973, and as of 2016 owned or operated seventeen Broadway theaters in New York City, two
off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...
theaters —
Stage 42
Stage 42 (known as the Little Shubert Theatre until July 2015) is a theatre in New York City on Theatre Row, about half a mile west of Broadway. Its address is 422 West 42nd Street, between 9th Avenue and Dyer Avenue. It was built in 2002 and ...
and
New World Stages — and the
Forrest Theatre in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
.
It leases Boston's
Shubert Theatre to the
Citi Performing Arts Center.
Shubert Ticketing, which includes Telecharge, handles tickets for 70 theaters.
Several former Shubert-owned theaters across the United States are still referred to by the Shubert name. One of the most famous is the
New Haven Shubert, the second theater ever built by the Shubert Organization. Until the 1970s, major Broadway producers often premiered shows there before opening in New York. It was immortalized in many mid-20th century films, such as ''
All About Eve
''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, although Orr does not receive a screen credit ...
''.
Another important regional theater was the Shubert in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, located within the Majestic Building at 22 West Monroe Street. Originally known as the Majestic Theatre, the Shubert Organization purchased it in 1945 and rechristened it the "Sam Shubert Theatre". The Shuberts sold the theatre to the
Nederlander Organization
The Nederlander Organization, founded in 1912 by David T. Nederlander in Detroit, and currently based in New York City, is one of the largest operators of live theaters and music venues in the United States. Its first acquisition was a lease on ...
in 1991 and is now known as the
CIBC Theatre
CIBC Theatre is a performing arts theater located at 18 West Monroe Street in the Loop area of downtown Chicago. It is operated by Broadway In Chicago, part of the Nederlander Organization. Opened in 1906 as the ''Majestic Theatre'', it currently ...
.
In 2016, it sold longtime headquarters at 1700 Broadway, to Ruben Cos for $280 million.
Theatres
Broadway
*
Ambassador Theatre
*
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
*
Belasco Theatre
The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was built in 1907 a ...
*
Booth Theatre
*
Broadhurst Theatre
*
Broadway Theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...
*
John Golden Theatre
*
Imperial Theatre
*
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale Theatre and the John Golden Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 242 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theat ...
*
James Earl Jones Theatre
The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was built in ...
*
Longacre Theatre
The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theater at 220 West 48th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. Opened in 1913, it was designed by Henry B. Herts and was named for Longacre Square, now known ...
*
Lyceum Theatre
*
Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to:
Australia
* Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished
* Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed ...
*
Music Box Theatre
*
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, formerly the Plymouth Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 236 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was ...
*
Shubert Theatre
*
Winter Garden Theatre
The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...
Off-Broadway
*
Stage 42
Stage 42 (known as the Little Shubert Theatre until July 2015) is a theatre in New York City on Theatre Row, about half a mile west of Broadway. Its address is 422 West 42nd Street, between 9th Avenue and Dyer Avenue. It was built in 2002 and ...
*
New World Stages
Regional
*
Forrest Theatre (Philadelphia)
*
Shubert Theatre (Boston)
Former theatres
Broadway
* Avon Theatre
*
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receivin ...
(1944–1970)
*
Bijou Theatre
*
Casino Theatre (from 1903)
*
Central Theatre (1918–1988)
*
Century Theatre
**Century Theatre Roof
*
Comedy Theatre (1909–1931)
*
Cosmopolitan Theatre
''Cosmopolitan Theatre'' is an American anthology series which aired on the DuMont Television Network Tuesdays at 9pm ET from October 2, 1951 to December 25, 1951.
Synopsis
The series consisted of live presentations of stories written for ''Cosm ...
*
Maxine Elliott Theatre (1906–1956)
*
Forrest Theatre (1925–1945)
*
44th Street Theatre
The 44th Street Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 216 West 44th Street in New York City from 1912 to 1945. It opened and operated for three years as the Weber and Fields' Music Hall. Its rooftop theatre, the Nora Bayes Theatre, present ...
(1912–1945)
**Nora Bayes Theatre (on roof)
* 49th Street Theatre
*
46th Street Theatre
The Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly Chanin's 46th Street Theatre and the 46th Street Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 226 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, it was designed by He ...
(1935–1945)
*
Sam H. Harris Theatre
*
Herald Square Theatre (1900–?)
*
Hippodrome Theatre
The Hippodrome Theatre, also called the New York Hippodrome, was a theater in New York City from 1905 to 1939, located on Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Sixth Avenue between 43rd Street (Manhattan), West 43rd and 44th Street (Manhattan), West 44th St ...
(1906-1915)
*
Jolson's 59th Street Theatre
The New Century Theatre was a Broadway theater in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, at 205–207 West 58th Street and 926–932 Seventh Avenue. Opened on October 6, 1921, as Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, the theater was desig ...
*
Lyric Theatre (1903–?)
*
Madison Square Theatre
''The Madison Square Theatre'' was a Broadway theatre in Manhattan, on the south side of 24th Street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway (which intersects Fifth Avenue near that point.) It was built in 1863, operated as a theater from 1865 to 1908, ...
*
Majestic Theatre (Columbus Circle)
*
Manhattan Center (1911–1922)
*
Morosco Theatre
The Morosco Theatre was a Broadway theatre near Times Square in New York City from 1917 to 1982. It housed many notable productions and its demolition, along with four adjacent theaters, was controversial.
