The facade is designed as a variation of a 15th-century Tuscan villa, with a stage house to the west and an auditorium to the east. The facade has astucco surface and openings withquoins, as well as aloggia. The placement of window openings reflected the theater's original interior arrangement. The front of the theater had facilities for the Theatre Guild, including classrooms, studios, a club room, a library, and a book store. The rear of the theater contains the auditorium, which was placed one story above ground to make room for a lounge below. The auditorium originally had elaborate decorations, including loggias and afrieze with depictions of scenes from the Theatre Guild's plays.
The Theatre Guild announced plans for its own theater in 1923, and the Guild Theatre opened on April 13, 1925. The theater's initial productions generally lasted only for several weeks, and the Theatre Guild started leasing the venue to other producers in 1938. Radio stationWOR (AM) took over the auditorium as a broadcast studio in 1943, with the Theatre Guild moving out the next year. TheAmerican National Theater and Academy (ANTA) purchased the theater in 1950 and renamed it the ANTA Playhouse. The theater reopened as the ANTA Theatre in 1954 after a renovation that eliminated most of the interior detail. Jujamcyn purchased the ANTA Theatre in 1981 and renamed it for Virginia McKnight Binger, a co-owner. The Virginia was renovated again in the 1990s, and it was renamed for Wilson in 2005. Under Jujamcyn's ownership, productions such asCity of Angels,Smokey Joe's Cafe, andJersey Boys have had hundreds of performances at the theater.
The August Wilson Theatre (previously the Guild Theatre, ANTA Theatre, and Virginia Theatre[1]) was designed byC. Howard Crane,Kenneth Franzheim, and Charles H. Bettis.[6] It was constructed in 1924 for theTheatre Guild, a theatrical society.[1][7] Set designerNorman Bel Geddes was also involved in the August Wilson's interior design.[8][9] The theater was erected by the O'Day Construction Company, and numerous other contractors participated in the theater's construction.[10]
A portion of the stage house facade. The entrance arch with rusticated limestone voussoirs is at ground level. Above these are casement windows with shutters on the second story, as well as a French window with a small balcony on the third story.
Thefacade of the August Wilson Theatre was designed to resemble a 15th-century Tuscan villa,[7][11] with astucco surface and a heavy use ofquoins around openings.[7][12][13] On 52nd Street, the theater's height is shorter than its width. The extreme west and east ends of the facade contain vertical bands of quoins, while the rest of the facade includes stone-trimmed windows and doors.[14][15] The placement of window openings reflected the theater's original interior arrangement.[7][16]Architectural Forum described the openings as "picturesquely grouped in an informal manner to give quaintness and charm to the exterior design".[17]
The western part of the ground story contains three doorways for the stage house. The rightmost doorway is an arch withrusticated limestonevoussoirs; the arch'skeystone is acartouche with motifs signifying the arts, music, and tragedy. Within the archway are two steps leading up to a wood-and-glass double door, topped by alunette window. To the east are wide metal doors that serve as emergency exits followed by narrow wood-and-glass doors that connect with the lobby. The lobby doors are flanked by sign boards, surrounded by large molded frames withconsole brackets below andcornices above. A single, modernmarquee spans the emergency exits and the lobby doors.[14] Originally, there were two marquees, one each above the emergency exits and the lobby doors.[15][18]
Most of the second-story windows arecasement windows flanked byshutters,[14] originally painted blue-green.[11] The exceptions are the westernmost two openings, which are slightly above the rest of the second story and do not contain shutters.[15] On the third story, the westernmost windows are also simple in design, and a sign hangs next to the westernmost window.[14] The center of the third story contains fiveFrench windows, each with a wrought-iron balcony in front of it. Each French window is surrounded by stone blocks and topped by a stone pediment.[14][15][17] To the east is anarcade with three arches and an iron railing,[14][15][19] which screen a fire-escape balcony.[14][16] On the fourth story are windows with shutters, extending the width of the theater.[14][15] Above the fourth story, brackets support apitched tile roof that slightly overhangs the facade.[14][20] The stage house rises above the western part of the roof, with a facade of plain brick.[14][16] This was in keeping with many theaters of the time, which contained plain stage houses above their ornate primary facades,[16] butArchitectural Record characterized the stage house as a missed opportunity for decoration.[21]
