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Nederlander Organization

The Nederlander Organization, founded in 1912 by David T. Nederlander in Detroit, and currently based in New York City, is one of the largest operators of live theaters and music venues in the United States. Its first acquisition was a lease on the Detroit Opera House in 1912. The building was demolished in 1928. It later operated the Shubert Lafayette Theatre[1] until its demolition in 1964 and the Riviera Theatre, both in Detroit. Since then, the organization has grown to include nine Broadway theaters, making it the second-largest owner of Broadway theaters after the Shubert Organization, and a number of theaters across the United States, including five large theaters in Chicago, plus three West End theatres in London.

Current venues

Broadway theatres

  • Gershwin Theatre
  • Lena Horne Theatre
  • Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
  • Marquis Theatre
  • Minskoff Theatre
  • Nederlander Theatre
  • Palace Theatre
  • Richard Rodgers Theatre
  • Neil Simon Theatre

West End theatres

  • Adelphi Theatre (co-owned with Andrew Lloyd Webber's LW Theatres)
  • Aldwych Theatre
  • Dominion Theatre

Chicago theatres

  • Auditorium Theatre (booking rights; owned by Roosevelt University)
  • Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
  • Cadillac Palace Theatre
  • CIBC Theatre
  • Nederlander Theatre

Other US venues

  • Centennial Hall – under contract with the University of Arizona, Tucson
  • The Grove of Anaheim – Anaheim, California
  • Pantages Theatre – Los Angeles
  • Balboa Theatre – San Diego
  • Civic Theatre – San Diego
  • San Jose Center for the Performing Arts – San Jose, California
  • San Jose Civic Auditorium – San Jose, California
  • Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, California
  • Durham Performing Arts Center – Durham, North Carolina
  • Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts – Greensboro, North Carolina
  • North Charleston Performing Arts Center – North Charleston, South Carolina[2]
  • Heritage Bank Center – Cincinnati, Ohio and its tenant, the Cincinnati Cyclones Professional Ice Hockey Team
  • National Theatre – Washington, DC under contract with The National Theatre
  • West Harbor Amphitheater Los Angeles—under development as of 2023.[3]

Former venues

Former Broadway theatres

  • Biltmore Theatre (sold)[4]
  • Henry Miller's Theatre (sold)[5]
  • Mark Hellinger Theatre (sold)[6]
  • New Amsterdam Theatre (sold)[7]

Other former venues

  • Alpine Valley Music Theatre – East Troy, Wisconsin (sold)
  • Arie Crown Theater – Chicago (1977–1986; contract ended)[8][9]
  • Arrowhead Pond – Anaheim, California 1994–2004[10](management contract ended)[11]
  • Birmingham Theatre – Birmingham, Michigan (1979-1994; contract ended; reverted to cinema)[12]
  • Bogart's – Cincinnati (sold)
  • Concord Pavilion – Concord, California (management contract ended)
  • Curran Theatre – San Francisco (sold in 2010)[13]
  • Masonic Theatre – Detroit (management contract ended)
  • Detroit Opera House – Detroit; owned and operated by Michigan Opera Theatre (interest sold in April 2021)
  • Fisher Theatre – Detroit (sold in April 2021)[14]
  • Fox Tucson Theatre – Tucson, Arizona (changed venues)
  • Fox Theatre – San Diego (management contract ended)
  • Golden Gate Theatre – San Francisco (sold in April 2021)[15]
  • Grand Riviera Theater – Detroit (closed 1974; demolished 1999)[16]
  • Greek Theatre – Los Angeles (1975-2015; contract ended)[17]
  • New World Music Theater – Tinley Park, Illinois (sold)
  • McVickers Theatre – Chicago
  • Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, Maryland (sold)
  • Morris A. Mechanic Theatre – Baltimore (closed)
  • National Theatre – Washington, D.C. (1970–1982)[18]
  • Orpheum Theatre – San Francisco (sold in April 2021)[15]
  • Palace West – Phoenix
  • Pacific Amphitheatre – Costa Mesa, California (management contract sold)[19]
  • Pine Knob Music Theatre – Clarkston, Michigan (sold in 1990)[20]
  • Poplar Creek Music Theater – Hoffman Estates, Illinois (sold and demolished 1994-1995)[21]
  • Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati (booking only, 1984–1999; sold)[22]
  • Fox Performing Arts Center – Riverside, California (contract ended)[23]
  • Shubert Lafayette Theatre – Detroit (demolished 1964)[24]
  • Studebaker Theatre – Chicago[25][26]
  • Target Center – Minneapolis (co-managed 2004–2007)
  • Taft Theatre – Cincinnati (sold)
  • Tucson Music Hall – Tucson (management contract ended)
  • Wang Theatre – Boston (1982–1984; contract ended)[27]
  • Wilshire Theatre – Beverly Hills, California (1981–1989; contract ended).[28]

Broadway Direct

In 2011, the Nederlander Organization launched Broadway Direct. Broadway Direct is a ticketing platform for a range of New York based shows. They also publish Broadway news.[29]

Subscription series

  • Best of Broadway (North Charleston)
  • Broadway In Chicago
  • Broadway In Detroit
  • Broadway Los Angeles (formerly Los Angeles Civic Light Opera)[30]
  • Broadway San Diego (formerly San Diego Playgoers)
  • Broadway in Tucson
  • Truist Broadway (Durham, North Carolina)

