MAJOR HUMANITIES GRANT AWARDED TO THE THEATRE MUSEUM
$20,000 Will Fund Upcoming Brooklyn Theatre Exhibition

The New York Council for the Humanities announced that The Theatre Museum was awarded $20,000 as a matching grant, to be applied toward the installation of its upcoming exhibition spotlighting the rich theatrical history of Brooklyn, called Brooklyn Sees Stars.

The exhibition, to take place at the Brooklyn Public Library on Grand Army Plaza from January 13 through April 4, 2009, will focus on the little known, but vibrant history of live theatre in Brooklyn, which began in revolutionary-era taverns and lavish Victorian gilded palaces. Though many of the borough's famed theatres have found new uses as churches and supermarkets, the exhibition will celebrate the resurgence of theatre in Brooklyn in recent years. The exhibition will draw upon archival records, architectural history experts, gorgeous show programs, and sheet music samples from musicals performed in Brooklyn.

Partnering with the Brooklyn Public Library is a first for The Theatre Museum, which frequently works with other local cultural organizations to launch exhibitions. The library was a natural choice with its rich collections of Brooklyn research materials and ample exhibition space, frequented by over two million people each year.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. The Museum's programs include community outreach, education programs and the annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence Ceremony. The museum's primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming. It currently functions as a museum-at-large while looking for permanent gallery space.

Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this press release do not necessarily represent those of the New York Council for the Humanities or National Endowment for the Humanities.

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If you'd like more information, or to schedule an interview with president Helen M. Guditis, please call The Theatre Museum at 212-764-4112 x205 or email press@thetheatremuseum.org. For more information about The New York Council for the Humanities, visit www.nyhumanities.org.

July 1, 2008

LEGENDARY SHOWMAN JOE FRANKLIN HEADS THE 2008 THEATRE MUSEUM AWARDS HONOREES

American radio and television personality Joe Franklin, who has been entertaining New York audiences for more than half a century, will be the recipient of The Theatre Museum's Career Achievement Award at its 2008 Awards Gala.

Recognizing individuals and/or organizations that have made significant contributions to the life of the theatre, The Theatre Museum will also honor Rick McKay with its Award of Excellence for Theatre History Preservation to an Individual and The Theatre Museum of Repertoire Americana with its Award of Excellence for Theatre History Preservation to an Organization. Five Towns College will receive the Award for Excellence in Theatre Arts Education. The Awards will be presented on October 21, 2008 at New York's The Players Club, 16 Gramercy Park South.

"The Theatre Museum is proud to have the opportunity to recognize a diverse array of recipients this year," says museum president Helen Marie Guditis. "Each, in a uniquely different way, has made a significant contribution to theatre arts and the principles and goals of our organization."

Dubbed "the king of nostalgia," television pioneer Joe Franklin debuted on WJZ-TV (later WABC-TV) in 1951 with one of the medium's earliest talk shows. He moved to WOR-TV (later WWOR-TV) in 1962 where he remained a mainstay until 1999. It is estimated that as host of "The Joe Franklin Show," he interviewed over 10,000 guests during its 43-year TV run. He can currently be heard Saturday nights broadcasting on WOR radio's "Memory Lane" (710AM in NYC, 12 midnight) and also be heard daily on Bloomberg Radio's "Lifestyles" segment.

An acknowledged authority on silent film and the owner of one of the largest private sheet music collections in the world, Franklin has written 23 books, including Classics of the Silent Screen and his 1995 autobiography Up Late with Joe Franklin. He has appeared as himself in countless films, notably "Ghostbusters" and "Broadway Danny Rose."

Producer/Director/Writer/Cinematographer Rick McKay is the sole owner and proprietor of Second Act Productions. His hit film, "Broadway: The Golden Age," has won over 15 film festival awards and landed on 17 Top Ten film lists. McKay, who has won three Telly awards for his television work, has produced episodes for A&E's "Biography" and produced, directed and shot "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty" for "Egg: The Arts Show." Much of this footage was also used to make the HBO documentary of the same name, which won Stritch a 2004 Emmy. For five seasons McKay was a segment producer on WNET13's "City Arts" and recently helped to create the opening segment of two Tony Award broadcasts. McKay is currently finishing his new film, "Fay Wray," a half documentary chronicling Wray's legendary career in film.