The front of the theater had facilities for the Theatre Guild, including classrooms, studios, a club room, a library, and a book store. The rear of the theater contains the auditorium.[7][12][22] The auditorium was built one story above ground, as contrasted with comparable theaters, where the auditorium was at ground level.[18][9] This enabled the installation of a large entrance lounge directly beneath the auditorium.[22]
The main lobby is accessed from 52nd Street and originally was agroin-vaulted space with Italian-style doors, ticket booths, and grilles.[19][23] During 1993, the lobby was redecorated in theArt Deco style.[24] From the lobby, there were either three or five steps leading down to the upper tier of a two-tiered lounge.[12][23] The steps were made of travertine and were covered by a carpet.[19]
The lounge, nearly as large as the auditorium directly above it, eliminated the need for patrons to go outside during intermissions.[12][25] Its tiers differed only slightly in height due to the sloped floor of the auditorium.[21] The lounge's lower tier was to the west of its upper tier.[23][26] The two sections of the lounge were connected by a flight of three steps, spanned by three arches. There were two arched openings between the lounge's tiers, blocked off by iron railings.[23][27] Both tiers originally had an ornate multicolored carpet, as well as wall fixtures that are made from the frames of antique Italianaltar cards. The upper lounge had abarrel-vaulted ceiling covered in rough plaster.[28] The lower lounge had Italian-style furniture arranged around a fireplace.[23][27] The south wall of the lower tier had three arches leading to a small refreshment booth.[23]
The lower lounge's north wall had an Italian-style doorway to a women's retiring room.[26][29] This room had blue walls, frescos, and furniture in an Italian style, with paneled walnut doors leading to the adjacent women's bathroom.[29] The upper lounge's north wall similarly had a large doorway leading to a men's smoking room.[26][28] This space had red, green, and blue wall decorations with ornate carpets and furnishings. Next to the upper lounge was a coat room with blue walls and a Spanish doorway.[28] A bookstore was also placed in one corner of the upper lounge.[26][28]
To the east of the upper lounge was an archway,[23] where a double stair ascended to the rear of the auditorium's orchestra and balcony.[18][26][25] Similar to the stairs between the lobby and lounge, these steps were made of travertine and covered with a carpet.[27] The stair hall was described as Italian in style, with a recessed window and seats on the orchestra-level landing. Doors from the landing led to both ends of the orchestra's rear wall.[27][28] There was another landing at the balcony level. Both of these had intersecting vaulted ceilings with lanterns hanging from them.[27] The stairs were infilled in the 1950s to create extra space for seats, and new stairs were added in the corners.[6][24]
The auditorium has an orchestra level, a balcony, and astage.Playbill cites the August Wilson Theatre as having 1,225 seats,[30] whileThe Broadway League cites 1,228 seats.[31] When the Guild Theatre opened, it was variously cited as containing 914[22][25] or 934 seats.[18][a] The orchestra level is wheelchair-accessible via astair lift; the balcony can only be reached by steps.[32] The main restrooms are placed on the orchestra level.[30][32] The original decorative scheme continued the exterior's Tuscan design.[12][13] The decorations were completely removed when the seating capacity was expanded in the 1950s,[13][24] although the auditorium's layout was not changed during these renovations.[33] Barbara Campagna and Francesca Russo restored much of the interior detail in a 1995 renovation.[6][24]
The auditorium floor israked, sloping downward toward the stage to the west.[34] Unlike typical theaters of the time, the Guild Theatre lackedbox seats, a design feature intended to give the appearance of coziness. It also did not have a traditionalproscenium arch; the auditorium's side walls ended at the stage rather than curving in front of it, thereby creating an unusually wide opening.[18][22][35] In addition to the former main staircase at the rear of the auditorium, emergency exits are placed to the north and south. Three arches on the south side lead down to an enclosed staircase to 52nd Street, while a door on the north side leads to a rear court behind the theater.[21][34] At the rear of the auditorium, wrought-iron railings enclosed the stairways to the balcony.[17] In the 1995 renovation, round columns near the rear of the orchestra were relocated, and the side walls were shortened.[6]
