Empire Theatre (New York). For many years the oldest and most prestigious playhouse in New York, it was built by Al Hayman and Charles Frohman and stood directly across Broadway from the Metropolitan Opera House, one door away from 40th Street. The architect was J. B. McElfatrick, and while his design was undistinguished it was nonetheless attractive. A long lobby, in later seasons hung with portraits of noted stars, led to a rococo auditorium decorated in rich reds and gold. The theatre opened in 1893 with The Girl I Left Behind Me and for the next twenty‐two years, until Frohman's death, served as his flagship. The producer was insistent that the theatre's first attraction be an American play on an American theme, but his penchant for English and French successes meant that its early bills were primarily importations. Thus, the house witnessed the American premieres of numerous works by Pinero, Henry Arthur Jones, Barrie, and Maugham. Peter Pan (1905) opened there, as did Captain Brassbound's Conversion (1907). The house was also the home of Frohman's most celebrated stars, such as Maude Adams, Ethel Barrymore, and John Drew. After Frohman's death the theatre continued to offer the greatest stars, often in fine plays: Barrymore in Déclassée (1919); Katharine Cornell in several plays, including her most famous vehicle, The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1930); Judith Anderson; Ruth Chatterton; Jane Cowl; Julie Harris; Doris Keane; Helen Menken; Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne; and Ethel Waters. The Empire was also home to America's longest‐running play, Life with Father (1939). For all its fame the theatre was threatened with the loss of its license in 1926 when it housed a controversial play about lesbianism, The Captive. Authorities closed the play but never otherwise penalized the theatre. Its last play was The Time of the Cuckoo (1952), starring Shirley Booth. The building was demolished in 1953.
Empire Theatres
| American Theater Guide: Empire Theatre |
| Wikipedia: Empire Theatres |
 |
|
| Type | Private (subsidiary of Empire Company) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1978 [1] |
| Founder(s) | Travis and Kevin |
| Headquarters | New Glasgow[1], Nova Scotia |
| Number of locations | 69[1] |
| Area served | Canada |
| Industry | Movie theatres |
| Employees | approx. 3000[1] |
| Parent | Empire Company |
| Website | www.empiretheatres.com |
Empire Theatres is the second-largest movie theatre chain in Canada, and the only major circuit operating in Atlantic Canada. A subsidiary of Empire Company Ltd., the family-owned parent of the Sobeys supermarket chain presently has full or joint control over 60 locations and 403 screens, including a four-location joint venture in western Canada with Landmark Cinemas.
Many, but not all, of its larger locations are branded "Studio #", with # being the number of screens at that location. Other locations are named "Empire (location) #", number showing the number of screens. Some more locations have their own unique name, such as the 6-screen cinemas in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland & Labrador being named Topsail Cinemas due to its location being Topsail Road.
Empire Theatres was formed from the Sobeys' purchase of the Atlantic assets of Canadian Odeon Theatres, later Cineplex Odeon Cinemas, in 1984. Later, it also acquired select Famous Players Theatres locations, including those in Newfoundland and Labrador.
However, throughout the 1990s, Famous Players Theatres remained a major competitor in the Maritime provinces. Empire responded by opening several new or replacement locations along the lines of the multiplexes being opened by Cineplex and Famous in the rest of Canada.
Despite aggressive expansion previously, this time, Famous Players, focused on improvements elsewhere, did not match Empire's moves, which included an eighteen-screen (including one Empire Imax Theatre Screen) multiplex in suburban Halifax. With comparably minor interests in the region, Famous cut back on marketing and ultimately sold its remaining screens in Atlantic Canada to Empire in 2004.
While Empire operates the majority of the Atlantic region's screens, including in many smaller centres, several independent theatres remain in other small centres.
On August 22, 2005, Empire announced it would acquire 27 theatres, with a total of 202 screens, in locations stretching from British Columbia to Ontario, from Cineplex Galaxy LP, as a result of the latter's acquisition of Famous Players Theatres, effectively doubling Empire's size. Most of the locations are smaller "traditional" venues, but some are larger theatres, such as Coliseum Calgary (Now Studio 10 MacLeod Trail), Silvercity theatres in Kitchener and St. Catharines, as well as one in Calgary, Alberta (Now Studio 12 Gateway Park, Studio 8 Pen Centre, and Studio 16 respectively), and Square One in Mississauga (Now Studio 10 Square One), and Silvercity Empress Walk (now Empire Empress Walk in North York, ON). The deal closed September 30, 2005.
Empire Theatres does not operate any other locations in Quebec, since that chain has ceded to Cinemas Guzzo.
