the history of Broadway theater, many people played crucial roles. Some of the top contributors were the Theatrical Syndicate, which was an organization formed in 1896 by six men associated with the theater in various parts of the U.S. This syndicate had sole control of two-thirds of the theaters in New York and across the country. They became so powerful that they were largely uncontested, although many were angered by their control and the monopoly that they had over the theaters. The Shuberts, three brothers, began to build their own organization in contrast and opposition to the syndicate. The brothers were able to defeat the syndicate and built a theatrical management empire, controlling as much as 60 percent of the countryâs theaters.
The syndicate and the Shuberts were important in terms of the business side of the theater, but there were also many creative talents who made Broadway theater the success that it is today. Harold âHalâ Prince is one such person. Prince is a producer and director known for the musicals that he introduced to Broadway. He is considered the most successful producer in the history of Broadway. Some of his most famous productions include West Side Story, The Phantom of the Opera, and Fiddler on the Roof. The New Amsterdam Theatre is also one of the oldest theaters on Broadway; it was built between 1902 to 1903 and opened with a production of Shakespeareâs A Midsummer Nightâs Dream in 1903. Unlike the Lyceum, which has never been closed, the New Amsterdam fell victim to the Depression and closed in 1936. Although it reopened a year later, it was only on a limited basis, and the facility went through many unstable years, changes, and eventual disrepair. Its ownership was eventually taken over by New York City and the state, which issued an extended lease to Disney in the 1990s. The New Amsterdam was added to the National Register of Historic Places six years after the Lyceum Theater, in 1980.
At Duffy Square stands the famous statue of Broadway legend George M. Cohan. The bronze statue has the words âGive my regards to Broadwayâ inscribed on the base.
PBS Broadway Timeline
New York Broadway Theater Facts
Broadway Timeline
How Broadway Conquered the World
Musical Theater: Origins in 19th-Century Popular Entertainment
History of Broadway
Theater Hall of Fame: History
Theater District: General Description and Significance Type
Harold Prince
Lorraine Hansberry
George M. Cohan: Architect of the American Musical
Eugene OâNeill
Oscar Hammerstein II
History of the Shubert Brothers and the Shubert Organization
The New Amsterdam Theater: A Landmark Mired in Bureaucracy
The Shubert Archive
George M. Cohan
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