The floors of the auditorium were covered with red and brown carpets, while the seats were upholstered in a brown and gold tapestry with red highlights.[36] The decorative elements included rough-plaster walls with tapestries, loggias, and cartouches.[13][18] The theater's tapestries and furniture included a combination of genuine antiques and reproductions.[18] The wainscoting on the walls, as well as the entrance and exit doors, were decorated to resemble wood.[34] At the orchestra level, the walls were wainscoted with octagonal panels that extended to the height of the balcony.[27] A frieze, depicting scenes from the Theatre Guild's plays and important figures in the theater's construction, ran atop the auditorium walls.[18][34] The frieze was designed by Victor White, Margaret White, and Stanley Rowland.[25][34] The frieze ran above a band ofmodillions and was separated at regular intervals by massive plastercorbels, painted to imitate walnut.[34] Since 1995, the modern auditorium's design has contained false balconies, exit doors, and a restored frieze. There is also green-and-gold carpeting and seats with orange upholstery.[6]
The main ceiling had large beams and smaller transverse beams made of metal, decorated to resemble heavy wooden beams.[27][34] Thecoffers between the beams were decorated in red, gold, green, and blue. Two metal chandeliers were hung from the ceiling; one critic described the chandeliers as containing "tulip shaped lights".[27] The ceiling over the balcony had a different design, partially overhanging the orchestra. The balcony ceiling was made of milky green plaster with gilded stars and was lit indirectly by golden glazed discs.[27] After the 1950s renovations, the ceiling decorations were totally removed and plain chandeliers were suspended there.[6][24] After 1995, the balcony ceiling was painted blue, and gilded stars and white glass globes were added.[6]
The stage is lower than in typical theaters of its time, extending over where the orchestra pit would normally be.[22][35] This not only gave the impression of coziness but also allowed audience members in their first row to see a production without craning their necks.[34] The stage opening is 38 ft (12 m) wide, and the stage itself measures 49 ft (15 m) deep and 77 ft (23 m) wide, making it New York City's fourth-largest stage when it opened. Traps were placed throughout the stage.[18][25] The theater's large stage turned out to be a detriment, according toLawrence Langner, a Guild cofounder. Langner reflected: "We made the ghastly mistake of providing a theater with all the stage space necessary for a repertory of plays without enough seating capacity to provide the income necessary to support the repertory".[37] The modern stage can be extended by up to 8 ft (2.4 m) using a curved stage apron.[6]
The Guild Theatre'scyclorama, the concave curtain at the back of the stage, measured 65 ft (20 m) high and could be retracted into the gridiron when not in use.[17][18][26] A switchboard to the left of the stage controlled the lighting. A master switch controlled 156 dimmer plates and 200 switches, and the switchboard also controlled twelve spotlights in the ceiling.[17][18][25] Scenery was controlled by a counterweight system on the stage itself, rather than from a fly gallery.[17][18][38] The area above the stage's ceiling is 94 ft (29 m) tall, with the gridiron being 74 ft (23 m) above the stage.[18] The height of the stage house and the gridiron allowed scenery for several productions to be stored at the same time.[17]
On the upper stories, the front section of the theater building contained other rooms for the Guild. The executive offices were on the second story, while other offices were in the fourth story. The fifth story was above the auditorium and contained offices, rehearsal rooms for the Guild School of Acting, and a make-up room.[18][25] These rooms were used for rehearsals, scenery painting, costume designing, sewing and repair work, and wardrobe storage.[17] There is also an attic story underneath the tiled roof, which covers 1,800 ft (550 m). The attic's ceiling ranges from 4 to 14 ft (1.2 to 4.3 m) high, requiring some bookcases and other furniture to be installed at a slant, parallel to the sloping roof.[39]
The club room, also known as the library, was behind the five large arches on the third story.[7][17][18] It was accessed by its own elevator from the street.[22] The club room had either green[27] or blue walls and a red carpet.[18] This room also had an Italian fireplace with a painted hood.[18][27] On one wall was a niche with space for a writing table.[27] The club room also had sofas, tables, lamps, and antique cabinets. A kitchenette and serving pantry, next to the club room, were used when the members hosted events.[17]
The classrooms, dressing rooms, and studios were in the western side of the theater, with the dressing rooms at the front of the building.[7][18] The dressing rooms were arranged in several tiers because of limited space and because New York City building regulations forbade the construction of dressing facilities below the stage. The main performers typically were assigned dressing rooms nearest the stage, while supporting performers had to ascend several flights of stairs to reach their rooms. One architectural publication wrote that "the number of such flights the actor has to climb to reach his room accurately [indicates] his position in the company, for the higher he ascends the farther he is from stardom."[38]