As of July 2008, the Empire Theatres chain has 18 screens equipped with digital projection and 17 with Real D Digital 3D.[2]
Contents |
Lobby
Many Empire venues supply New York Fries, Pretzelmaker, TCBY, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, or instead of Pizza Hut some locations have Pizza Pizza (such as Empire 18 Cinemas, Empire Studio 12 Guildford and IMAX Theatre in Bayer's Lake- Suburban Halifax, NS). Along with these food venues, Empire Theatres also have their own food venue in every theatre with food items such as popcorn and nachos. Some bigger theatres, and most newly constructed theatres also have arcades known as Zone Arcade.[3]
List of Locations
Alberta
Calgary
- Empire Studio 10 Macleod Trail
- Empire Studio 16 Country Hills
Edmonton
- Empire City Centre 9 Cinemas
- Empire Clareview 10 Cinemas
- Empire Westmount Centre Cinemas
British Columbia
North Vancouver
- Empire Esplanade 6 Cinemas
Surrey
- Empire Studio 12 Guildford
Vancouver
- Empire Granville 7 Cinemas
- Empire Oakridge Cinemas
Victoria
- Empire Capitol 6 Cinemas
- Empire University 4 Cinemas
Manitoba
Brandon
- Empire Capitol Theatre
Winkler
- Empire Southland Cinemas
Winnipeg
- Empire Grant Park 8 Cinemas
New Brunswick
Dieppe
- Crystal Palace 8 Cinemas
Fredericton
- Empire Studio 10 Regent Mall
Miramichi
- Empire Studio 5
Moncton
- Empire 8 Trinity Drive
Rothesay
- Empire 4 Cinemas
Saint John
- Empire Studio 10
Newfoundland
Corner Brook
- Millbrook Cinemas
Mount Pearl
- Empire Cinemas Mount Pearl Shopping Centre (though also referred to officially by the company as Topsail Cinemas and Empire Theatres Mount Pearl Square)
St. John's
- Empire Studio 12
Nova Scotia
Amherst
- Paramount Cinemas
Antigonish
- Empire Capitol Theatre
Bridgewater
- Empire Studio 7
Cambridge
- Empire Valley Drive-In
Dartmouth
- Empire Theatres Dartmouth Crossing
Halifax
- Empire 18 Cinemas and IMAX Theatre, Bayers Lake
- Empire 8 Park Lane
- Oxford Theatre
Lower Sackville
- Empire Studio 7
New Glasgow
- Empire Studio 7
- Empire New Glasgow Drive-In
New Minas
- Empire 7 Cinemas
Sydney
- Empire Studio 10
Truro
- Empire Studio 7
Exterior of a common Empire Theatres location in Truro, Nova Scotia
Westville
- Empire Westville Drive-In
Yarmouth
- Empire Studio 5
Ontario
Bolton
- Empire 7 Cinemas
Hamilton
- Empire Jackson Square 6 Cinemas
- Empire Studio 10
- Empire Studio 12
Kingston
- Empire Capitol 7 Cinemas
Kitchener
- Empire Studio 12 Gateway Park
London
- Empire Wellington 8 Cinemas
Mississauga
- Empire Studio 10 at Square One
- Empire Discount 4
- Empire Studio 12
North York
- Empire Empress Walk 10 Cinemas
Orleans
- Empire Orleans Town Centre 6 Cinemas
Ottawa
- Empire 7 Cinemas
- Empire Rideau Centre Cinemas
Richmond Hill
- Empire Elgin Mills 10 Cinemas
St. Catharines
- Empire Theatres 10 Pen Centre
- Empire Discount 4 Downtown (shows movies about to come on video that have been in the major cinemas. Admission to these cinemas is $4.00/person every day except Tuesday's which is $2.22/person)
Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown
- Empire Studio 8
Summerside
- Empire Studio 5
References
- ^ a b c d About Empire Theatres
- ^ Digital Projection / Digital 3D, Empire Theatres Website
- ^ Empire Theatres Zone Arcade http://empiretheatres-com.sitepreview.ca/arcade
- ^ Theatre Showtimes Empire Theatres http://www.empiretheatres.com/theatre/showtimes/
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
 | Empire Company Limited (Public Company) |
| Alliance Atlantis Cinemas |
| Empire Theatre |
 | Where is the globe theatre- shakespeares theatre? Read answer... |
| What is theatre and characteristics of theatre arts? Read answer... |
| Why in the hospital is a theatre called a theatre? Read answer... |
 | How long is theatre absent after the end of the roman empire? |
| What do the frontline cast members do at empire theatres? |
| Whereabouts was the empire theatre in grantham against your shops now? |
Copyrights:
 |
 | American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Empire Theatres". Read more |
- In the game Marine park empire how do you get the animal theatre?
- How do you get into theatre?
- What is theatre for?
- What is theatre?
- What year did the liverpool empire theatre open?
- Who ended formal theatre at the end of Roman Empire?
- What do you do at a theatre?
Mentioned in
- Empire Company Limited (Public Company)
- Alliance Atlantis Cinemas
- Empire Theatre
- Park Lane (mall)
