# Gramercy Theatre > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gramercy_Theatre > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gramercy_Theatre.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramercy_Theatre > Source revision: 1352059995 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Music venue in Manhattan, New York This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Gramercy Theatre" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Gramercy Theatre Interactive map of Gramercy Theatre Former names Gramercy Park Theatre Blender Theatre Address 127 E. 23rd St. Location New York City Coordinates 40°44′23″N 73°59′06″W / 40.739753°N 73.985001°W / 40.739753; -73.985001 Owner Live Nation Entertainment Capacity 650 Type Theatre Construction Built 1937 Website www.thegramercytheatre.com The **Gramercy Theatre** is a music venue in [New York City](/source/New_York_City). It is located in the [Gramercy](/source/Gramercy%2C_Manhattan) neighborhood of [Manhattan](/source/Manhattan), on 127 East [23rd Street](/source/23rd_Street_(Manhattan)). Built in 1937 as the Gramercy Park Theatre, it is owned and operated by [Live Nation](/source/Live_Nation) as one of their two concert halls in New York City, the other being the nearby [Irving Plaza](/source/Irving_Plaza).[1] ## History Built in 1937 and designed by architect Charles A. Sandblom in the [Streamline Moderne](/source/Streamline_Moderne) style, the theater is located at 127 E. 23rd St in the historic [Gramercy](/source/Gramercy_Park) neighborhood. It was originally known as the Gramercy Park Theatre to avoid confusion with the existing Gramercy Theatre at 310 First Avenue, which had 521 seats. After the old Gramercy Theatre succumbed to TV competition in the early 1950s, the newer theater dropped "Park" from its name. In the 1950s, the theater was purchased by Cinema V, an art-film presentation and distribution company. The theater was considered an "art house" due to eclectic programming, its unconventional policy of barring admittance near the end of a film, and coffee served in the waiting area. Cinema V was descended from [Rugoff & Becker](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rugoff_%26_Becker&action=edit&redlink=1) theaters, a chain started in 1921 by Don Rugoff's father. Rugoff gained control of the company in 1957 and expanded the chain, adding several venues including the Gramercy Theatre. Some of the programming that *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* lists in the 50s for the Gramercy Theatre switched from single bookings to double features, a novel approach for the time. There were a mix of foreign, sub-run mainstream, Disney films, and revivals. In the early 1970s, the Theatre was a dollar-theater, showing third run movies. In the late 1970s it showed second-run films such as *The Spy Who Loved Me*, *New York, New York*, *3 Women*, and *Outrageous!*.In the early 1980s, still under Cinema V, the theater showcased first-run movies. Cinema V changed to City Cinemas in the late 1980s, and did record breaking business until Cineplex Odeon opened the nine-screen Chelsea Cinemas and large audiences disappeared from Gramercy. In 1992, City Cinemas closed the theater after using it briefly as a [Hollywood classics](/source/Classical_Hollywood_cinema) revival house. In 1995, Amit Govil, a [real estate](/source/Real_estate) investor, revived the theater into the only [movie house](/source/Movie_theatre) in the five boroughs to exclusively feature films made in [India](/source/India).[2] Immediately before that, it was the home of an anti-drug agency. It was also used around this time as the location shoot for [The Fugees](/source/The_Fugees) video "[Killing Me Softly](/source/Killing_Me_Softly_with_His_Song)".[3] In 1998, the theater was renovated into a 499-seat playhouse to present [Off Broadway](/source/Off_Broadway) theatrical productions, the largest in the city. In 1999, the [Roundabout Theater Company](/source/Roundabout_Theater_Company) premiered plays by contemporary writers such as [Brian Friel](/source/Brian_Friel), [Paula Vogel](/source/Paula_Vogel), [Beth Henley](/source/Beth_Henley), and [Harold Pinter](/source/Harold_Pinter). Performances included Charles Randolph-Wright's play with music, *Blue* starring [Phylicia Rashad](/source/Phylicia_Rashad); Martin McDonagh's *A Skull in Connemara*; *Speaking in Tongues* with [Karen Allen](/source/Karen_Allen); and [Richard Greenberg](/source/Richard_Greenberg)'s *The Dazzle*.[4] In 2002, Roundabout presented its final offering, *All Over* by [Edward Albee](/source/Edward_Albee), before closing in September. Soon after, in 2002, the [Museum of Modern Art](/source/Museum_of_Modern_Art) used the theater as a temporary film-house, while its location on 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan was remodeled. From 2002 to 2004, the theater was simultaneously used as a film-house and an Off-Broadway playhouse. In 2004, the theater was shut down after its last production of [Lee Summers](/source/Lee_Summers)'s *From My Hometown*, which ran from April 12 to July 12, 2004. MoMA stopped using it as a cinema in April 2004. In 2006, [Live Nation](/source/Live_Nation) bought the space with the intention of turning it into an intimate [concert](/source/Concert) venue. The first performance under Live Nation was [Stellastarr](/source/Stellastarr) on March 7, 2007. On April 26, 2007, *[Blender](/source/Blender_(magazine))* magazine became an official namesake sponsor and the venue was renamed the Blender Theater at Gramercy (note: "Theatre" was officially changed to "Theater" for the sponsorship). After two years, the name changed back to the Gramercy Theatre without a sponsorship in the name. ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Aretha_1-0)** Daniels, Karu F. (March 19, 2021). ["Aretha Franklin honored with nationwide 'All Hail The Queen' marquee takeover at iconic venues to celebrate 'Genius' series"](https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-aretha-franklin-national-geographic-genius-theater-marquee-cynthia-erivo-20210319-jikstsqe5jfvxi7ixfrka6pcfq-story.html). *[New York Daily News](/source/New_York_Daily_News)*. Retrieved June 4, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Paris_2-0)** Williams, Monte (July 30, 1995). ["'Forget Paris' Is Forgotten, as a Theater Goes Indian"](https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/30/nyregion/neighborhood-report-gramercy-park-forget-paris-forgotten-theater-goes-indian.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved June 4, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Blender_3-0)** ["Gramercy Theatre losing the "Blender"?"](https://www.brooklynvegan.com/gramercy-theatr-2/). *[BrooklynVegan](/source/BrooklynVegan)*. March 9, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Roundabout_4-0)** McGrath, Sean (April 1, 1999). ["Roundabout's Two-Show Season at Gramercy Taking Shape"](https://www.playbill.com/article/roundabouts-two-show-season-at-gramercy-taking-shape-com-80997). *[Playbill](/source/Playbill)*. Retrieved June 4, 2021. ## External links - [Official website](http://thegramercytheatre.com) - [Gramercy Theater](http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=theater&id=251) at [Internet Off-Broadway Database](/source/Internet_Off-Broadway_Database) - [Cinema Treasures](http://cinematreasures.org/theater/6113/) v t e East Side of Manhattan (14th–34th Streets, east of Fifth Ave) Manhattan, New York City Buildings 14th–23rd Sts 15 Union Square West 18 Gramercy Park 30 East 29th Street 44 Union Square 91-93 Fifth Avenue 121 East 22nd 225 Park Avenue South 326, 328, and 330 East 18th Street 889 Broadway 935–939 Broadway Bank of the Metropolis Century Building Church Missions House Consolidated Edison Building Decker Building East River Generating Station Everett Building Flatiron Building Lincoln Building Madison Square Park Tower One Madison Samuel J. Tilden House Scheffel Hall Scribner Building Society for the Lying-In Hospital Spingler Building Stuyvesant Apartments The St. George Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site United Charities Building Zeckendorf Towers 23rd–34th Sts 2 Park Avenue 3 Park Avenue 4 Park Avenue 29 East 32nd Street 69th Regiment Armory 203 East 29th Street 207 East 32nd Street 217 East 28th Street 223 East 25th Street 277 Fifth Avenue 400 First Avenue Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State Carmel Place CBS 30th Street Studio Chester A. Arthur Home Demarest Building East Midtown Plaza Emmet Building The Grand Madison Kips Bay Court Kips Bay Towers Madison Belmont Building Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower Metropolitan Life North Building New York Life Building New York Merchandise Mart New York School of Applied Design for Women Straus Houses United States Post Office Waterside Plaza Former and unbuilt Convocation Tower Jerome Mansion Madison Square Presbyterian Church (1854) Madison Square Presbyterian Church (1906) River Walk St. Leo Church Culture Shops, restaurants, nightlife 15 East ABC Kitchen ABCV Atoboy Atomix Casa Mono The Clocktower Coqodaq Cosme Eleven Madison Park Gramercy Tavern Jua Kanyakumari Laut Lysée Okdongsik Old Town Bar and Restaurant Pete's Tavern Rezdôra Second Avenue Deli Union Square Cafe Upland Wolfgang's Steakhouse Theaters, galleries, art venues Asylum NYC Daryl Roth Theatre Fotografiska New York Gramercy Theatre Holographic Studios Irving Plaza Peoples Improv Theater Swann Galleries Vineyard Theatre Hotels George Washington Hotel Gramercy Park Hotel Hotel Deauville Hotel Giraffe Hotel Kenmore Hall Hotel Le Marquis Hotel Seville NoMad Martha Washington Hotel The Roger Hotel W New York Union Square Clubs Colony Club National Arts Club The Players Former Benno The Coffee Shop Con Edison Energy Museum The Cutting Room Devi Fleur de Sel Jazz Standard Juni Pure Food and Wine Veritas The Water Club Green spaces Asser Levy Recreation Center Bellevue South Park Gramercy Park Murphy Brothers Playground Stuyvesant Cove Park Stuyvesant Square Vincent F. Albano Jr. Playground Education Primary and secondary education 47 The American Sign Language and English Secondary School Aaron School Baruch College Campus High School British International School of New York The Clinton School The École Friends Seminary Institute for Collaborative Education Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School