Schubert Organization's Cort Theater on Broadway to be renamed after James Earl Jones
As The Associated Press reports, the Schubert Organization's Cort Theater on Broadway will be renamed after James Earl Jones, fulfilling a promise by the theater giant to honor a black performer.
According to a statement by Schuberts, the James Earl Jones Theater is renamed "in recognition of the immense lifetime contribution of Mr. Jones to Broadway and to the artistic community as a whole".
The move comes less than a year after a broad Broadway coalition of theater owners, producers, union leaders, creators and casting directors marked a series of reforms and commitments to ensure equity, diversity, inclusion and access for the theater industry. advances.
A requirement of the New Deal for Broadway is that at least one theater in the Schubert, Netherlander, and Jujamasin series is named after a black artist.
"To stand in this building 64 years ago at the start of my Broadway career, it would be inconceivable that my name would be on the building today," Jones, 91, said in a statement.
"Let my journey since then be an inspiration to all aspiring actors."
Jones has appeared in 21 Broadway productions, two of which are at the Cort Theatre. He is an Emmy-, Grammy-, Oscar- and Tony-winner with Stage Awards for Best Actor for The Great White Hope and Fence, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
The Cort Theater - at 138 W 48th St - is 110 years old and was built and named by John Cort, general manager of the Northwestern Theatrical Association, who died in 1929. There are 41 Broadway theaters—four designated for women and now two for black actors. - AP