Theresa Helburn at the Guild Theatre's groundbreaking in 1924
At a dinner at theWaldorf–Astoria in March 1923, the Theatre Guild launched a fundraiser for the construction of a dedicated theater, which was estimated to cost $500,000.[45][46] The proposed theater was to have double that capacity. ANew York Times writer said the Theatre Guild "must be given room for healthy expansion or risk being permanently crippled".[47] The next month, the Guild started selling bonds to pay for the construction cost.[48] The bonds were sold exclusively to Guild subscribers for one week, during which subscribers bought $273,000 worth of bonds. Afterward, the Theatre Guild made the bond issue available to the general public.[49][50]
Early in the theater's planning, Geddes had proposed a quarter-circular auditorium, with the stage at the middle of the quarter-circle's curve. This arrangement would not have allowed a proper backstage area, so the stage would have been able to descend to the basement.[8] This design was discarded because it did not comply with New York City fire codes.[12][26] In addition, the Guild's varied membership were unable to agree on a unified design.[12] By February 1924, the theatre company held anoption to buy a site on 243–259 West 52nd Street.[51] Plans for the theater were filed with theNew York City Department of Buildings two months later at a projected cost of $350,000.[3][4] Helburn hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Guild Theatre on December 2, 1924, with New York governorAl Smith and four hundred theatrical personalities in attendance.[52][53][54]
The Guild Theatre opened on April 13, 1925, when U.S. presidentCalvin Coolidge pressed a button in the White House to turn on the lights.[55][56] The first production was a revival ofGeorge Bernard Shaw'sCaesar and Cleopatra, withLionel Atwill andHelen Hayes,[55][56][57] which ran for 128 performances.[58][59] There was much commentary about the design of the theater. Louis Kalonyme wrote that, "though the Guild Theatre is a refreshing structure, one is not exactly prostrate with admiration before it. One wonders a little, and speculates."[11][12] Claude Bragdon called the facade "well composed" and "truthful".[7][16]
Most of the Guild Theatre's productions lasted long enough that the theatre company's 15,000 subscribers had a chance to see each show.[37] A production would typically run several weeks at the theater, relocating to a larger venue if it was favorably received.[60] The Theatre Guild also implemented a program of "alternating repertory" at the Guild Theatre and its other theaters in the 1920s.[61][62] Actors appeared in multiple plays at the Theatre Guild's venues, switching at regular intervals (often a week).[62] The Guild Theatre largely featured non-Americans' works during the 1920s.[9] In addition to the plays, the Guild Theatre sometimes hosted musical recitals.[63]
By the mid-1930s, the Guild Theatre and the neighboring Alvin (now Neil Simon) Theatre were the northernmost venues in the Theater District that still hosted legitimate shows.[93] The Guild Theatre hostedA Sleeping Clergyman[94][95][96] and Anderson's playValley Forge in 1934.[90][97][98] The revueParade opened the next year,[90][99][100] along with the playThe Taming of the Shrew with Lunt, Fontanne, Greenstreet, andRichard Whorf.[90][101][102] Other 1930s plays at the Guild Theatre included Behrman's playEnd of Summer in 1936[103][104] andBen Hecht's playTo Quito and Back in 1937.[103][105] The interior was renovated and repainted prior to the opening ofTo Quito and Back.[106] The Theatre Guild was having trouble booking long-lasting productions by the late 1930s.[107] Many successful plays left after 50 performances, with flops having even shorter runs.[108] Other issues concerned the theater's small capacity and the Guild's focus on experimental productions that could not be staged elsewhere.[109]
In March 1943, the Theatre Guild leased the auditorium toMutual Broadcasting System (MBS)'s radio stationWOR for three years.[122] WOR relocated from theNew Amsterdam Roof, and the Guild Theatre's auditorium was converted into a studio called the WOR Mutual Theatre.[122][123] The Theatre Guild continued to occupy the offices, dressing rooms, and rehearsal rooms next to the auditorium.[123][124] Over the next month, MBS added loudspeakers and made acoustic modifications to the theater's interior, whichThe New York Times said had long suffered from "tonal defects".[125] The Theatre Guild finally relocated its offices from the theater in 1944.[126][127] TheBowery Savings Bank sold the $557,500 mortgage on the theater in 1946 to the Dorsar Enterprises Inc.,[128] which was owned by theShubert family.[129] The West 52nd Street Theatre Company retained ownership of the theater.[126][130] Malin Studios subsequently also occupied space in the building, and WOR continued to lease the auditorium on a monthly basis.[130]
