Surely there should be a HAL PRINCE THEATRE

I get that, it’s a shame that has to be a thought because my intention to highlight this was purely about legacy and what he gave the industry so it’s remembered.I just think it would make sense and wouldn’t cause any issue, maybe I’m wrong...

I know you mean on Broadway, but there is one! It's at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Pennsylvania's campus, his alma mater. :)

The Majestic Prince has a nice ring to it.

qolbinau said: "Maybe it’s implied but does Hogan actually agree with that position or is he just describing the current state of affairs? Because I do agree that the optics wouldn’t look good right now but that is a separate question to what should happen morally. "

I thought it was fairly obvious that I was describing the current state of affairs without wading into the substance, a decision I made to avoid the very systemic racism triggers that I sadly provoked anyway.

I don't think there's any problem with naming a theatre after Hal Prince - it's hard to argue with his immense legacy (and as others have pointed out, "The Prince" has a nice, classy ring to it).

As far as optics, I think the problem isn't with the act of naming a theatre after Prince - the problem (in this scenario) is a question of continuing a a tradition of imbalance: naming another theatre after a white man, without making an effort to consider more racially diverse candidates in addition to him. If, for example, we received a Prince theatre and a Hansberry theatre around the same time, I doubt there would be any significant outcry. That's just an example though - it's not like it has to be a strict 1-to-1 quota, it's just about making an effort to consider who might have been left out of the conversation, and acting accordingly.

Part of the problem, too, is that the history of theatre on Broadway has been overwhelmingly white. And a theatre isn't likely to be named after someone who has only been in the industry for 20-30 years. It feels like it has to be a big, lifetime achievement legacy recognition. And the problem is that there are comparatively few POC of Prince's generation who had the footholds to build a legacy on par with his. Many of our most iconic Black theatre artists are either (a) more recent/currently working - and therefor not ready for such a lifetime achievement recognition, (b) more known for their avant-garde Off-Broadway work, not so much for working on Broadway, or (c) were mostly known for 1 big play/musical, and not much else. And all of that is a testament to the way in which Broadway has been a poor nurturing ground for Black talent going back so many decades.

So ultimately, I think we do have a few good candidates of color to receive a theatre named after them - and I think they should get that honor. But in the grand scheme of things, it's probably not the most productive use of time and energy. It seems like it's better to focus on fostering meaningful change at the base level: nurturing a more equitable future and present - allowing space for more producers of color, more writers and directors of color, and possibly even more theatre owners of color (this one seems the most logistically unlikely in this current moment - but hey, we know the Nederlanders have been selling some of their houses this week, so fingers crossed lol!). Re-naming theatres is not an insignificant gesture, but at the end of the day, it's an empty one unless it's accompanied by actual change in the industry.

JBroadway,

Would this be the first time a theater was named after a director? I can't think of an example. If Prince really is the first, that alone might make it a good idea to name one after him.

joevitus said: "JBroadway,

Would this be the first time a theater was named after a director? I can't think of an example. If Prince really is the first, that alone might make it a good idea to name one after him."

The Helen Hayes was very briefly known as the Winthrop Ames Theatre back in the 60s (only about a year or so before it was renamed again). Ames was a theatre manager but had also directed several Broadway shows. But that's the only one I'm aware of (although there very well may be others).

I'm all for a Prince Theatre and I believe it will eventually come to fruition- I won't guess when though.

Hal has won more Tonys than any other individual, and he played major roles in his collaborations with other theatrical greats. A space dedicated to him would be the perfect testament to his lifelong artistry, skill and luck ("never underestimate luck".

In addition to paying tribute to a B'way legend, there is also a sense of regality in a name like the Prince, which can rarely be found elsewhere in the Theatre District- the Imperial, the Majestic, the former Royale... it would almost seem as if it were a sacred space.

goodlead said: "I wonder if we need two Broadway houses named after theater critics and one named after a theater cartoonist. Atkinson and especially Kerr were excellent critics, but surely those who create theater are more worthy. And while we're at it, let's find better names for theaters now named after Shubert executives."

I assume of course you mean the Schoenfeld and Jacobs. Someone else put it better in another thread awhile ago, but those two should not be overlooked. Putting it badly and broadly: they were primary driving forces in revitalizing Times Square and making Broadway the international hotspot that it is. They're luminaries of both Broadway's and NYC's history.



(On mobile, forgive me)

Broadway61004 said: "joevitus said: "JBroadway,

Would this be the first time a theater was named after a director? I can't think of an example. If Prince really is the first, that alone might make it a good idea to name one after him."

The Helen Hayes was very briefly known as the Winthrop Ames Theatre back in the 60s (only about a year or so before it was renamed again). Ames was a theatre manager but had also directed several Broadway shows. But that's the only one I'm aware of (although there very well may be others)."

Thank you! I wondered if there had ever been a Joshua Logan, would would kinda seem a natural (pre-Prince), and I looked up the list of Broadway theaters on Wikipedia, but there were a number where I wondered "Hmm...did this person also direct?"