The Ritz Theatre is an African-American oriented theatre in the LaVilla neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. The theater, which seats 426, is used for a variety of music, dance and theatrical productions, as well as movies. The spacious lobby is also used for private functions. Just off the lobby is the LaVilla Museum which holds
11,000 square feet (1,000m2) of exhibits. LaVilla is considered "the mecca for African American culture and heritage" in Florida.
History
The Ritz Theater was designed in the Art Deco style by local architect Jefferson Powell and constructed in 1929.
LaVilla had a thriving, vibrant culture from 1921 to 1971, when it was known as the "Harlem of the South". From the 1970s, the entertainment district of LaVilla went into decline and crime increased, but Mayor Ed Austin's River City Renaissance plan included $4.2 million to renovate the theatre and museum. The groundbreaking for the project was in 1998, and the pair were reopened on September 30, 1999. The sign and northwest corner are all that remain of the original building.
The Ritz Theatre is an active live producing non-profit theatre located in Haddon Township, Camden County, New Jersey, United States. It is home to The Ritz Theatre Company (formerly Puttin' on the Ritz, Inc.) The company produces mainstage plays and musicals, children's theater, runs a summer theatre arts day camp and reaches out to its community with educational and entertaining programming.
History
The Ritz Theatre, built in a Colonial Revival, opened in September 1927 as a vaudeville theatre and quickly became the focal point of the community. . The architecture is Greek Revival with the auditorium walls featuring 25-foot high neo-classical canvas murals with gilt trimmed columns and velvet draped balconies enclosed by classic carved balustrades.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Ritz was known for its fine art and foreign film showings, drawing audiences from Philadelphia and the Southern New Jersey regions. In the 1970s, the Ritz then became an adult movie theater.
The theatre closed until 1985, when the Ritz returned to live theatre when Puttin’ on the Ritz, Inc., a production company led by Producing Artistic Director Bruce A. Curless, took over.
The Ritz Theatre in Elizabeth, New Jersey is a performing arts center. The Ritz was built on the site of the 1865 Drake Opera House/People’s Theatre/Star Theatre/ Jacob’s Theatre/Proctor’s Theatre. The theatre was purchased in 1925 by Jacob Fabian, who hired architect Fred Wesley Wentworth to design the Ritz Theatre on the site, which opened on March 9, 1926 with 2,791 seats. By 1941 it was operated by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. While there were performances through the 1970s, by the by 1980s it was threatened with demolition. In 1989 it was purchased local philanthropists who set out to restore the theatre but ran out of funding. In 1994 purchased by George Castro, who has restored it to its 1920s grand appearance. It is a contributing property to the Mid-Town Historic District.
...Ritz Museum ... The Ritz Museum celebrates Jacksonville's Black history through a permanent exhibition, "Lift Ev'ry Voice," and a rotating series of visiting shows ... Capacity is 1,800.The Ritz Theatre.
Unfortunately, none of them are in the Jacksonville area ... The Ritz Museum celebrates Jacksonville's Black history through a permanent exhibition, "Lift Ev'ry Voice," and a rotating series of visiting shows ... Capacity is 1,800.The Ritz Theatre.
Juneteenth celebrations take center stage around the Jacksonville area this weekend, with celebrations planned from downtown to St ...There are a number of celebrations planned in the Jacksonville area ... Saturday at the RitzTheatre.
April 5-7 at Seawalk Pavilion, Jacksonville Beach ... springingtheblues.com Jacksonville Symphony opera ... April 27 at the RitzTheatre ... April 19-May 5 at Theatre Jacksonville ... Friday, April 12, at the Ritz Theatre ... Saturday, April 20, at the Ritz Theatre.
For the shortest month of the year (even with an extra day in '24), there sure are a lot of things going on in February in the Jacksonville area ... 2 at TerryConcert Hall, Jacksonville University ... 24 at the RitzTheatre & Museum, $25.
For the first time since 2017, Jacksonville city and civil rights leaders honored the Rev ... The city must be "united against hate in all its forms," Deegan said, to preserve the "beautiful mosaic that is Jacksonville ... The RitzTheatre and Museum, 829 N.
17 through February at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens... 2-3 at the RitzTheatre ... 20 at the Florida Theatre ... 9, at the Ritz Theatre ... Jacksonville’s own Ritz Voices bring gospel and soul to holiday favorites ... 10 at the Ritz Theatre ... 16 at the Ritz Theatre.
Some months, it's nearly impossible to find a hundred fun things to do around Jacksonville... Jacksonville's favorite band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, plays two shows in St ... 6, at the RitzTheatre ... 20, at the Ritz Theatre ... 21 at the Ritz Theatre.
