The Walnut Street Theatre (or simply The Walnut) is the oldest continuously-operating theatre in the English speaking world, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 825 Walnut Street. The venue has three stages: the Mainstage, for the company's primary and larger productions, the Independence Studio on 3, a studio located on the building's third floor for smaller productions, and the Studio 5 on the fifth floor, which is rented out for independent productions. A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be given. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Official website: http://www. ...

History

The Walnut Street Theatre was built by The Circus of Pepin and Breschard, a French circus which toured from 1807 until 1815. Pepin and Breschard constructed numerous venues in cities along the east coast of the United States, which often featured, along with performances of their circus, classical plays as well as horse dramas. The theatre was founded in 1809, going by the name of The New Circus. In 1811, architect William Strickland designed and constructed a stage and orchestra pit for theatrical performances and the theatre's name was changed to The Olympic. The first use of The Walnut Street Theatre as its name occurred in 1820, however it was changed back to The Olympic in 1822 and then back again to The Walnut, this time for good, in 1828. The Circus of Pepin and Breschard arrived in the United States from Spain in 1807, and toured that new country until 1815. ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Battle of New Orleans 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1809 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Joyce Rollins is a lesbian. ... An orchestra pit is the usually lowered area (hence pit) in front of a stage where an orchestra accompanies the performers. ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The Walnut was the first theatre to install gas footlights in 1837. In 1855 it was also the first theatre to install air conditioning. The theatre switched to electric chandeliers and footlights in 1892. The theatre has undergone many renovations since its opening. Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, run by the students of Cambridge University. ... | Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Note: in the broadest sense, air conditioning can refer to any form of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The first theatrical production at the theatre was The Rivals in 1812 (President Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette were in attendance). Edwin Booth and John Sleeper Clarke purchased the theatre in 1865, and then the theatre became part of The Shubert Organization in 1941. While part of the Shubert chain, the theatre housed many pre-Broadway tryouts of soon-to-be classics, including: This page is about the play by Sheridan. ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 N.S. – July 4, 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–1809), principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential founders of the United States. ... Marie-Joseph-Paul-Roch-Yves-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette (September 6, 1757 – May 20, 1834), was a French aristocrat most famous for his participation in the American Revolutionary War and early French Revolution. ... Edwin Booth as Hamlet. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Shubert Theatre, Boston The Shubert Organization was founded by the Shubert brothers, Sam S. Shubert, Lee Shubert, and Jacob J. Shubert of Syracuse, New York in the late 19th century in upstate New York, entering into New York City productions in 1900. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ...

• A Streetcar Named Desire with Marlon Brando (1947)
• Mister Roberts with Henry Fonda (1948)
• Gigi with Audrey Hepburn (1951)
• The Diary of Anne Frank with Susan Strasburg (1955)
• A Raisin in the Sun with Sidney Poitier (1959)
• A Man For All Seasons starring Paul Scofield (1961).

In 1964, The Walnut Street Theatre was designated a National Historic Landmark and in 1969, the theatre was purchased by a non-profit organization and turned over to the new Walnut Street Theatre Corporation. On September 23, 1976, it was the site of the first presidential debate between Gerald R. Ford and Jimmy Carter. The Walnut Street Theatre Company was formed in 1983, a non-profit regional producing company. In 1984, the Walnut Street Theatre School was established and over 1,200 students enroll annually, and 1986 introduced the Independence Studio on 3 series. A Streetcar Named Desire is a famous American play written by Tennessee Williams. ... Marlon Brando at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C Marlon Brando, Jr. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Mister Roberts is a Tony Award–winning play and a 1955 Academy Award–nominated film, both of which tell the story of a naval junior-grade lieutenant during World War II who stands up for his crew against the petty tyranny of the ships commander. ... Fonda in the 1957 classic, 12 Angry Men. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Gigi is a 1945 novel by the French sentimental romance writer Colette about a wealthy cultured man of fashion who discovers that he is in love with a young Parisian girl who is being groomed for a career as a grande cocotte, and eventually marries her. ... Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina Audrey Hepburn (4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was an iconic Academy Award-winning actress, fashion model and humanitarian. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Cover of the diarys Definitive Edition, 1995. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Raisin in the Sun is a 1959 play by Lorraine Hansberry. ... Sidney Poitier His Excellency Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE (born February 20, 1927) is a Bahamian American actor. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Man for All Seasons is a play by Robert Bolt, first performed in London on July 1, 1960. ... David Paul Scofield, CH, CBE (born 21 January 1922) is a British actor who was born in Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, England. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... USS Constitution. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debate in 1960 Every presidential election in the United States, the two main candidates (almost always the candidates of the two main parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party) engage in a debate. ... Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. ... For the submarine, see USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

To this day, the company produces five productions a season on the theatre's Mainstage and is the most subscribed theatre company in the world.

External link

• Walnut Street Theatre Online - official website