Started in 1969, Five Towns College is a community of artists and scholars who specialize in music, media, business, education, theatre, film and the performing arts. This unique place, defined by the talented men and women who form its constituency, boasts nearly 40 undergraduate and graduate programs, enrolling approximately 1,200 students.

Founded by Dr. Stanley G. Cohen and the late Mrs. Lorraine Kleinman-Cohen in the southwestern corner of Nassau County, a geographic region commonly known as the "Five Towns," the College was New York's first institution of higher learning to establish programs in both jazz/commercial music and music business. Although the College was originally conceived as a "business" college, music quickly became its forté.

Officially opened in 1973, the Museum of Repertoire Americana is dedicated to preserving memorabilia and artifacts of early repertoire theatre. The collection, featuring materials dating from the 1880s through the 1970s, includes numerous painted curtains and scenic pieces, playbills, show cards, advertising sheets, heralds, photographs, programs, correspondence, tour schedules and other original source materials.

The Iowa-based Museum features a research library containing thousands of pieces of memorabilia and the largest collection of repertoire scripts in the nation. The primary focus is on the many traveling companies that performed in opera houses and tents, also known as "under canvas" in the United States. Additional displays include items encompassing vaudeville, minstrel shows, medicine shows, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" shows, showboats and Chautauqua.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. It is a museum-at-large -- presenting exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions. The Museum's programs include community outreach, such as teaching children how to write, direct and stage live theatre, and the annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence Ceremony. Its primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming.

For more information, please contact:
Helen Marie Guditis (212) 464-4112 ext 205
press@thetheatremuseum.org
www.thetheatremuseum.org

February 11, 2007

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

THE THEATRE MUSEUM
LAUNCHES WEBSITE VIDEO GALLERY

The Theatre Museum, New York’s first and only chartered museum dedicated to theater arts education, promotion and theatre history preservation, announces the debut of its Video Gallery s website, http://www.thetheatremuseum.org/.

The premier video, sponsored by Regent Releasing’s “Show Business: The Road to Broadway,” features highlights from The 2007 Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence, held at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park on October 29, 2007. Recipients included Ellen Burstyn, who was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, Theatre Arts Education Award winners Carmen de Lavallade and Arts Horizon, and New York Times Theatre Critic Ben Brantley, who received the Theatre History Preservation Award. The Gala also featured live performances by Xanadu’s Kerry Butler, Tovah Feldshuh, James Naughton and Jim Dale, who also served as master of ceremonies. Michael Lavine provided musical accompaniment.

“We’re very excited about the launch of the website’s Video Gallery,” says the museum’s president Helen Marie Guditis. “It will be great to have a visual representation of the many activities and exhibitions The Theatre Museum offers throughout the year.”

The videos, exclusive to The Theatre Museum, are being created by Never Dull Productions, a New York/Los Angeles company specializing in television, theatre and Internet productions (http://www.neverdullproductions.com).

Upcoming additions to The Theatre Museum’s Video Gallery include:

"SHOWBOAT 'ROUND THE BEND" - a unique, one-of-a-kind exhibition presenting the history of the American showboat on historic Showboat Barge #79 at the Waterfront Museum in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The exhibition is scheduled to run through May, and will be promoted, among other ways, by a Clear Channel digital billboard running in Times Square.

TIMES SQUARE THEATRES: A NEW CENTURY/A NEW STYLE - a walking tour, based on the exhibition that had been at the Municipal Art Society from January to March 2007, emphasizing the changing architectural styles of the Times Square Theatres from the early 1900’s to the anticipated opening of The Henry Miller Theatre as part of the new Bank of America Building in 2008.

INTERVIEWS WITH THE THEATRE MUSEUM’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES & ADVISORY COMMITTEE - Broadway producers Stewart F. Lane, Bonnie Comley and Rocco Landesman, performers Jim Dale, Theodore Bikel, Tovah Feldshuh and Chris Lemmon, designers William Ivey Long and Jeff Davis, directors Scott Ellis, Linda Masson-Kingsley, Ph.D. and Michael Kantor and Backstage Editor-at-Large Sherry Eaker, all members of The Theatre Museum’s prestigious advisory Committee, offer their thoughts on Broadway’s history and legacy.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum of New York is currently a museum-at-large with a longstanding commitment to presenting exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions, working with the New York City school system on theatre-related educational programs, and producing an annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence Ceremony.

