The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner oftheatres based inManhattan,New York City. It was founded by the threeShubert brothers —Lee,Sam, andJacob J. Shubert — in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters in New York and across the United States. Since then it has gone through changes of ownership, but it is still a major theater chain.
The Shubert Organization was founded by theShubert brothers,Sam S. Shubert,Lee Shubert, andJacob J. Shubert ofSyracuse, New York – colloquially and collectively known as "The Shuberts" – in the late 19th century in upstateNew York, entering intoNew York City productions in 1900. The organization produced a large number of shows and began acquiring theaters. Sam Shubert died in 1905; by 1916 the two remaining brothers had become powerful theater moguls with a nationwide presence.
In 1907, the Shuberts tried to enter vaudeville with the United States Amusement Co. In the spring of 1920 they made another attempt, establishing the Shubert Advanced Vaudeville with Lee Shubert as President and playing two shows per day in Boston, Dayton, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Philadelphia and in September 1921 opening in New York.
In April 1922, the Shuberts teamed withIsidore Herk and E. Thomas Beatty formed the Affiliated Theatres Corporation, which would book shows for the chain. Faced with fierce competition from theB. F. Keith Circuit, the Shuberts closed their vaudeville operation in February 1923.[1]
By 1929, the Shubert Theatre chain includedBroadway's most important venues, theWinter Garden, theSam S. Shubert, and theImperial theaters, and owned, managed, operated, or booked nearly a thousand theaters nationwide. The company continued to produce stage productions in New York until the 1940s, returning to producing Broadway productions in the 1970s after a hiatus.
The organization's Shubert Ticketing division, which includes the Telecharge service, handles tickets for 70 theaters.
Several former Shubert-owned theaters across the United States are still referred to by the Shubert name. One of the most famous is theNew Haven Shubert, the second theater ever built by the Shubert Organization. Until the 1970s, major Broadway producers often premiered shows there before opening in New York. It was immortalized in many mid-20th century films, such asAll About Eve.
Another important regional theater was the Shubert inChicago, Illinois, located within the Majestic Building at 22 West Monroe Street. Originally known as the Majestic Theatre, the Shubert Organization purchased it in 1945 and rechristened it the "Sam Shubert Theatre". The Shuberts sold the theatre to theNederlander Organization in 1991 and is now known as theCIBC Theatre.
In 2016, it sold its longtime headquarters at 1700 Broadway to Ruben Cos for $280 million.[4]
^Cezar Del Valle (2010)."Grand Opera House".The Brooklyn Theatre Index, Volume I: Adams Street to Lorimer Street. Theatre Talks, LLC.ISBN9780982772409.
Harvey Fierstein / Marco Paguia, David Oquendo, Renesito Avich, Gustavo Schartz, Javier Días, Román Diaz, Mauricio Herrera, Jesus Ricardo, Eddie Venegas, Hery Paz, and Leonardo Reyna / Jamie Harrison, Chris Fisher, Gary Beestone, and Edward Pierce (2025)
