The Savannah Theatre

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The Savannah Theatre
Athenaeum
Savannah Theatre Interior.jpg
The Savannah Theatre
Interactive map of The Savannah Theatre
Address222 Bull Street
Savannah, Georgia
United States
Coordinates 32°4′32.7″N81°5′32.1″W / 32.075750°N 81.092250°W / 32.075750; -81.092250
Capacity525
Construction
OpenedDecember 1818
Years active201
Architect William Jay
Website
www.savannahtheatre.com

The Savannah Theatre, first opened in 1818 and located on Bull Street, at Chippewa Square, in Savannah, Georgia, is one of the United States' oldest continually operating theatres. The structure has been both a live performance venue and a movie theater. Since 2002, the theatre has hosted regular performances of a variety of shows, primarily music revues.

Contents

History

The Savannah Theatre opened its doors at 5:30pm on December 4, 1818, with a performance of "The Soldier's Daughter". [1] The original structure was designed by British architect William Jay, [2] whose other notable works include the Telfair Mansion and the Owens-Thomas House, both located in Savannah. During the 1850s and 1860s, it was sometimes known as the Athenaeum. [3] On March 21, 1861, Alexander H. Stephens delivered the Cornerstone Speech at the theatre.

The image here is the 1906 remodel which resulted in a new brick facade, with cast terra cotta panels. Many of the windows were filled in Theaters -- New Theatre, Savannah Ga.jpg
The image here is the 1906 remodel which resulted in a new brick facade, with cast terra cotta panels. Many of the windows were filled in

The original structure suffered severe damage due to a hurricane that hit Savannah on August 31, 1898, tearing sections of the roof off the building and flooding the auditorium. [4] Additionally, the Theatre has undergone two notable structural overhauls as the result of fires in 1906 [5] and 1948. [6] Following the 1948 fire, the building was transformed to its current Art Deco style.

Military use

In 1832, the Savannah Theatre served a temporary military function when troops from Cantonment Oglethorpe relocated to the building during the sickly season. [7] [8] On May 17, 1832, Company E of the Second Regiment of Artillery moved from the cantonment into the city, with enlisted men billeted in the Savannah Theatre while officers stayed in nearby homes. [9] The City Council allowed the soldiers to temporarily fence the space between the Theatre and the nearby open grounds of the Chatham Academy. [8] This relocation strategy proved effective in reducing mortality from bilious malignant fever (likely malaria) that had devastated the cantonment, with only 3 to 7 troops recorded sick and one death during the first year of this approach, [7] compared to the cantonment's devastating losses of over 100 soldiers, women, and children between 1826 and 1828. [8] Troops returned to the cantonment each November during the healthier months until the construction of permanent barracks within the city was completed in 1835. [7]

Notable players

Advertisement for The College Widow featuring Ty Cobb from The Savannah Press, 1911 "The College Widow" Including Ty Cobb.jpg
Advertisement for The College Widow featuring Ty Cobb from The Savannah Press, 1911

Over the past two centuries, the Savannah Theatre has showcased an array of talented performers, including Fanny Davenport, E. H. Sothern, Julia Marlowe, Otis Skinner, Oscar Wilde [10] Sarah Bernhardt, W. C. Fields, Tyrone Power, and Lillian Russell. [11] Edwin Booth played several engagements at the Theatre in February 1876, with Shakespearean roles including Hamlet, Iago, and King Lear. [12] It is unknown as to whether or not Edwin's younger brother John Wilkes Booth ever performed at the Savannah Theatre.

In 1851, the New York Dramatic Company leased the Theatre briefly. Among the players was Joseph Jefferson, whose most well-known role was that of Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle". However the company's stand failed to succeed, as their "lineup of standard hits failed to tempt Savannah audiences." [13]

In November 1911, baseball player Ty Cobb appeared in The College Widow at the theatre. [14]

The theatre today

Savannah Theatre in 2017 Marquee of the Savannah Theatre in downtown Savannah, Georgia May 2017.jpg
Savannah Theatre in 2017

Beginning in 2002 with the music revue "Lost in the '50s", [15] the theatre has housed live performances of several productions.

References

  1. ↑ William Harden (1913). A History of Savannah and South Georgia. Lewis Publishing Company. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  2. ↑ Luciana M. Spracher (2002). Lost Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7385-1487-1 . Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  3. ↑ "An Ordinance". Savannah Morning News. Savannah. February 27, 1869. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  4. ↑ The Morning Herald, September 1, 1898, "Havoc In Savannah", Baltimore
  5. ↑ Boston Evening Transcript, September 22, 1906, "Savannah Theatre Burns"
  6. ↑ St. Petersburg Times, January 13, 1948, "Fire Damages Famed Theatre In Savannah"
  7. 1 2 3 "Returns from U.S. Military Posts, 1800-1916: Savannah, Georgia, January 1824 - December 1850,"  National Archives Microfilm Publication M617, Roll 1126, Images 51-227,  FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/film/008361400?cat=589910
  8. 1 2 3 "The Oglethorpe Barracks, Interesting History of How Its Location was Obtained". Savannah Morning News. March 31, 1882. p. 4 Col 3&4. Retrieved November 24,2025 – via Georgia Historic Newspapers.
  9. ↑ https https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cantonment_Oglethorpe&action=edit&section=14#:~:text=page.-,Gamble%2C%20Thomas%2C%20Jr.%20(1901,names:%20authors%20list%20(link) ://dlg.usg.edu/record/gsg_docs_1373
  10. ↑ Cooper, John. "Oscar Wilde's 1882 Lecture, Savannah" . Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  11. ↑ John W. Frick; Carlton Ward, eds. (1987). Directory of historic American theatres. Greenwood Press. ISBN   978-0-313-24868-9.
  12. ↑ Arthur W. Bloom, Edwin Booth: A Biography and Performance History, McFarland, 2013, Page XVIII, ISBN   0786472898
  13. ↑ Benjamin McArthur (2007). The Man who was Rip Van Winkle: Joseph Jefferson and Nineteenth-century American Theatre. Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0-300-12232-9 . Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  14. ↑ The Savannah Press, November 11, 1911, Advertisement
  15. ↑ "'Lost in the '50s' ... this show shakes, rattles and rolls". The Savannah Morning News. August 12, 2002. Retrieved August 1, 2013.

Bibliography

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