By early 1949, the Shubert brothers had expressed interest in taking over the Guild Theatre as part of a reorganization of the West 52nd Street Theatre Company.[127] The proposed sale faced resistance, in part because the Shuberts already operated 98 percent of alllegitimate theaters in the United States, but there were no other bidders[131] and federal judgeHenry W. Goddard approved the plan that March.[132] The plan was placed on hold pending the outcome of two judicial appeals.[133] Goddard placed the theater for auction in January 1950,[130] and theAmerican National Theater and Academy (ANTA) submitted the highest bid.[129][134] ANTA had beat out the only other bidder, developer Irving Maidman.[129] The WOR studios moved out that month.[130][129] The former Guild Theatre was ANTA's first permanent home since the company was founded fifteen years prior.[134] ANTA took title to the theater building that April.[135][126] Under ANTA ownership, the theater was renamed the ANTA Playhouse and hosted a memorial to actressJane Cowl in July 1950, before its reopening.[136]
ANTA's first play at the theater wasRobinson Jeffers'sThe Tower Beyond Tragedy withJudith Anderson in November 1950.[137][138] This was followed the next month by a revival of the comedyTwentieth Century withGloria Swanson andJosé Ferrer.[137][139][140] U.S. presidentHarry S. Truman dedicated the ANTA Playhouse in April 1951,[141] and theAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts leased space in the building the same year.[142] Revivals continued for a short time,[137] with productions ofMary Rose[143][144] andThe School for Wives in 1951,[145][146] as well asDesire Under the Elms[147][148] andGolden Boy in 1952.[149][150] The ANTA Playhouse also briefly hostedMary Chase's playMrs. McThing in 1952.[151] The ANTA Playhouse was closed for the next two years for a major renovation.[69][152] The theater's capacity was increased to 1,215 seats,[152] but all of the interior decorations were removed.[13][24] One publication described the new decorative scheme as "an almost fascist Americana style", enhanced only by blue and gray paint and eagle motifs.[6] The renovations were funded by Robert W. Dowling of the City Investing Company, as well as ANTA treasurer Roger L. Stevens, who held the theater's second mortgage.[142]
James H. Binger and his wife Virginia McKnight Binger ofJujamcyn Theaters acquired the ANTA Theatre in August 1981.[202][229] At the end of the year, Jujamcyn announced that the theater would be renamed the Virginia Theatre, after Mrs. Binger.[229] ThePilobolus Dance Company was the first act at the renamed theater, performing in December 1981.[205][230] At the end of the next year, a revival of the playAlice in Wonderland opened,[205][231] running for less than a month.[232][233] TheRodgers and Hart musicalOn Your Toes opened in March 1983,[205][234] staying for 505 performances.[235]
TheNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started to consider protecting the Virginia as a landmark in 1982,[236] with discussions continuing over the next several years.[237] The LPC designated the facades of the Virginia,Ambassador, and Simon theaters as landmarks in August 1985, along with the Ambassador's and Simon's interiors,[238][239] over the objections of the three theaters' owners.[240][241] TheNew York City Board of Estimate ratified the landmark designations in December 1985.[242] When more Broadway theaters were being protected as landmarks in the late 1980s, deputy mayor Robert Esnard cited the removal of the Virginia's interior ornamentation as an "extreme example of what happens" when theater interiors were not preserved.[33]The New York Times later said that "there was literally nothing left inside to preserve".[24]
The theater did not open at all between May 1984 and March 1986.[31] The Virginia then hostedEmily Mann's playExecution of Justice in March 1986[243][244] andMichael Frayn's playWild Honey in December.[245] A revival of the operettaThe Mikado was performed at the Virginia in 1987,[246][247] and the attic was renovated the same year.[39] The musicalCarrie then opened the following May.[248][249]Carrie lost about $7 million during its five performances (including $500,000 just on a renovation of the Virginia), andThe New York Times called it "the most expensive quick flop in Broadway history".[250] The interior was painted black forCarrie, but the bare color scheme was retained after the musical's closure.[6][24] Two revivals of hit productions had short runs at the Virginia in 1989:[205] the playRun for Your Wife[251][252] and the musicalShenandoah.[253] Afterward, Jujamcyn spent another $500,000 to restore the doors, marquee, and other parts of the theater.[254] The Virginia finally had a hit when the musicalCity of Angels opened in December 1989,[255][256] running 878 performances over two years.[257]