For more information, please contact Helen Marie Guditis (212) 464-4112 ext 204

April XX, 2008, New York – On Monday, April 14th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Times Square Visitors’ Center in Manhattan, The Theatre Museum will host four-time Tony Award winning producer Stewart F. Lane as he leads a panel discussion concerning the influence that Jewish culture has had on Broadway, from the beginnings of the great white way to the present. Joining Mr. Lane will be a panel of distinguished individuals, including television and radio personality, Joe Franklin, singer/songwriter/comedienne Dr. Susan Horowitz and renowned composer Charles Strouse, among others. This eclectic group of theatre and entertainment experts will lend their insight, expertise and unique personalities to this panel that promises to be as lively and entertaining as it will be informative.

“Jewish culture has been a major influence in the theatre since the very beginning,” stated Mr. Lane. “I am very much looking forward to discussing this topic with some of its foremost authorities, and am sure that it will be an entertaining and enlightening experience for all who attend.”

“The Theatre Museum is thrilled to be working with such a distinguished panel to raise public awareness of the rich Jewish heritage that exists within the world of theatre,” said Helen Guditis, President of The Theatre Museum.

The panel discussion will be a part of Immigrant Heritage Week: a city-wide celebration that honors the experiences and contributions of immigrants in New York City. Established by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2004 and coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Immigrant Heritage Week is a rich collection of free or low-cost programs that build cross-cultural understanding between diverse New Yorkers.

About The Theatre Museum
Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. Currently as a museum-at-large, it presents exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions e.g. the Municipal Art Society, the Waterfront Museum, Federal Hall and, Brooklyn Public Library . The Museum's programs include community outreach, through seminars, panels, walking tours, theatre arts education school residencies. teaching children how to write, direct and stage live theatre, and the annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence Ceremony honoring significant contributions to Theatre History Preservation and Theatre Arts Education . The museum's primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming.

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New York, New York – June 20, 2007 – “Showboat ‘Round the Bend!” is a one- of-a-kind exhibition about the American Showboat. The exhibition was created by The Theatre Museum  and Waterfront Museum. There will be a special summer reception on July 26, 2007 with refreshments and entertainment from 5:30-7:30 p.m. aboard the historic Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge at the Waterfront Museum in Red Hook, Brooklyn. 

The exhibition, curated by Mary Hasbritt and Virginia Willets, explores the origin and development of the American Showboat on New York waterways and those across the country.  Showboats began bringing settlers entertainment in 1831. In the 19^th and into the 20^th century, these riverboats and their performers were for many their only source of entertainment -- from vaudeville to drama to moving pictures.

A grand Showboat Weekend will be held on October 20 - 21, featuring a panel of experts, including scholars, former showboat operators and family members, discussing life on the showboat, music and entertainment presented there, and the reality vs. representations of showboats.  Performances of vintage showboat entertainment, from vaudeville to calliope, under the artistic direction of vaudevillian Travis Stewart (a/k/a Trav S.D.), will be presented.

The exhibition will be on view through December 20 2007, and during the Waterfront Museum’s CIRCUS Sundays in June and SUNSET MUSIC SERIES in July.  Public viewing hours are Thursdays from 4 - 8 p.m.  Admission is free and donations are requested.  Directions to the museum may be obtained from http://waterfrontmuseum.org/gallery/2007/press.html.

The exhibition is sponsored in part by NY Council for the Humanities, Abraham & Lillian Rosenberg Foundation, Independence Community Foundation, Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Hudson Scenic Studios, Walton Hauling and Warehouse Corp., Framerunner and the MetLife Volunteer Ventures Program.  Special thanks to Greg O’Connell.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. It is a museum-at-large presenting exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions. The Museum's programs include community outreach, such as teaching children how to write, direct and stage live theatre, and the annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence Ceremony.  Its primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming. 

The Waterfront Museum was founded in 1986 to provide waterfront access and affordable programs in education and the arts aboard a historic vessel.  The Museum is housed aboard the only wooden barge of the “Lighterage era.” (1860-1960) and is still floating in America – which has earned it a listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

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New York, New York -May 9, 2007 - "Showboat 'Round the Bend!," an exhibition to be shown at the Waterfront Museum, will grace the deckhouse of the historic Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge for its 2007 season. Opening June 2, from noon to 6 p.m., the exhibition will depict the history and development of the showboat as an indigenous and popular form of entertainment - both along our nation's rivers and within New York harbor.

