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American Theater Hall of Fame

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The American Theater Hall of Fame is located at the Gershwin Theatre in New York City.

The American Theater Hall of Fame was founded in 1971 in New York City. The first head of its executive committee was Earl Blackwell. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new Theater Hall of Fame would be located in the Uris Theatre (now the Gershwin Theatre), which was then under construction. James M. Nederlander and Gerard Oestreicher, who leased the theater, donated the space for the Hall of Fame; Arnold Weissberger was another founder. Blackwell ordered that the names of the first honorees "be embossed in bronze-gold lettering on the theater's entrance walls flanking its grand staircase and escalator".[1]

The first members elected to the Theater Hall of Fame were George Abbott, Maxwell Anderson, Brooks Atkinson, Norman Bel Geddes, Marie Dressler, Jeanne Eagels, Clyde Fitch, Rudolf Friml, Moss Hart, Arthur Hopkins, Walter Huston, George S. Kaufman, Bert Lahr, Ethel Merman, Ferenc Molnár, Clifford Odets, Lillian Russell, Robert E. Sherwood, Lee and J. J. Shubert, Orson Welles, Thornton Wilder and P. G. Wodehouse.[2]

Eligible inductees come from disciplines including actors, playwrights, songwriters, designers, directors, and producers who have had a career in American theater for at least 25 years and at least five major production credits on Broadway.[3][4] Selections are made each year by voting members of the Theater Hall of Fame and the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA). Induction takes place at a ceremony at the Gershwin Theatre in New York City, where the plaques containing the names of the inductees are hung.[5]

No names were inducted between 1974 and 1979 due to a lack of funds.[6] Since 1998, full accounts of the annual induction ceremonies, with quotes from both inductees and their presenters, have appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. An index to these articles is on the ATCA website. An annual Theater Hall of Fame Fellowship Luncheon has been held annually since 2004 to salute a member "who continues to work on Broadway and also presents grants to emerging theatre artists".[7]

Inductees

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Founders Award

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An annual Theater Hall of Fame Founders Award, established in 1993 in honor of the three founders, recognizes an individual's outstanding contribution to the theatre.[10]

Recipients:

References

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  1. ↑ Calta, Louis. "A Hall of Fame for the Theater To Honor Outstanding Figures", The New York Times, March 7, 1972, ISSN 0362-4331, p. 45
  2. ↑ "Uris Hall of Fame Names First Group" (PDF). The New York Times. October 27, 1972.
  3. ↑ Theater Hall of Fame, accessed 2 June 2020
  4. ↑ Hodges, Ben (2009). The Theater Hall of Fame. Theatre World (2008-2009). Vol. 65. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 393–394. ISBN 978-1423473695.
  5. ↑ "Hall of Fame: theater veterans get a night in limelight",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 30, 2008
  6. ↑ Glueck, Grace (October 30, 1979). "State Museum Preserving City's History". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
  7. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Bernadette Peters, Bebe Neuwirth, Stephen Schwartz Will Salute Joel Grey at Theater Hall of Fame Luncheon" Archived January 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, May 29, 2012
  8. ↑ "Theater Hall of Fame | the Official Website | Members | Preserve the Past • Honor the Present • Encourage the Future".
  9. ↑ "Theater Hall of Fame | the Official Website | Members | Preserve the Past • Honor the Present • Encourage the Future".
  10. ↑ Willis, John. "The Theater Hall of Fame Founders Award"Theater World 2001-2002, Volume 58, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2004, ISBN 1-55783-625-6, p. 210
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40°45′44″N 73°59′04″W / 40.7622°N 73.98450°W / 40.7622; -73.98450

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