Theaters

Historic Places - Chitlin' Circuit Theaters

Jim Crow laws and culture did not allow black artists to play “white only” downtown theaters. As a result, a string of entertainment venues throughout the eastern and southern United States known as the "Chitlin Circuit" were created to give black audiences a place to see black performers. Included in the Chitlin Circuit was Howard Theater, the oldest in the circuit; Royal Theater in Baltimore; Apollo Theater in Harlem; Uptown Theater in Philadelphia and the Regal in Chicago.

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Howard Theater 620 T Street, NW Washington, DC 20001          Located in the historic Shaw neighborhood, the Howard Theater showcased the country’s newest, best and most famous black artists. The 1,200 seat venue with its balcony and dressing rooms for 100 performers, opened August 22, 1910. From its debut until early 1930, the main forms of entertainment were road shows, musicals, vaudeville acts, and circuses. The theater closed after the stock market crash of 1929. In 1930, the Stiefel brothers purchased the property and hired Shepard Allen as theater manager. Through the 1940’s Allen brought in the best black acts from around the country like native Washingtonian Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Eckstein. Other great performers who played Howard Theater during the 40’s include Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington, Lena Horn and Lionel Hampton. By the 1950’s and through the 1960’s, teenagers and young adults made up the majority of audiences. They came to see R&B artists like James Brown, Johnny Mathis, Pattie La Belle and the Bluebelles, Jackie Wilson, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and the Temptations. Interest in the theater declined in the late 1960’s due to desegregation, the 1968 riots, and an increase in crime in the neighborhood. The doors closed in 1970, however, Howard Theater reopened on April 9, 2012.  __________________________________________________________________________________________ PICTURES: First L: Howard Theatre circa 1915. Man pictured believed to be Andrew Thomas, original lessee and theater manager. Copy of original picture. R: Howard Theater December 2008.   Second L: Sign in front of theater. R: Duke Ellington celebrating 20-year anniversary of his band. Picture appeared in an April 1, 1942, newspaper. Third: The new Howard Theater. Fourth: Duke Ellington Statue and plaque.  Color pictures taken December 13, 2008. Third and fourth row color pictures taken June 30, 2013. __________________________________________________________________________________________ SOURCES: Books Finkelman, Paul, Ed. "The Encyclopedia of African American History." Vol. 1. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Internet "Howard Theatre." howardtheatre.org/home.html, Web. 13 Dec. 2008. Site Visit Howard Theater. Washington, DC. 13 Dec. 2008. Howard Theater. Washington, DC. 30 Jun. 2013. __________________________________________________________________________________________ SUBMITTED: February 17, 2010. Updated March 5, 2015. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Like Us on Facebook.  Follow us on Twitter @ FindFamilyRoots.

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Royal Theatre 1329 Pennsylvania Avenue West Baltimore City, MD 21217   The Royal Theatre opened in 1922 and was the most famous of all the theaters located along Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore. The Royal showed movies and hosted many black entertainers including Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, The Supremes, Etta James, the Temptations, Jackie Wilson and James Brown. In the early 1970’s Royal Theater fell into disrepair. By the late 1970’s, it was torn down. Currently there is a replica of the theater's marquee erected on the theater's original location. Across the street is a statue of Billie Holliday, famous jazz vocalist and performer at the Royal Theater. __________________________________________________________________________________________ PICTURES: L: Royal Theater Marquee Replica. R: Marquee Sign.  Pictures taken June 12, 2010. __________________________________________________________________________________________ SOURCES: Books Finkelman, Paul, Ed. "The Encyclopedia of African American History." Vol. 1. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Internet "Royal Theater." kilduffs.com/RGA.html, Web. 1 May 2010. Site Visit Royal Theater. Philadelphia, PA. 27 Mar. 2010. __________________________________________________________________________________________ SUBMITTED: June 28, 2010. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Like Us on Facebook.  Follow us on Twitter @ FindFamilyRoots.

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Uptown Theater 2248 North Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19132 The 2000 seat Uptown Theater open in 1929 and was built to play a new type of movie, “talkies.” Sam Stiefel owner of Howard Theater in Washington, DC and Royal Theater in Baltimore, Maryland purchased the Uptown Theater in 1951 and made it part of the “Chitlin Circuit”. Hosts of the Uptown include; Kae Williams, Jocko Henderson and Georgie Woods. Famous performers included The Silhouettes who were discovered at the Uptown, Ray Charles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Stevie Wonder, The Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight and the Pips, B.B. King, The Supremes, The Jackson Five, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and the Temptations. By the 1980’s, the Uptown was turned into a movie theater and used as place of worship. The building later fell into disrepair and as is currently no longer in use. __________________________________________________________________________________________ PICTURED: Uptown Theater.  Picture taken March 27, 2010. __________________________________________________________________________________________ SOURCES: Books Finkelman, Paul, Ed. "The Encyclopedia of African American History." Vol. 1. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Internet "Uptown Theater." thesilhouettes.org/uptown-theater.htm, Web. 9 Mar. 2010. Site Visit Uptown Theater. Philadelphia, PA. 27 Mar. 2010. __________________________________________________________________________________________ SUBMITTED: March 27, 2010. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Like Us on Facebook.  Follow us on Twitter @ FindFamilyRoots.

All pictures taken by Percy White and are the property of FindFamilyRoots.com unless otherwise indicated.

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