On the frontier of the 19th century, many settlers got all they needed from boats coming to their towns' river landings. Through the 20th century, showboats brought people in small river towns their entertainment, from vaudeville to drama to moving pictures. The exhibition, curated by Mary Hasbritt and Virginia Wiles, features informative panels, video clips, oral histories and two painted drop curtains donated by Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Hudson Scenic Studio. Opening day performances will be presented under the artistic direction of Travis Stewart (a/k/a Trav S.D.).

On October 20 - 21, a grand Showboat Weekend will bring history to life in a discussion by a panel of experts, including scholars, former showboat operators and family members. Performances of vintage showboat entertainment, from vaudeville to calliope, under the artistic direction of Travis Stewart, will be presented.

The exhibition will be on view from June through December 2007 and during the Waterfront Museum's CIRCUS Sundays in June and SUNSET MUSIC SERIES in July. Public viewing hours are Thursdays from 4 - 8 p.m. and admission is free, but donations are requested. Transportation may be obtained from http://waterfrontmuseum.org/gallery/2007/press.html . School and group tours are by appointment.

The exhibition is sponsored in part by NY Council for the Humanities, Abraham & Lillian Rosenberg Foundation, Independence Community Foundation, Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Hudson Scenic Studios and the MetLife Volunteer Ventures Program.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. It is a museum-at-large presenting exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions. The Museum's programs include community outreach, such as teaching children how to write, direct and stage live theatre, and the annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence Ceremony. Its primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming.

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New York, New York - April 18, 2007 - Tony Award winner Jim Dale has joined The Theatre Museum Advisory Committee, a group of professionals who provide advice in areas of expertise, assist with projects and lend their names to organizational endeavors. He joins fellow Broadway performers Theodore Bikel, Tovah Feldshuh and Jamie deRoy.

Mr. Dale will also once again serve as master of ceremonies for the Awards for Excellence Gala, at which The Theatre Museum honors individuals and organizations that have made special contributions in the areas of theatre arts educations and theatre history preservation. Mr. Dale was master of ceremonies for the 2006 Awards for Excellence Ceremony. This year's gala will be held on October 29, 2007, at the Hudson Theatre in the Millennium Broadway Hotel in Times Square.

Jim Dale has had a varied career with auspicious beginnings. He was the youngest comedian in the British Music Halls at age seventeen-and-a-half. He was a successful pop singer under the wing of Sir George Martin, producer of the Beatles' records. And he joined the British National Theatre as a leading actor in 1970 at the request of Sir Lawrence Olivier.

Mr. Dale's work on and off-Broadway includes Three Penny Opera, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Candide and Address Unknown. In addition to his Tony Award for Barnum, he has won five Tony Nominations, four Drama Desk Awards, four New York Critics Awards and the Lucille Lortel Award.

To millions of children, Jim Dale is the voice of Harry Potter, having recorded all six books in the series. As a result, he holds two Guinness Book of World Records - "Occupying the first six places in America's top ten Audio Books 2005" and "Creating a total of 134 different character voices for one audio book, Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix."

On The Theatre Museum Advisory Committee, Mr. Dale also joins designers William Ivey Long and Jeff Davis, directors Scott Ellis, Linda Masson-Kingsley, Ph.D. and Michael Kantor, producers Rocco Landesman and Bonnie Comley, stagehand John Lofgren, education consultants Linda B. Leff, Flora E.S, Kaplan Ph.D., and Louis Rachow, journalist Sherry Eaker, non-profit advisor Ted Berger, and attorneys Richard F. Bernstein, Andrew Levy and Tracy Reilly.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. It is a museum-at-large presenting exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions. The Museum's programs include community outreach, such as teaching children how to write, direct and stage live theatre, and the annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence Ceremony. Its primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming.

