Theatre-By-the-Sea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Theatre-By-the-Sea
|
|
Theatre in 2008
|
|
 Location in Rhode Island
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | South Kingstown, Rhode Island |
|---|---|
| Built | 1933 |
| NRHP reference No. | 80004597 |
| Added to NRHP | July 10, 1980 |
Theatre-By-the-Sea is a very old theater and playhouse. You can find it on Cards Pond Road in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. This special building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. This means it's an important place in history!
Contents
The Theatre's Story
The Theatre-By-the-Sea has changed a lot over the years. It has had many different lives!
Starting as a Barn
Back in 1928, a woman named Mrs. Alice Jaynes Tyler ran a summer camp for girls. It was on her property. But then the Great Depression happened. This was a time when many people lost their jobs. So, Mrs. Tyler decided to help. She turned her old barn into a theater!
She worked with a Russian actor named Leo Bulgakoff. She also teamed up with a producer named Leslie Spiller. A lighting designer named Abe Feder helped too. Together, they opened the theater on August 7, 1933. It had 300 seats.
Changes and Challenges
The next 35 years brought many changes. On September 21, 1938, a huge storm hit. It was called the New England Hurricane of 1938. The storm badly damaged the theater.
After the hurricane, they made big changes. Workers cut the theater in half with a hand saw! A dump truck pulled the box office forward. They added a new section and a balcony.
During World War II, the theater was mostly empty. Sometimes, military planes would even practice diving near it! It also showed movies sometimes.
A Time for Stars
By 1947, the theater was busy again. It had a great run for almost 10 years. Many famous stars performed there! Some of them were Marlon Brando, Carol Channing, and Groucho Marx. Other big names included Tallulah Bankhead, Mae West, Judy Holiday, and Shelley Winters.
But then, more challenges came. Mrs. Tyler passed away in 1951. Another hurricane, Hurricane Carol, hit in 1954. In 1959, the theater was "dark," meaning it didn't have shows. It closed again in 1963.
Saving the Theatre
In 1967, a man named Tommy Brent saved the theater. He was a press agent and producer. He stopped the building from being torn down just in time! He ran the theater for 22 years. But the building needed a lot of repairs.
In 1988, a company called FourQuest took over. They were the third owners. They made many big repairs that fall and winter. The theater reopened in the spring of 1989. They ran it until the fall of 2003.
The theater closed again. But then, William Hanney bought it. He was a businessman from Massachusetts. He owned movie theaters. He wanted to keep the theater's tradition alive.
From 2007 to 2012, the Ocean State Theatre Company put on shows there. In 2013, William Hanney and Matunuck Live Theatre started producing the shows themselves. The Theatre-By-the-Sea continues to bring plays to life!
See also
