Upon the Dec. 1 launch of its beta version, the Playbill Vault includes information on over 10,000 shows and 120,000 actors, creative teams and crew members who have worked or are currently working on Broadway, with content being added on a daily basis.
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Many of Broadway's great playhouses bear the names of giants in the industry: Composers like Stephen Sondheim and George Gershwin, playwrights like August Wilson, stars like Helen Hayes, producers like Bernard B. Jacobs, critics like Walter Kerr, artists like Al Hirschfeld, and even one publicist, Samuel J. Friedman. But all those theatres had different names when they were built. Visit the "Theatres" section of the Playbill Vault to see their original names.
Continue to page 2 for the answer.
ANSWER:
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre opened as the Martin Beck
The August Wilson Theatre opened as the Guild Theatre
The Helen Hayes Theatre opened as the Little Theatre
The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre opened as the Royale Theatre
The Walter Kerr Theatre opened as the Ritz Theatre
The George Gershwin Theatre opened as the Uris Theatre
The Stephen Sondheim Theatre opened as Henry Miller's Theatre
The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre opened as the Biltmore Theatre