Benedum Center
Encyclopedia
The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts (formerly the Stanley Theatre) is a theater and concert hall located at 719 Liberty Avenue in the Cultural District
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. Originally built in 1928 as The Stanley Theatre, the former movie palace
was renovated and reopened as The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in 1987.
February 27, 1928, and seats about 2,885 people (the original seating configuration was over 3,800). It was designed by the architectural firm Hoffman and Henon, who were most well known for their design and construction of 35 theaters in the Philadelphia area. The Stanley Theatre had the distinction of being the largest movie theater in Western Pennsylvania. Operated by the Stanley Warner Theater circuit division of Warner Brothers, it was Pittsburgh's main first run house for all Warner Brothers film releases.
In 1976, The Stanley was purchased and renovated by the Cinemette Corporation to be operated as a movie theater. In 1977, DiCesare Engler Productions bought the theater and presented live rock and roll concerts through 1984. The Grateful Dead performed two legendary shows at the Stanley, and reggae icon Bob Marley
performed his last live concert at the Stanley on September 23, 1980, before his death in 1981. Prince
kicked off his Controversy Tour
in 1981
at the Stanley.
The Stanley Theater was named "Number One Auditorium in the U.S." by Billboard several times during the DiCesare-Engler years.
The signature piece of the Benedum Center is the original main chandelier which weighs 4,700 pounds, is 20 feet high and 12 feet wide. It was restored in honor of the late H.J. Heinz II.
Today the Center is the home of the Pittsburgh Opera
, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
, and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
who formerly were based at Heinz Hall, (the former Loew's Penn Theater) that had been restored by and is the current home of the Pittsburgh Symphony. The 3,800-seat Benedum Center is the crown jewel of the Cultural District and is one of the most utilized theaters in the nation today.
The Center has also hosted several PBS doo-wop
television concert specials including Doo Wop 50
. The TV game show Wheel of Fortune
taped two weeks of shows at the theater in 1998. The Benedum Center was also featured prominently in the 2006 documentary film
Pittsburgh directed by Jeff Goldblum
. The film follows Goldblum's appearances in the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera production of The Music Man
staged at the theater.
Cultural District, Pittsburgh
The Cultural District is a fourteen-square block area in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA bordered by the Allegheny River on the north, Tenth Street on the east, Stanwix Street on the west, and Liberty Avenue on the south....
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. Originally built in 1928 as The Stanley Theatre, the former movie palace
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
was renovated and reopened as The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in 1987.
History
The Stanley Theatre, built at a cost of $3 million, opened as a deluxe movie palaceMovie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
February 27, 1928, and seats about 2,885 people (the original seating configuration was over 3,800). It was designed by the architectural firm Hoffman and Henon, who were most well known for their design and construction of 35 theaters in the Philadelphia area. The Stanley Theatre had the distinction of being the largest movie theater in Western Pennsylvania. Operated by the Stanley Warner Theater circuit division of Warner Brothers, it was Pittsburgh's main first run house for all Warner Brothers film releases.
In 1976, The Stanley was purchased and renovated by the Cinemette Corporation to be operated as a movie theater. In 1977, DiCesare Engler Productions bought the theater and presented live rock and roll concerts through 1984. The Grateful Dead performed two legendary shows at the Stanley, and reggae icon Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
performed his last live concert at the Stanley on September 23, 1980, before his death in 1981. Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
kicked off his Controversy Tour
Controversy Tour
The Controversy Tour was the third concert tour by Prince, in support of his fourth studio album Controversy. Also the tour included The Time as an opening act.-History:...
in 1981
1981 in music
See also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...
at the Stanley.
The Stanley Theater was named "Number One Auditorium in the U.S." by Billboard several times during the DiCesare-Engler years.
Restoration
On September 25, 1987, after a $43 million restoration was completed, the Stanley re-opened as the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. In converting the former movie palace into a full performing arts center, a new building including an extension to the stage and support facilities was built at the rear of the theater. The interior was largely preserved and restored to its original design, with the addition of a new acoustical baffle covering the original proscenium.The signature piece of the Benedum Center is the original main chandelier which weighs 4,700 pounds, is 20 feet high and 12 feet wide. It was restored in honor of the late H.J. Heinz II.
Today the Center is the home of the Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two opera companies in the city, the other being Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the...
, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is an American professional ballet company based in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.- History :...
, and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
who formerly were based at Heinz Hall, (the former Loew's Penn Theater) that had been restored by and is the current home of the Pittsburgh Symphony. The 3,800-seat Benedum Center is the crown jewel of the Cultural District and is one of the most utilized theaters in the nation today.
The Center has also hosted several PBS doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
television concert specials including Doo Wop 50
Doo Wop 50
Doo Wop 50 was a PBS pledge drive special created and produced for PBS member station WQED-TV by TJ Lubinsky, grandson of Herman Lubinsky...
. The TV game show Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
taped two weeks of shows at the theater in 1998. The Benedum Center was also featured prominently in the 2006 documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Pittsburgh directed by Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
. The film follows Goldblum's appearances in the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera production of The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
staged at the theater.