The Shubert Organization, Inc. (Shubert), announced that on Monday, September 12, the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street) will be officially renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in honor of the iconic multi-award-winning American actor. Following a $47 million restoration and expansion of the building, a formal dedication ceremony will take place on 48th Street to celebrate the theatre’s completion. The official dedication ceremony will be open to invited guests and members of the press. It will include special performances, tours of the renovated theatre, and an unveiling of the new marquee.
With the help of Francesca Russo Architect, over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shubert has performed extensive renovation and construction work on the theatre. A new contemporary annex, designed by Kostow Greenwood Architects, expands accessibility, increases public space, adds dressing rooms and rehearsal space, and enhances the beauty of the 110 year old theatre. The Cort Theatre opened in 1912, designed in the style of an Eighteenth-Century French palace by renowned theatre architect Thomas Lamb to house productions of theatre impresario John Cort. The building was sold to the Shubert brothers in 1927.
The Off Broadway incubator Ars Nova will allow audience members to pay what they wish for theater tickets in a new initiative called “What’s Ars Is Yours: Name Your Price,” the company announced on Wednesday. … Beginning on Oct. 6, theatergoers can choose their ticket price for any Ars Nova show at its base on West 54th Street in Hell’s Kitchen — as well as the company’s two productions at Greenwich House — for its 2022-23 season. Tickets will start at $5 and increase in $5 increments up to $100 per ticket. www.arsnovanyc.com
The Broadway company of the Tony Award-winning, record-breaking hit musical Chicago welcomes back Amra-Faye Wright in the role of “Velma Kelly” and welcomes Brandon Victor Dixon in the role of “Billy Flynn” joining previously announced Angelica Ross as “Roxie Hart” starting Monday, September 12 at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St., NYC). www.ChicagotheMusical.com
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