The musicalJelly's Last Jam, withGregory Hines andTonya Pinkins, opened in April 1992[258][259] and ran for over a year.[260] The Virginia Theatre's lobby and second-story restrooms were then renovated in the Art Deco style.[24] A revival of theLerner and Loewe musicalMy Fair Lady opened in December 1993,[261][262] but it shuttered after 165 performances.[263][264] Subsequently, Jujamcyn hired Campagna & Russo Architects to design a $2.2 million renovation of the theater's interior, except the lobby and restrooms.[6][24] Since the interior was not protected as a landmark, restoration architect Francesca Russo had greater latitude to redesign the interior. Russo took inspiration not only from thePalazzo Davanzati, which had influenced the original design, but also from other Italian buildings and Atlanta'sFox Theatre. The auditorium's color scheme was changed to a "palette of autumnal colors", as Russo felt the original color scheme was suboptimal with modern lighting.[6] The Virginia reopened in March 1995 with a production ofSmokey Joe's Cafe,[265][266] which had 2,036 performances through 2000.[267]
After James Binger died in 2004,[289]Rocco Landesman bought the Virginia and Jujamcyn's four other theaters in 2005, along with the air rights above them.[290] Landesman announced in September 2005 that he would rename the Virginia for August Wilson, thePulitzer Prize-winning playwright, who had terminal cancer.[291][292] Wilson died the next month, and the theater was renamed in his honor on October 16, two weeks after his death. Wilson was the first Black theatrical personality to have a Broadway theater named after him.[293][294]Jordan Roth joined Jujamcyn as a resident producer the same year,[295] and the musicalJersey Boys opened in November 2005.[296][297] In 2009, Roth acquired a 50 percent stake in Jujamcyn and assumed full operation of the firm when Landesman joined the National Endowments of the Arts.[298][299] Jujamcyn replaced the theater's seats in January 2012.[300]Jersey Boys occupied the August Wilson for over a decade, running for 4,642 performances[301] before closing in January 2017.[302][303]
The musicalGroundhog Day opened at the theater in April 2017 and stayed until that September.[304][305] It was followed at the end of the year by a concert,Home for the Holidays withCandice Glover,Josh Kaufman,Bianca Ryan,Peter andEvynne Hollens, andDanny Aiello.[306][307] The musicalMean Girls opened at the August Wilson in April 2018.[308][309]Mean Girls played its final performance on March 11, 2020; the next day, all Broadway theaterstemporarily closed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[310] During the August Wilson's closure, its marquee was typically dimmed to memorialize pandemic victims. The marquee was re-lit in November 2020 to commemorate a longtime Jujamcyn stagehand killed in an accident at theWinter Garden Theatre.[311][312]Mean Girls was officially canceled in January 2021, while the theater was still closed.[310][313]
As part of a settlement with theUnited States Department of Justice in 2021, Jujamcyn agreed to improve disabled access at its five Broadway theaters, including the August Wilson.[314][315] Also during the COVID-19 shutdown, the Shuberts, Nederlanders, and Jujamcyn had pledged to increase racial and cultural diversity in their theaters, including naming at least one theater for a Black theatrical personality. Jujamcyn was the only theatrical organization that had already named a theater for a Black artist.[316][c] The theater reopened on August 4, 2021, withAntoinette Nwandu's playPass Over, making it the first Broadway house to resume performances during the COVID-19 pandemic.[318][319]Pass Over had a limited run, closing in October 2021.[320][321] A limited engagement ofSlave Play was then announced,[322] running from November 2021 to January 2022.[323] This was followed in April 2022 by a revival of the musicalFunny Girl,[324][325] which ran until September 2023.[326]
Jujamcyn andAmbassador Theatre Group (ATG) agreed to merge in early 2023; the combined company would operate seven Broadway theaters, including the August Wilson.[327][328] In July 2023, Jordan Roth sold a 93 percent stake in Jujamcyn's five theaters, including the August Wilson Theatre, to ATG andProvidence Equity.[329][330] The revival of the musicalCabaret opened at the August Wilson in April 2024,[331][332] and the theater was converted into atheatre in the round in advance ofCabaret's opening.[333] New seats were installed around a turntable stage, a new mezzanine seating area was installed, and the theater was rethemed as the Kit Kat Club, with an entrance in an alleyway.[333]
Mean Girls achieved the box office record for the August Wilson Theatre, grossing $1,994,386 for the week ending December 30, 2018.[394] This was surpassed byFunny Girl, which grossed $2,005,696 over nine performances for the week ending December 18, 2022.[395]Funny Girl broke its own record two weeks later, grossing $2,405,901 over nine performances running through January 1, 2023.[396]
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