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New York, New York - April 11, 2007 - MetLife Foundation has awarded The Theatre Museum a Volunteer Ventures grant in support of a project proposed by Mike Paleos, a MetLife employee who volunteers with The Theatre Museum. The grant will help support public programming to accompany the exhibition Showboat Round the Bend, being presented in collaboration with the Waterfront Museum in Red Hook, Brooklyn, from June 2 through December, 2007.

Using video, oral history and live performance on a historic barge, the exhibition presents the history and development of the American showboat, adapted barges that brought theatre - comedy, melodrama, song and dance and vaudeville - to people along rivers throughout the country. The grant will be used to underwrite the cost of printing a brochure and educational materials for distribution.

The Volunteer Venture Program encourages and supports local employee involvement in nonprofit organizations that work to improve quality of life. Grants are made for specific projects in which employees have continuing involvement as volunteers.

Mike Paleos has volunteered with The Theatre Museum and its predecessor, Broadway Theatre Institute, for 15 years. At The Theatre Museum, he helps promote the arts in education and theatre preservation initiatives, recruit volunteers and fundraise. He also works on the annual awards ceremony, which honors excellence in theatre arts education and theatre history preservation, by nominating potential awardees and selling tickets and tables for the event.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. It is a museum-at-large presenting exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions. The Museum's programs include community outreach, such as teaching children how to write, direct and stage live theatre, and the annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence Ceremony. Its primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming.

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New York, New York - March 21, 2007 -The Theatre Museum will hold its 2007 Awards For Excellence Gala on October 29, 2007. This year's festivities will include awards for excellence in theatre history preservation and in theatre arts education, entertainment by Broadway stars, cocktails, dinner, a silent auction and a keepsake journal.

At the 2006 event, held in the Hudson Theater at the Millennium Broadway Hotel, Master of Ceremonies Jim Dale entertained the audience with a wonderful rendition of four historical music hall jokes. Ventriloquist Jay Johnson performed segments from his Broadway show, Jay Johnson: The Two and Only, and Broadway actors from The Wedding Singer and the Off-Broadway show, Her Song, also delighted those attending. At the 2005 event, Gerald Schoenfeld, Kitty Carlyle Hart and David Hyde Pierce presented awards to honorees including Ten Chimneys Foundation for preserving the summer home of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne and the Millenium Broadway Hotel for restoring the Hudson Theater.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. It is a museum-at-large presenting exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions. The Museum's programs include community outreach, such as teaching children how to write, direct and stage live theatre, and the annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence Ceremony. Its primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming.

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New York, New York - February 20, 2007 -The Theatre Museum and the Municipal Art Society will present a walking tour of Broadway theatres that spans the 20th century and traces theatres being constructed and stage moments as they were made. The tour will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, 2007, beginning at the New Victory Theatre on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.

The walking tour is part of The Theatre Museum's inaugural exhibition, Times Square Theatres: A New Century/ A New Style, on view at the Municipal Art Society, 457 Madison Avenue near 51st Street. The tour costs $15 per person ($12 for MAS members). No reservations are required.

According to Urban Historian and Tour Guide Timothy White, "When Times Square was christened as the new theatre district in the early 20th century, architects abandoned Victorian traditions for a new Renaissance style. As the century progressed, architects changed design details, such as the number of balconies and boxes, to keep up with changing Broadway audiences. After WWII, a new generation of high-tech theatres arrived in Times Square, while older houses faced demolition or survived through preservation. The tour will follow these trends through the 20th century, with stops at the New Victory, New Amsterdam, Hudson, Lyceum, Shubert, Booth, Marriott Marquis and Palace Theatres."

The exhibition, which will run through March 7, 2007, focuses on the architectural trends in 20th century Broadway theatres. It displays these trends with 8-foot panels presenting photographs, architectural plans, artifacts from some of the 13 theatres highlighted and historical data. Many of these panels demonstrate the transformation theatres went through during this time period.

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New York, New York - February 6, 2007 - The Nederlander Organization has joined the sponsors of The Theatre Museum's inaugural exhibition, Times Square Theatres: A New Century/A New Style. The exhibition runs through March 7, 2007, at the Municipal Art Society, 457 Madison Avenue near 51st Street in New York City.

The Nederlander Organization owns and/or operates 6 Broadway theatres, 17 theatres nationwide and 3 theatres in London. It presents musicians such as Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow and U2 and books, co-produces or produces theatrical productions, most recently including Wicked, Disney's Tarzan and Disney's The Lion King. The Nederlander Organization presents the Bolshoi Ballet, The Peking Opera and Ballet Folklorico, among others.

