TheShubert family was responsible for the establishment ofBroadway theaters inNew York City'sTheater District, as the hub of the theatre industry in theUnited States. Through theShubert Organization, founded by brothers Lee, Sam, and Jacob Shubert, they dominated thelegitimate theatre andvaudeville in the first half of the 20th century.
The family's history in America began when Duvvid Schubart (transliterated to "Shubert") and his wife Katrina (Gitel) Helwitz left their native town ofVladislavov in the Russian Empire (nowKudirkos Naumiestis, Lithuania) with their eight children, two of whom died after the journey. They arrived in New York City fromHamburg, via England, on June 12, 1881[1] on theS.S.Spain. They then settled inSyracuse, New York.[2][3]
Due to their father's alcoholism, the three Shubert sons (Lee Shubert,Sam S. Shubert, andJacob J. Shubert) had to give up much of their formal education and instead go to work when they were still children. Lee and Sam sold newspapers outside theBastable Theater, and David Belasco took notice of Sam and cast him in a small role in a play. Sam became enamored with the theatrical arts and went on to be promoted through a series of managerial jobs in Syracuse theatres, including program boy at the Bastable, assistant treasurer at the Grand Opera House, and treasurer of the Weiting. Lee and Jacob also began working in management roles in local theatres, and by 1900, the trio had acquired ownership of the Grand Opera House in Syracuse and theHerald Square Theatre inManhattan.[2][4]
The three brothers broke the monopoly on the theatre-management industry (represented by theTheatrical Syndicate underAbe Erlanger andMark Klaw) in the founding of their agency, known today asThe Shubert Organization.[2] By 1924, they owned 86 theatres in the United States,[2] and operated, managed, or booked hundreds more.[5] By 1942, they owned, leased, or managed 20 of New York City's approximately 40 legitimate theatres and controlled some 15 in other cities.[6] By 1953, they had produced 600 shows under their credits and had booked 1,000 shows into their numerous theatres.[2] In 1950, the federal government took the Shuberts to court, alleging that their business practices violated antitrust laws. In 1955, theU.S. Supreme Court ruled that they were subject to and in violation ofantitrust laws, so they sold 12 theatres in six cities and gave up the booking business, which, until then, had been the heart of their enterprise.[4] As of 2024, the Shubert Organization owns 17 Broadway theatres in New York City, including theWinter Garden Theatre, theShubert Theatre, and theImperial Theatre. They also own two theatres outside of New York, theShubert Theatre inBoston and theForrest Theatre inPhiladelphia. Additionally, they own and operate twooff-Broadway facilities in New York City,Stage 42 and a 5-stage facility calledNew World Stages.[7] They also managed theNational Theatre inWashington, D.C. until 2013.[8]
Jerry Stagg identifies Lee Shubert as the key partner in the business, telling of how he built the most successful theatrical empire in history. Stagg characterizes the trio as vulgar and uneducated but acknowledges that they made a personal monopoly amassing millions of profits in the process. Entertainment and popular taste were the goals, rather than the enhancement of the dramatic arts. The Shuberts opened new theatre districts in many major American cities, employing thousands of people over the years. By 1924, they controlled 75 percent of all American theatres, producing 25 percent of all plays. In response, their actors createdActor's Equity as a labor union to counterbalance the Shuberts' power. When theGreat Depression caused thebankruptcy of the Shuberts' corporate empire in 1933, their advisors urged them to retire and enjoy their accumulated wealth. Instead, the Shuberts sustained their business by pouring their own money into the venture. Thus, according to Stagg, the Shubert family almost single-handedly kept legitimate theatre alive in America.[4]
The Shubert[1] children:
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