Broadway Theatre - a History
Broadway Theater
Broadway is the longest street in New York, starting in downtown Manhattan, and running through town, crossing the Broadway Bridge, and continues to Bronx (Greiner, visit- new-york-city.com) Then why when people hear this street name, do they think of theater?
That’s because this street, commonly referred to as the “Great White Way”, has 36 theaters.
These 36 theaters, along with 4 other, make up what is called the Theatre District.
Broadway history dates back to the late 1600 's, when a coffee house called 'The King 's
Arms ' opened in 1696 on Broadway. Some scholars think this may have held Manhattan 's earliest theatrical performances (Kenrick, J, musicals101.com). However, it isn 't until December
6, 1732, when the first professional performance of a specific play is recorded in New York City.
The play was “The Recruiting Officer”, and was performed by a group of actors from London, in an empty building near Maiden Lane and Pearl Street. Performances continued in this unnamed place through the end of the decade. For it wasn 't until 1750, when New York had around ten thousand citizens, that it received its first formal theater (Kenrick, J, musicals101.com).
However, the theater was still not on Broadway, but slightly east on Nassau Street, which gave it the name "Theatre on Nassau Street." This theater was a wooden, two story structure that could only hold about 280 people. Walter Murray and Thomas Kean presented Shakespeare’s "Richard
III" on March 5, 1750. They also presented the first documented musical in New York, which was John Gay 's "The Beggars Opera", on December 3, 1750. Historians don 't know much about the Theater on Nassau Street, which results in mostly guesswork. In her book “Theater In
American”, Mary C. Henderson said, "May have been either a warehouse or a brewery (or both).
. . probably fitted up with a stage at one end, benches in front of it, and a
Broadway is the longest street in New York, starting in downtown Manhattan, and running through town, crossing the Broadway Bridge, and continues to Bronx (Greiner, visit- new-york-city.com) Then why when people hear this street name, do they think of theater?
That’s because this street, commonly referred to as the “Great White Way”, has 36 theaters.
These 36 theaters, along with 4 other, make up what is called the Theatre District.
Broadway history dates back to the late 1600 's, when a coffee house called 'The King 's
Arms ' opened in 1696 on Broadway. Some scholars think this may have held Manhattan 's earliest theatrical performances (Kenrick, J, musicals101.com). However, it isn 't until December
6, 1732, when the first professional performance of a specific play is recorded in New York City.
The play was “The Recruiting Officer”, and was performed by a group of actors from London, in an empty building near Maiden Lane and Pearl Street. Performances continued in this unnamed place through the end of the decade. For it wasn 't until 1750, when New York had around ten thousand citizens, that it received its first formal theater (Kenrick, J, musicals101.com).
However, the theater was still not on Broadway, but slightly east on Nassau Street, which gave it the name "Theatre on Nassau Street." This theater was a wooden, two story structure that could only hold about 280 people. Walter Murray and Thomas Kean presented Shakespeare’s "Richard
III" on March 5, 1750. They also presented the first documented musical in New York, which was John Gay 's "The Beggars Opera", on December 3, 1750. Historians don 't know much about the Theater on Nassau Street, which results in mostly guesswork. In her book “Theater In
American”, Mary C. Henderson said, "May have been either a warehouse or a brewery (or both).
. . probably fitted up with a stage at one end, benches in front of it, and a
Cited: Kenrick, John. "Theatre in New York: A Brief History." Musicals101.com - The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musicals. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.musicals101.com/bwaythhist1.htm>. Henderson, Mary C.. Theater in America: 200 Years of Plays, Players, and Productions. First Edition ed. New York: Harry N Abrams, 1991. Print. Erenberg, Lewis A.. Steppin ' Out: New York Nightlife and the Transformation of American Culture. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 1984. Print. "IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information." IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.ibdb.com>. Jackson, Kenneth T. (Edited). The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1955. Print. Ades, Lisa, Ric Burns, and James Sanders. New York: An Illustrated History. Exp Sub ed. New York: Knopf, 2003. Print. Greiner, Julie. "A Brief Early History of Broadway Plays." A Brief Early History of Broadway Plays. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://broadway-plays.visit-new 'Wicked ' facts - ." News, Sports, Business, Politics - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill | The News & Observer. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.newsobserver.com/ "TonyAwards.com - The American Theatre Wing 's Tony Awards® - Official Website by IBM." TonyAwards.com - The American Theatre Wing 's Tony Awards® - Official Website by IBM. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.tonyawards.com>