The exhibition focuses on architectural trends in 20th century Broadway theatres. Showcasing 13 theatres, it begins at the turn of the century, when the New Amsterdam Theatre brought the rare Art Nouveau style to the emerging district, and travels to the 1930s when Renaissance style was highly popular. It then registers Broadway's reaction to the movie industry, in things like planning techniques and the evocative romantic themes inspired by movie palaces. The exhibition notes the hiatus caused by the Depression as well as World War II and explores the new Broadway, where modern design and technology merged with a changing audience. It then proceeds toward the future, when historic restoration and cutting-edge creativity will co-exist for Times Square theatres.

Sponsors of the exhibition include Jujamcyn Theaters, Millennium Broadway Hotel, New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, New York Marriott Marquis, The 42nd Street Fund, The Times Square Alliance, New Amsterdam Theatre and The Rockefeller Group. This exhibition is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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New York, New York - February 5, 2007 - The Theatre Museum is holding a lecture on the architectural history of New York theatres, including Times Square, as part of its inaugural exhibition, "Times Square Theatres: A New Century/A New Style."

The lecture, "Another Op'nin', Another Theatre - Broadway's Evolution," will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 at the Municipal Art Society, 457 Madison Avenue near 51st Street in New York City. A reception will follow.

Exhibition curator Craig Morrison will speak about the changing 20th century theatre audience from male, working class, to families, to those remaining as radio and television took over popular entertainment, and beyond. The lecture will speak to "how the architectural form has evolved to suit these changing audiences," he said. Mr. Morrison is a theatre restoration architect, historian and author of Theatres, a recent Library of Congress book about theatres in America since the country's founding.

The exhibition, which will run through March 7, 2007, focuses on the architectural trends in 20th Century Broadway theatres. It displays these trends with 8-foot panels presenting photographs, architectural plans, artifacts from some of the 13 theatres highlighted and historical data. These panels demonstrate the transformation many of these theatres went through during the 20th century.

Those sponsoring the exhibition include Jujamcyn Theaters, Millennium Broadway Hotel Nederland Organization, New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, New York Marriott Marquis, The 42nd Street Fund, The Times Square Alliance, New Amsterdam Theatre and The Rockefeller Group. This exhibition is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. It is a museum-at-large presenting exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions. The Museum's programs include community outreach, such as teaching children how to write, direct and stage live theatre, and the annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence ceremony. Its primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming.

The Municipal Art Society of New York is a private, non-profit membership organization whose mission is to promote a more livable city. Since 1893, the MAS has worked to enrich the culture, neighborhoods and physical design of New York City. It advocates for excellence in urban design and planning, contemporary architecture, historic preservation and public art.

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New York, New York - January 29, 2007 - The Theatre Museum received a grant from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, half of which is helping to fund Times Square Theatres: A New Century/A New Style, an exhibition focusing on the architectural trends in 20th century Broadway theatres. The exhibition runs through March 7, 2007, at the Municipal Art Society, 457 Madison Avenue near 51st Street in New York City.

The other sponsors of this exhibition are The 42nd Street Fund, The Times Square Alliance, New Amsterdam Theatre, Jujamcyn Theaters, New York Marriott Marquis, Millennium Broadway Hotel, The Rockefeller Group and New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This exhibition, a display of 8-foot panels covered with photographs, architectural plans, theatre history and artifacts from some of the 13 theatres highlighted, explores the changing architectural styles of Broadway theatres from the time the Broadway theatre district emerged.

A portion of this grant will help to defray the cost of identifying, cataloguing and storing The Theatre Museum's archive of 35,000 photographs from In Theatre Magazine donated by Basil Hero, a board member.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. It is a museum-at-large presenting exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions. The Museum's programs include community outreach, such as teaching children how to write, direct and stage live theatre, and the annual Awards for Excellence ceremony. Its primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming.

The Municipal Art Society of New York is a private, non-profit membership organization whose mission is to promote a more livable city. Since 1893, the MAS has worked to enrich the culture, neighborhoods and physical design of New York City. It advocates for excellence in urban design and planning, contemporary architecture, historic preservation and public art.

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