Manhattan Trade School for Girls PS 116 Salk School of Science School of the Future United Nations International School Washington Irving Campus Higher education Baruch College William and Anita Newman Library High School for Health Professions and Human Services Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing New York University College of Dentistry Norman Thomas High School Religion Calvary Church Chapel of Free Grace Church of the Epiphany Church of Our Lady of the Scapular of Mount Carmel Church of Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church of the Transfiguration, Episcopal Congregation Talmud Torah Adereth El First Zen Institute of America Madison Avenue Baptist Church St. George's Episcopal Church St. Illuminator's Armenian Apostolic Cathedral St. Sebastian Church Health Bellevue Hospital R & S Building New York Eye and Ear Infirmary NYU Langone Medical Center Enid A. Haupt Glass Garden Hassenfeld Children's Hospital New York University Grossman School of Medicine Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine Willard Parker Hospital Transportation Subway stations First Avenue Third Avenue 14th Street–Union Square 23rd Street (Broadway) 23rd Street–Baruch College (Park Avenue South) 28th Street 33rd Street Other transport East 34th Street Ferry Landing East 34th Street Heliport Midtown Skyport New York Skyports Seaplane Base Streets Avenue C FDR Drive Lexington Avenue Park Avenue South First Avenue Second Avenue Third Avenue 14th Street 23rd Street 34th Street Related topics East 17th Street/Irving Place Historic District Gramercy Park Kips Bay Stuyvesant Square Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village See also: Manhattan Community Board 6 v t e Live Nation Entertainment Divisions Live Nation Ticketmaster Subsidiaries Academy Music Group (51%) BigChampagne C3 Presents (majority stake) DF Concerts (part owner) Festival Republic (majority owner) Gods of Metal Hard Events MAMA & Company (joint venture) Ones to Watch Festivals Boomtown (18%) Bospop Calling Festival Camp Bestival Copenhell Creamfields Download The Great Escape HoagieNation I Love Techno Isle of Wight Festival Jamboree in the Hills Latitude Lollapalooza Loud Park Lowlands Lytham Festival Made in America Festival Main Square Festival (75%) MixTape Music Midtown North Sea Jazz Paradiso (partnership) Parklife The Peach Music Festival Pinkpop Festival Pukkelpop Rock Werchter Sasquatch! (partnership) Squamish (50%) Summer Sonic TRNSMT Voodoo Watershed Way Out West When We Were Young House of Blues clubs and theatres The Louisville Palace Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre Saint Andrew's Hall (Detroit) Theatre of Living Arts Tower Theater Other venues 3Arena (Dublin) Belasco Theater (Los Angeles) Blossom Music Center Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park Fillmore Auditorium FivePoint Amphitheatre Freedom Mortgage Pavilion Germania Insurance Amphitheater Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre (Maryland Heights, Missouri) Jamboree in the Hills Festival Site Jiffy Lube Live Leader Bank Pavilion North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre Northwell at Jones Beach Theater Oak Mountain Amphitheatre PNC Bank Arts Center Regent Theatre (Los Angeles) Rogers Stadium Ruoff Music Center Toyota Amphitheatre Truliant Amphitheater Xfinity Center Related United States v. Live Nation Entertainment v t e Off-Broadway theatres Active 47th Street Theatre 59E59 Theaters 777 Theatre Abrons Arts Center The Actors' Temple Astor Place Theatre Asylum NYC Baryshnikov Arts Center Cherry Lane Theatre Claire Tow Theater Daryl Roth Theatre The Duke on 42nd Street East 13th Street/CSC Theatre Elektra Theatre Gramercy Arts Theatre Gym at Judson Irish Repertory Theatre John Cullum Theatre Laura Pels Theatre Linda Gross Theater Lucille Lortel Theatre Lynn Redgrave Theater Manhattan Movement & Arts Center Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater McGinn/Cazale Theater Minetta Lane Theatre Mint Theater Company Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater Naked Angels New York City Center-Stages I & II New York Theatre Workshop New Victory Theater New World Stages Orpheum Theatre Pershing Square Signature Center The Players Theatre Playwrights Horizons The Public Theater Joseph Papp Public Theater St. Luke's Theatre SoHo Playhouse Stage 42 The Theater Center Theatre at St. Clement's Theatre Row Building Tony Kiser Theater Triad Theater Vineyard Theatre Westside Theatre York Theatre Defunct or repurposed The American Place Theatre Barrow Street Theatre Bouwerie Lane Theatre Circle in the Square Downtown Davenport Theatre East 74th Street Theater Gate Theatre Gramercy Theatre Jane Street Theatre Julia Miles Theater Lamb's Theatre Manhattan Ensemble Theater New Theatre Pearl Theatre Company Sheridan Square Playhouse Theatre 80 Union Square Theatre Village East by Angelika Authority control databases: Geographic MusicBrainz place --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gramercy Theatre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramercy_Theatre) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramercy_Theatre?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.