History
Located at 217 West 45th Stree ...
*
National Theatre (?-1956)
*
New Century Theatre
* Princess Theatre (29th St) (1902–1907)
*
Ritz Theatre (1921–1956)
*
St. James Theatre (1941–1957)
* Waldorf Theatre
Subway Circuit
*
Bronx Opera House
The Bronx Opera House is a former theater, part of the Subway Circuit, now converted into a boutique hotel in the Bronx, New York It was designed by George M. Keister and built in 1913 at 436 East 149th Street on the site of Frederick Schnaufer' ...
, Bronx
* Riviera Theatre, Manhattan
* Shubert Majestic Theatre, Brooklyn
* Teller's Shubert Theatre, Brooklyn
Regional
* Harmanus Bleecker Hall (Albany)
* Capitol Theatre (Albany)
*
Auditorium Theatre (Baltimore)
*
Boston Opera House (Boston)
*
Colonial Theatre (Boston) (?-1957)
*
Columbia Theatre (Boston) (1903–1904)
*
Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to:
Australia
* Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished
* Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed ...
(Boston) (1903–1956)
*
Plymouth Theatre (Boston) (1927–1957)
*
Wilbur Theatre
The Wilbur Theatre is a historic performing arts theater at 244–250 Tremont Street in Boston, Massachusetts. The Wilbur Theatre originally opened in 1914, but underwent renovations in 2008. The Wilbur Theatre sits in the heart of Boston's histo ...
(Boston)
* Teck Theatre (Buffalo)
*
Blackstone Theatre
The Merle Reskin Theatre is a performing arts venue located in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. Originally named the Blackstone Theatre it was built in 1910. Renamed the Merle Reskin Theatre in 1992, it is now part of DePaul Un ...
(Chicago) (1948–1989)
* Erlanger Theatre (Chicago)
*
Garrick Theater (Chicago)
The Schiller Theater Building was designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler of the firm Adler & Sullivan for the German Opera Company. At the time of its construction, it was among the tallest buildings in Chicago. Its centerpiece was a 1300- ...
(1903–?)
* Great Northern Theatre (Chicago)
* Olympic Theatre (Chicago)
* Princess Theatre (Chicago)
* Shubert Grand Opera House
*
Shubert Theatre (Chicago) (1945–1991)
* Cox Theatre (Cincinnati)
* Shubert Theatre (Cincinnati)
* Colonial Theatre (Cleveland)
*
Hanna Theatre (Cleveland)
* Cass Theatre (Detroit) (1926–1962)
* Garrick Theatre (Detroit)
* Shubert-Lafayette Theatre (Detroit) (1925–1957)
* Parsons Theatre (Hartford)
*
Murat Theatre (Indianapolis)
* Shubert Theatre (Kansas City)
*
Shubert's Missouri Theatre (Kansas City)
*
Shubert Theatre (Los Angeles) (1972–2002)
* Shubert Theatre (Newark)
*
Shubert Theatre (New Haven) (1914–1941)
* Adelphi Theatre (Philadelphia)
* Chestnut Street Opera House (Philadelphia)
* Locust Theatre (Philadelphia) (?-1956)
* Lyric Theatre (Philadelphia)
*
Shubert Theatre (
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
) (1918–1957)
*
Walnut Street Theatre
The Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1809 at 825 Walnut Street, on the corner of S. 9th Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, is the oldest operating theatre in the United States. The venue is operated by the Walnu ...
(Philadelphia) (1941–1969)
* Providence Opera House (Providence)
*
Shubert Theater (Saint Paul) (1910–1933)
* Alvin Theatre (Pittsburgh)
* Duquesne Theatre (Pittsburgh)
* Pitt Theatre (Pittsburgh)
* Baker Theatre (Rochester) (1899–?)
* Cook Opera House (Rochester) (1898–1899)
*
Curran Theatre
The Curran Theatre, located at 445 Geary Street between Taylor and Mason Streets in the Theatre District of San Francisco, California opened in February 1922, and was named after its first owner, Homer Curran. As of 2014, the theater is owned by ...
(San Francisco)
* Garrick Theatre (St. Louis)
* Shubert Theatre (St. Louis)
*
Bastable Theatre (Syracuse) (1897–?)
* Grand Opera House (Syracuse)
*
Wieting Opera House (Syracuse)
* Town Hall Theatre (Toledo) (1945–1953)
*
Royal Alexandra Theatre (Toronto)
* Rand Opera House (Troy, New York)
* Majestic Theatre (Utica)
*
Belasco Theatre
The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was built in 1907 a ...
(Washington, D.C.)
*
Poli's Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
* Shubert Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
* Shubert-Garrick Theater (Washington, D.C.)
*
National Theatre (Washington, D.C.) (1980–2012)
* Playhouse Theatre (Wilmington, Delaware)
London
*
Waldorf Theatre (1905–1909)
See also
*
Shubert family
The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th c ...
References
Notes
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
Official websiteShubert Foundation website
Shubert Theatre Organization materials, 1977–1997
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shubert Organization, The
Theatre-owning companies
American theatre managers and producers
Entertainment companies based in New York City
Mass media companies based in New York City
Special Tony Award recipients
Broadway theatre