AMT Theater
45th Street Theatre | |
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Address | 354 West 45th Street New York City United States |
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Coordinates | 40°45′36″N 73°59′26″W / 40.760065°N 73.990536°W |
Owner | Ken Davenport |
Operator | Ken Davenport |
Type | Off-Broadway |
Capacity | 149 (Main Stage) 99 (The Loft) |
Website | |
www |
The Davenport Theatre is an Off-Broadway theater venue located at 354 West 45th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is owned and operated by Broadway and Off-Broadway producer Ken Davenport.
Previously called the 45th Street Theatre,[1] the Davenport Theatre was purchased by producer Ken Davenport in 2014 and renamed after his great-grandfather, Delbert Essex Davenport, who was a producer, publicist, and author in the early 1900s.[2]
The Davenport Theatre has two performances spaces, a 149-seat main stage on the ground floor and a 99-seat black box recently renovated and renamed, The Loft at the Davenport Theatre on the third floor.
Theatre history
- 1984-2004 - Primary Stages
- 2007-2012 - 45th Street Theatre (some overlap with Primary Stages)
- 2013 - New Theatre at 45th Street[3]
- 2014-present - Davenport Theatre
Building history
The five-story building was built in 1915 as an electric substation by the United Electric Light & Power Company which promoted Alternating current in the War of the Currents while New York Edison was promoting direct current. Although the direct current standard lost to ac in the war Edison had continued to electrify lower Manhattan with direct current and accounted for 90 percent of the electric power at the time against United's 10 percent. The substation in particular was aimed at providing reliable power to Broadway theatres and Times Square signs at a time when most theatres had direct current.[4] In 1928 New York Edison began the process to adopt the AC standard and by 1935 had totally acquired United.[5][6]
After the building was decommissioned as a substation it became a Masonic Lodge. The masonic emblem with the inscription "Gran Logia de Lengua Española Vales De Nueva York" still hangs over the entrance and the abbreviation ALGDGADU is also above the entrance.[7] The abbreviation is interpreted from Spanish "A La Gloria Del Gran Arquitecto Del Universo" to say "to the Glory of the Great Architect of the Universe."[8][9]
According to the building's certificate of occupancy from 1959, the space was intended to be used as offices and a recording studio [10] and had been used illegally as a theater space for several decades.[11]
Productions
This list includes current and previous productions at the Davenport Theatre.[1][12]
Production | Opened | Closed |
---|---|---|
Once a Year on Blackpool Sands | September 4, 2018 | September 10, 2018 |
Afterglow | July 24, 2017 | TBD |
Endangered! | July 10, 2017 | TBD |
Money Talks | July 10, 2017 | September 30, 2017 |
Shear Madness | July 15, 2016 | April 23, 2017 |
Daddy Long Legs | September 28, 2015 | June 6, 2016 |
Men and Women Talking Love and Sex | December 5, 2014 | February 14, 2015 |
Pageant | July 14, 2014 | October 26, 2014 |
Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging! | May 4, 2014 | July 20, 2014 |
Around the World in 80 Days (as the New Theater) | June 4, 2013 | October 13, 2013 |
Wanda's World (as the 45th Street Theatre) | January 23, 2008 | February 10, 2008 |
Idol: The Musical (as the 45th Street Theatre) | August 12, 2007 | August 12, 2007 |
Jayson (as the 45th Street Theatre) | July 10, 1998 | August 16, 1998 |
Golden Boy (as the 45th Street Theatre) | November 19, 1995 | December 16, 1995 |
We'll Meet Again (as the 45th Street Theatre) | July 27, 1995 | October 1, 1995 |
Awake and Sing! (as the 45th Street Theatre) | July 6, 1993 | July 25, 1993 |
The Brooklyn Trojan Women (as the 45th Street Theatre) | June 1, 1993 | June 30, 1993 |
References
- ^ a b 45th Street Theatre at the Internet off-Broadway Database
- ^ "Tada! Introducing The Davenport Theatre!". The Producer's Perspective. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
- ^ https://foursquare.com/newtheaternyc
- ^ http://magazine.ieee-pes.org/novemberdecember-2013/history-10/M/
- ^ http://magazine.ieee-pes.org/mayjune-2013/history-8/
- ^ https://www.emporis.com/buildings/301810/gran-logia-de-lengua-espanola-new-york-city-ny-usa
- ^ https://www.emporis.com/buildings/301810/gran-logia-de-lengua-espanola-new-york-city-ny-usa
- ^ http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2012/08/can-you-identify-this.html
- ^ http://www.themasonictrowel.com/articulos/files/las_abreviaturas_en_la_masoneria.htm
- ^ "Clinton Theater Seeks 'Legal' Status". The Midtown Gazette. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
- ^ "45th Street Theater Has One Problem: It's Not Legally a Theater". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on 2016-08-13. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
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