About the Data

As a preliminary matter, it is very important to note that the vast majority of the information in this database has only one source. That is, any single mention of a theatre or circuit in a book or newspaper article or anywhere else is usually enough to qualify for inclusion here. The classic rule of having a confirming source of information is simply impossible with a subject like this. Another way of looking at this is that we report accurately what we find; we just can't verify that what we are reporting is accurate.

Theatres

Here is the basic problem:

There are three pieces of data that make a theater unique: Name of theater, city, and state. Street addresses, which would be hugely helpful, are almost never available.

Determining which theater is which is sometimes very difficult.

First, very often, we know of the existence of a theater in a particular city or town, but we do not know the name of the theater. This database has hundreds of those.

A theater may change its name from time to time, but its still the same building.

A theater in a location may burn down or otherwise come to an end. Sooner or later, a new theater may be built in the same town with the same name, but its a different building. Sometimes the new building is built at the same location as the former building and has the same name; or sometimes it has a different name; or sometimes the new building is built at a different location, but has the same name as the original theater.

Example, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, there is the Auditorium Theatre, part of the Shubert Brothers circuit. Also in Hot Springs was the New Auditorium theater, part of the E.S. Brigham circuit. Same building? We don't know.

Some sources identify only a town, but another source may identify a theater in the same town. Is it the same theater?

In Mobile, Alabama, we have two un-named theaters. They are both members of the same two circuits, so it is most likely they are the same theater. But we cannot confirm that. The info came from different sources.

In Washington, DC, the National Theatre was sometimes named the New National Theatre. Over more than 150 years, the building has burned down and fallen down several times, but a theater always existed at 1321 E Street, N.W. But in the 1980's, the name of the street changed from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue. But it was the same theater at the same location.

City and State

Sometimes we only have one or the other. If we have the name of the city, the state is sometimes easy to figure out. But not always; there were theaters in Columbus Ohio, Columbus, Kansas, and Columbus, Indiana.

Circuits

Theaters and circuits were in a constant state of flux. At times circuits exercised very strict control over a theater's ability to leave the circuit, but where there were viable options -- such as moving from the Syndicate to the Shuberts -- realignment was common. A greater issue was that many theaters were members of more than one circuit, or to be more precise (sometimes), the circuit was affiliated with a larger circuit, and there might be a third or even fourth layer. A theater might take no action, but find out that a top level circuit had reorganized in some way, and the theater manager suddenly found a different chain of command.

Moreover, there is no single criteria for what it meant to be part of a circuit. Some circuits owned theaters, they were obviously "members." Additional theaters might be leased or rented. They too might be considered members of a circuit. But many theaters were booked by a circuit, but still retained its own ownership and management. And sometimes a circuit would send shows to a theater on a more random schedule. Of course, those relationships and contractual arrangements were also in a constant state of flux.

Within this database, pretty much any connection between a theater and a circuit is enough to report the connection.

Managers, Lessees, Proprietors, etc.

In the search engine, these are minor fields, as many sources did not name their managers or owners. Other people affiliated with the theater may also be identified. The information is included here where it is available as another data point that may help distinguish one theater from another, or to help establish a time line. Query: if a manager is listed for several theaters, but the circuits show as "No Information," does a single manager make a circuit? Sometimes we said yes, and in effect "created" a circuit under that manager's name.

Years

Generally, this data field refers to time of the information. It should not be considered a limiting factor. For example, if a theater has two years shown, say 1905 and 1915, it may be assumed that the theater was in business during those ten years. But not necessarily. The theater may have burned down during those years and been rebuilt.