Gem Theatre facts for kids
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"Little Gem Theatre"
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Gem Theatre beside Ford Field.
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| Location | 333 Madison Street Detroit, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 42°20′15.63″N 83°2′46.22″W / 42.3376750°N 83.0461722°W |
| Capacity | 450 |
| Opened | 1927 |
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| Gem Theatre | |
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Century Building and Little Theatre
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| Built | 1903 |
| Architect | George D. Mason |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 85000993 |
| Added to NRHP | May 09, 1985 |
The Gem Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, is a cool old building that opened in 1927. It's a two-level theatre with regular seats and special tables right near the stage. It shares its entrance area, called a lobby, with the Century Theatre, which opened even earlier in 1903. The Gem Theatre looks like it was built in the Spanish Revival style, which means it has a unique, old-world design. This special building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, showing how important it is.
Contents
History of the Gem Theatre
How the Century Theatre Started
In 1902, a group of important women formed the Twentieth Century Club. They built a special building for their club. This building is now known as the Century Theatre. It was made of red brick with white stone details. The first floor had a dining room. The second floor had a large room for shows with 400 seats.
Building the Little Theatre
In 1928, the club hired an architect named George D. Mason. He designed an addition to their building. This new part was built in the Spanish Revival style. It was then rented out to a company called the Little Theatre chain. They showed movies from other countries there. So, the new building became known as the Little Theatre.
Changes Over the Years
The Great Depression hit in 1933, and the Twentieth Century Club had to close. But the Little Theatre kept going. It changed its name many times. It was called The Rivoli in 1932. Then it became Drury Lane, the Europa in 1935, and the Cinema in 1936. In 1960, it was named the Vanguard Playhouse. At this point, it started showing live plays instead of just movies.
Becoming the Gem Theatre
Finally, in 1967, the theatre got its current name, the Gem. Later, in 1990, a developer named Charles Forbes bought both the Gem and Century buildings. He started a big project to fix up the Gem Theatre. The newly restored Gem Theatre opened its doors again in 1991.
Moving the Theatre Building
In 1997, the area around the theatre was being redeveloped. This was to make space for Comerica Park, the new home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team. To save the Gem and Century Theatres from being torn down, they were moved. On October 16, 1997, the buildings were put on wheels. They were then moved five blocks to their new spot at 333 Madison Street. This move was 563 meters (1,850 feet) long. It is known as the longest distance a large building has ever been moved!
Popular Shows at the Gem Theatre
Today, the Historic Gem & Century Theatres are known for being cozy places to see a show in Detroit. They have hosted many popular plays and musicals. Six of their shows are among the longest-running shows in Michigan's history. These include Menopause The Musical, Escanaba in Da Moonlight, The All Night Strut, Shear Madness, Forbidden Broadway, and Forever Plaid.
Here are some of the shows that have been performed there:
- 2010-2011: Plaid Tidings, Sister's Christmas Catechism (Century Theatre), Late Night Catechism 3:Til Death Do Us Part, Sister's Easter Catechism
- 2009-2010: Ethel Merman's Broadway, Forbidden Broadway Christmas, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Caveman (Century Theatre), The Male Intellect (Century Theatre)
- 2008-2009: Say Goodnight Gracie, The Rat Pack is Back, I Love You - You're Perfect - Now Change
- 2007-2008: Escanaba in Love, A Forbidden Broadway Christmas, Menopause The Musical
- 2006-2007: Menopause the Musical (Century Theatre), The Rat Pack is Back, Respect
- 2005-2006: Menopause the Musical
- 2004-2005: Menopause the Musical
- 2003-2004: Behind the Counter with Mussolini, Shear Madness
- 2002-2003: Triple Espresso
- 2001-2002: Shear Madness, 8-Track (Century Theatre), Fully Committed
- 2000-2001: Escanaba in the Moonlight, Dinner With Friends, Mind Games, Tropical Pickle (Century Theatre)
- 1999-2000: A Forbidden Hollywood (Century Theatre), A Forbidden Broadway Christmas (Century Theatre), Always Patsy Cline
- 1999: I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
- 1995: Beehive, Shear Madness
- 1993: Forever Plaid
- 1992: Forbidden Broadway
- 1991: All Night Strut
See also
In Spanish: Teatro Gem (Detroit) para niños