Legal actions

In 1993, the Orange County Fair Board purchased the remaining 30 years of Nederlander's 40-year lease on the Pacific Amphitheatre for $12.5 million. The board filed suit against Nederlander in 1995 maintaining that the organization placed restrictive sound covenants in the sale contract that made the venue unusable and therefore eliminated it from competing with the nearby Greek Theatre and Arrowhead Pond.[31]

In January 2014, Nederlander settled a suit with the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York City over violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under the consent decree, Nederlander agreed to make alterations within three-years to nine of its theatres in New York to make them more accessible and pay a $45,000 penalty. The case was one in a series filed by the U.S. Attorney against a number of public venues in the city.[32]

Gallery

See also

  • SHN (theatres)

External links

References

  1. George Belunda. The Shubert Theatre Hour Detroit, September 2009, retrieved 2010-04-12^
  2. Dottie Ashley. Broadway Nights to present five plays The Post and Courier, 18 July 2004, retrieved 2013-11-24^
  3. Annlee Ellingson. New Nederlander-operated amphitheater on L.A. Waterfront launches environmental review L.A. Business First, May 2, 2022, retrieved February 28, 2023^
  4. Lisa W. Foderaro. 43-Story Hotel Planned Over Shuttered Biltmore Theater The New York Times, 18 April 1997, retrieved 2015-11-18^
  5. Bryan Krefft, Brian Wilson. Henry Miller's Theatre Cinema Treasures, retrieved 2013-08-01^
  6. Glenn Collins. Hellinger Theater Sold To Church The New York Times, December 7, 1991, retrieved December 16, 2021^
  7. David W. Dunlap. State Acquires Landmark Theater To Salvage While It Still Can The New York Times, 1992-09-10, retrieved 2021-12-16^
  8. Aaron Gold. Tower Ticker Chicago Tribune, August 19, 1977, retrieved 2013-08-01^
  9. Sid Smith. 'Visionary' Programmer Bets He Can Fill Up Those Seats Chicago Tribune, 31 August 1986, retrieved 2013-08-01^
  10. Mike Boehm. Nederlander Makes Inside Move, to Anaheim Arena Los Angeles Times, 27 January 1994, retrieved 2014-01-31^
  11. Kimi Yoshino. The Pond Has Its Ducks in a Row Los Angeles Times, 10 November 2003, retrieved 2014-01-31^
  12. Kenneth Jones. Harry Nederlander, Scion of Theatre Family and Birmingham Theatre Producer, Dead at 84 Playbill, January 7, 2002, retrieved February 23, 2026^
  13. Lily Janiak. San Francisco Giants buy historic Curran Theatre San Francisco Chronicle, December 18, 2025, retrieved February 12, 2026^
  14. Suzanne Chessler. The Nederlander Company Sells the Fisher Theatre to U.K. Theater Group The Detroit Jewish News, April 15, 2021, retrieved 2021-09-23^
  15. Robert Sokol. U.K. conglomerate acquires Golden Gate, Orpheum theaters San Francisco Examiner, March 23, 2021, retrieved February 23, 2026^
  16. Mike Hume. Riviera Theatre Atmospheric Theatres, retrieved 2023-02-28^
  17. Theis Duelund. A Complete Timeline of the Greek Theatre Controversy Los Angeles, April 15, 2025, retrieved February 23, 2026^
  18. Michiko Kakutani. The Broadway Battle Flares in Washington The New York Times, 21 September 1980, retrieved 2013-08-30^
  19. Kevin Johnson. Deal Could End Rock at Pacific Amphitheatre Los Angeles Times, May 7, 1993, retrieved February 28, 2023^
  20. Gary Graff. This Iconic Detroit Theater Is Returning to Its Original Name for 50th Anniversary Billboard, January 14, 2022, retrieved February 28, 2023^
  21. Michael Martinez, Larry Hartstein. Day The Music Died Chicago Tribune, July 6, 1995, retrieved February 28, 2023^
  22. Gang behind the gigs The Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 September 1998, retrieved 2013-08-30^
  23. Alicia Robinson. RIVERSIDE: New Fox theater team gets good reviews The Press-Enterprise, 20 July 2014, retrieved 2015-11-24^
  24. Dan Austin. Shubert-Lafayette Theatre Historic Detroit, retrieved 2023-02-28^
  25. Louis Calta. Nederlander Family Adds Alvin to Its Holings The New York Times, 26 November 1975, retrieved 2013-08-30^
  26. Arnold Schwartz. Fine Arts Building Chicago Tribune, 23 March 1963, retrieved 2013-08-30^
  27. Catherine Foster. Transforming the Wang Center from pauper to Prince Charming The Christian Science Monitor, 24 May 1984, retrieved 2013-08-01^
  28. Sylvie Drake. Why the Nederlanders Are Out at Wilshire Los Angeles Times, 28 September 1989, retrieved 2013-08-30^
  29. About Us The Nederlander Organization, retrieved 2026-02-23^
  30. Don Shirley. New Image for Civic Light Opera Los Angeles Times, 16 June 1996, retrieved 2013-08-01^
  31. Thao Hua. Verdict Yields to Settlement Over County Concert Site Los Angeles Times, 9 June 1998, retrieved 2014-01-31^
  32. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Files And Simultaneously Settles Lawsuit Against Nederlander Organization Covering Nine Of Broadway'S Most Historic Theaters US Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, 29 January 2014, retrieved 2014-01-14^