Colony Theatre

The Colony Theatre is a performing arts venue located on Lincoln Road in Miami, Florida. The theatre first opened as a Paramount Pictures movie house in 1935 with a capacity to sit 1,200 people. From the 1950s - 1990s, it functioned back and forth as a movie house and a live performance space.[1] As of 2020, the Colony Theatre is a 417-seat performance venue[2] managed by South Florida theater company, Miami New Drama. It hosts music, dance, and theater performances as well as Miami New Drama's theatrical season.[3]

History

Early years

Paramount Pictures built the Colony Theatre in the 1930s, an Art Deco movie house on Miami Beach's Lincoln Road.[4] At the time, the theatre was known to many as the "Beauty Queen." The opening night of the movie theatre was said to be well attended, with guest appearances from movie stars such as Carol Lombard. Notable films that played at the movie house included Alfie, The Sound of Music, Doctor Zhivago, and The Great Race.[5]

1950s

The theatre is transformed from a movie house into a live performance venue.[6]

1960s

Architect, Morris Lapidus, remodels all of Lincoln Road in Miami Modern style of architecture, and the theatre goes back to being a movie house.[7]

1970s

Samuel Kipnis purchases the theatre in 1971, and hosts the Greater Miami Educational Cultural Series, a non-profit organization that supplied films from his private library.[8]

1980s

Miami City Ballet takes over operations of the Colony Theatre, turning it into a live performance space.[9]

Renovation and new management

In 2006, under the ownership of the City of Miami Beach, the Colony Theatre underwent a $6.5 million renovation to return it to its original Art Deco style and update stage and technical equipment such as lighting, rigging, and sound equipment. Under the city's ownership, the theatre was used as a rental space for live performances such as theatrical productions, music concerts, and dance recitals.[10] On October 1st of 2016, the City of Miami Beach announced that Miami New Drama, under the Artistic Direction of Michel Hausmann, was taking over operations of the Colony Theatre.[11] Since then, the Colony Theatre was named the 2018 Miami New Times Best Theater for Drama,[12] and Miami New Drama won two Knights Arts Challenge awards[13][14] and a Knights New Works Miami award[15] from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Colony Theatre has also collaborated with national organizations such as Asolo Repertory Theatre[16] and Tectonic Theatre Project.[17]

Management

As of 2020, Michel Hausmann is the Artistic Director of Miami New Drama, the resident theater company at the Colony Theatre. The Managing Director is Nicholas Richberg, the General Manager is Jessica Kaschube, the Director of Programming is Claudia Urdaneta, the Director of Education is Vyana Preti, and the Operations and Production Manager is Steven Nuñez.[18]

References
  1. Baca, Mandy. Discovering vintage Miami : a guide to the city's timeless shops, hotels, restaurants & more. ISBN 978-1-4930-0745-5. OCLC 870987327.
  2. "Successful Meetings". Successful Meetings. 26: 77. 1997.
  3. "COLONY THEATRE". colonytheatre. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  4. Simundson, Lisa (2001). Miami and the Florida Keys. United Kingdom: Hunter Publishing, Incorporated. p. 128. ISBN 9781556509131.
  5. Baca, Mandy. Discovering vintage Miami : a guide to the city's timeless shops, hotels, restaurants & more. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-4930-0745-5. OCLC 870987327.
  6. Baca, Mandy. Discovering vintage Miami : a guide to the city's timeless shops, hotels, restaurants & more. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-4930-0745-5. OCLC 870987327.
  7. Friedman, Alice T. (2005). Merchandising Miami Beach : Morris Lapidus and the architecture of abundance. pp. 1–38. OCLC 887189407.
  8. Baca, Mandy. Discovering vintage Miami : a guide to the city's timeless shops, hotels, restaurants & more. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-4930-0745-5. OCLC 870987327.
  9. Baca, Mandy. Discovering vintage Miami : a guide to the city's timeless shops, hotels, restaurants & more. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-4930-0745-5. OCLC 870987327.
  10. Baca, Mandy. Discovering vintage Miami : a guide to the city's timeless shops, hotels, restaurants & more. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-4930-0745-5. OCLC 870987327.
  11. Joseph, Chris (2016-10-07). "Miami New Drama Takes Over Historic Colony Theatre in Miami Beach". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  12. "Best Theater for Drama: Colony Theatre | Best of Miami® 2018: Your Key to the City". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  13. LaVelle, Ciara (2017-12-04). "Knight Foundation Announces 43 Arts Challenge Winners". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  14. Loos, Ted (2017-12-05). "Knight Foundation Helps Drive Miami Art Scene". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  15. Desk, BWW News. "Support From City Of Miami Beach And Major New Funding From Knight Foundation Position Miami New Drama As South Florida's Rising Premiere Regional Theater". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  16. Joseph, Chris (2018-01-29). "Chad Deity Deftly Puts Trump's America in the Camel Clutch". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  17. "The Album: Here There are Blueberries". Tectonic Theater Project. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  18. "OUR TEAM". colonytheatre. Retrieved 2020-07-16.

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