NYSID presents "Theatrical By Design: A Century of the Shubert Organization's Theatre Interiors" exhibition
New York, NY - February 2012 - New York’s Broadway theatres are known for their elaborate musicals, dramatic plays and big stars, but how often do audiences stop to think about the historic interiors of these glorious theatres? To bring attention to the interior design and restoration of many of the most famous Broadway theatres, New York School of Interior Design will present “Theatrical By Design: A Century of The Shubert Organization’s Theatre Interiors,” on view at the NYSID Gallery (161 East 69th Street, btw Lexington Ave. & 3rd Ave.) from March 8– April 27, 2012. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm. The gallery is closed Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
The Shubert Organization is America’s oldest professional theatre company and the largest theatre owner on Broadway. Since 1900, the company has operated hundreds of theatres and produced some 600 musicals, plays, and revues and championed stars from Sarah Bernhardt and Ethel Barrymore to Al Jolson and Carmen Miranda.
The exhibition is curated by Reagan Fletcher, longtime archivist of the Shubert Archive and author of The Shuberts Present: 100 Years of American Theatre. Fletcher has brought together a selection of archival photographs and design documents that show the sumptuous interiors of the Shubert Organization’s seventeen Broadway theatres, focusing on the historic restorations of the Barrymore, the Belasco, the Longacre, the Shubert, and the Winter Garden.
Black and white photographs of these theatre’s original interiors will be displayed alongside color images of those magnificent interiors today. Architectural details, such as the glasswork of Louis Comfort Tiffany at the Belasco, will also be featured. “This exhibition will allow viewers to revel in the theatres’ illustrious pasts and share in the ones that have been gloriously restored,” said Fletcher.
There will also be a series of related lectures and a special book launch for Gerald Schoenfeld’s memoir, Mr. Broadway, The Inside Story of the Shuberts, the Shows, and the Stars.
Fletcher, the curator of NYSID's current exhibition Theatrical by Design, is an archivist at The Shubert Archive and co-author the The Shuberts Present: 100 Years of Theater. He serves as adjunct faculty at Brooklyn College and has lectured at NYU, Hofstra University, and Columbia University. In addition to his work on this exhibition, Fletcher also curated The Ballyhoo of Broadway at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Station. Fletcher served as Production Liaison for the Broadway productions of A Streetcar Named Desire, Lettice & Lovage, Tru, and The Most Happy Fella. His New York directing credits include Woulda Coulda Shoulda, A Baggy Pants Life, On the Middle Watch, 999BC, Beyond Control, By Jupiter, The Real Inspector Hound, Four of a Kind, Blue Roads, and As The Curtain Rises. (photo: The American Horse Exchange, c. 1900, now The Winter Garden Theatre)
Wednesday, March 28, 6pm
Reagan Fletcher: An Insider’s Guide to the Interiors of the Shubert Theatres
Exhibition curator Reagan Fletcher will discuss the history of the Shubert Organization as well as the interiors and restorations of various Shubert theatres.
Wednesday, April 11, 6 pm
Francesca Russo: Restoring Broadway Theatres: Evoking the Past
Francesca Russo is an acclaimed theatre planning and restoration designer who has worked on the historic restorations of many of Broadway’s most famed theatres. She will discuss her work on the historic renovations of many of Shubert Theatre, including the Booth, the Belasco, the Barrymore, the Winter Garden, and the Shubert Theatre.
Following the lecture there will be a book launch for Gerald Schoenfeld’s memoir, Mr. Broadway: The Inside Story of the Shuberts, the Shows, and the Stars. Mr. Schoenfeld, legendary longtime chairman of the Shubert Organization, died in 2008 at the age of 84.
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Founded in 1916, the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) is New York’s only private, not-for-profit college devoted exclusively to interior design education and related disciplines. NYSID’s guiding principle is that the interior environment is a fundamental element of human welfare and the college is committed to actively improving the quality of life for all segments of humanity. This ideal is put into practice by a dedicated faculty of well-known designers, architects, art historians, and authorities in the field who guide more than 900 full-and part-time students.
NYSID offers certificate, undergraduate, and graduate programs in the field of interior design. The college is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD); is a Candidate for Accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education; and NYSID’s BFA is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).