DuPont Theatre records 2150 This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on September 14, 2021. Description is written in: English. Describing Archives: A Content Standard Manuscripts and Archives PO Box 3630 Wilmington, Delaware 19807 [email protected] URL: http://www.hagley.org/library DuPont Theatre records 2150 Table of Contents Summary Information .................................................................................................................................... 3 Historical Note ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Scope and Content ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Administrative Information ............................................................................................................................ 6 Controlled Access Headings .......................................................................................................................... 6 Collection Inventory ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Administrative ............................................................................................................................................. 7 Subscriptions ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Promotional Department ............................................................................................................................. 8 Publicity ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 Press clippings ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Press releases .......................................................................................................................................... 11 Press materials ........................................................................................................................................ 11 Press kits ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Plays ........................................................................................................................................................... 14 Playbills ..................................................................................................................................................... 21 DuPont Theatre Performances ................................................................................................................ 21 Other Performances ................................................................................................................................ 42 Flyers and advertisements ......................................................................................................................... 46 - Page 2 - DuPont Theatre records 2150 Summary Information Repository: Manuscripts and Archives Creator: Dupont Theatre (Wilmington, Del.) Creator: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. DuPont Hospitality Title: DuPont Theatre records ID: 2150 Date [inclusive]: 1919-2001 Date [bulk]: 1975-1995 Physical Description: 18.7 Linear Feet Language of the English . Material: Abstract: The DuPont Theatre, originally called The Playhouse, presents professional theatrical productions from Broadway and other notable venues in downtown Wilmington, Delaware since 1913. The Playhouse was the concept of three top executives of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (DuPont Company) who realized that Wilmington needed a facility for cultural as well as business purposes. The DuPont Theatre records consist primarily of public relations and advertising materials related to the theater's operation. As such, they present a sequence of changing tastes in popular entertainment in a medium-sized American city. ^ Return to Table of Contents Historical Note The DuPont Theatre, originally called The Playhouse, presents professional theatrical productions from Broadway and other notable venues in downtown Wilmington, Delaware since 1913. The Playhouse was the concept of three top executives of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (DuPont Company) who realized that Wilmington needed a facility for cultural as well as business purposes. The company was in the middle of a transition from an traditional explosives manufacturer run from a domestic-scaled office building on the plant site to an international chemical company with a new, modern corporate headquarters in the center of town. To serve the growing number of executives, - Page 3- DuPont Theatre records 2150 scientists, engineers and important visitors, the company provided, as part of its headquarters, a first-class hotel and restaurants of a type not previously available in the city. John J. Raskob (1879-1950), then assistant treasurer of the DuPont Company and an urbanite with ties to the Broadway entertainment world, was the major proponent. He believed that a theatre should serve as a business venture, as the source of the finest dramatic entertainment possible, and as a community resource for local charitable organizations' fund-raising shows. By providing a modern venue, he hoped to get Broadway shows to hold their tryouts in Wilmington, as they traditionally did in Philadelphia and New Haven, as well as attracting top touring companies. Along with Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954), treasurer and future president, and R.R.M. Carpenter (1877-1949), Raskob imagined a theatre as part of the proposed new Hotel Du Pont, and located in an area known as Pinkett's Court, an open space at the rear of the group of DuPont Company buildings on Market Street between 10th and 11th Streets. Raskob, du Pont and Carpenter incorporated The Play House Company on April 17, 1913. Charles A. Rich (1854-1943), a New York architect, was selected to design the theatre, with the Wilmington firm of Brown and Whiteside appointed associate architect. After being awarded the construction contract with the low bid of $122,960, Wilmington's J. A. Bader & Co. broke ground on April 15, 1913. The Playhouse was built in 150 working days, and opening night was October 15, 1913. The Playhouse's first lessee was William A. Brady (1863-1950), who appointed John S. Hale as resident manager of the theatre. After bringing thirty-five plays and forty-four other attractions to Wilmington, Brady officially closed his first season in April 1914. That fall Louis Alleman was named resident manager. One of Alleman's innovations was bringing in a stock company, "The Playhouse Players," which staged eleven shows from December through mid-March. Under Alleman's management, fifty- three shows were brought to The Playhouse during the 1916-1917 season, and fifty-one the following season, which was Brady's last as lessee. The new lessee in 1918 was the Majestic Theatre Company, operated by James N. Ginns, Charles Topkis and William Topkis. They appointed Earle G. Finney, who had been assistant manager under Alleman since 1917, as the new theatre manager in September 1918. The new management ran into a major problem almost immediately. The Little Teacher, a comedy scheduled to run five days starting September 30, ran only two. The influenza epidemic was at its peak, with nearly 10,000 cases reported in Wilmington alone. On orders of the State Board of Health, all public buildings, including schools and theatres, were closed. This order remained in effect until October 27. The 1921-1922 season had barely begun when Ginns and Topkis unexpectedly sold their lease to their manager, Earle G. Finney, on October 15. For the first time since The Playhouse opened, the lessee and the manager were the same person. The previous management had run motion pictures during the summer months, a practice eliminated by Finney, who included few films at any time of year during his five year tenure. His programming featured a balance among comedies, serious plays, and musicals. Finney remained manager until April 1926. Following termination of Finney's lease, R.R.M. Carpenter approached the Shubert Brothers, Lee and Jacob J. (JJ), prime theatrical producers in New York, in an attempt to interest them in leasing The Playhouse. The Shubert brothers assumed the lease in the summer of 1926. - Page 4- DuPont Theatre records 2150 At the end of October 1926, the Shuberts announced that they were changing the name of the theatre to The Shubert Playhouse. It was suspected that they thought the name Shubert would give the theatre added prestige. The 1926-1927 season was not a success. In an effort to reverse the trend, the Shuberts spent the summer of 1927 making renovations, however, the 1927-1928 season also suffered from low attendance despite star-studded casts and major productions. It is suspected that the ticket prices were too high. The Shuberts announced that the Shubert Playhouse would close in January 1928. On December 15, 1927, Chamber of Commerce called a public meeting to prevent the loss of Wilmington's only legitimate theatre, which would result in both cultural and business hardship. The Chamber of Commerce proposed