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It explains why theaters became overbuilt, under-equipped, and mechanically inefficient, and how landlord incentives discouraged improvements. The essay then contrasts this collapse with the rise of community centers, schools, and non-commercial theater producers, requiring planning for different audiences and educational purposes.",{"@graph":63,"@context":118},[64,80,101],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":11,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/presentations/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/basic-theater-planning-volume-lvii-ithe-old-tenant/565000/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/basic-theater-planning-volume-lvii-ithe-old-tenant/565000.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"dhado","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-20","2026-10-12",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":76},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",{"@type":102,"mainEntity":103},"FAQPage",[104,110,114],{"name":105,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":107},"How did real estate speculation shape American commercial theater planning?","Question",{"text":108,"@type":109},"Successful theaters were dictated by landlords seeking maximum land value returns, driving rent terms that forced tenants out quickly if receipts fell below a set level.","Answer",{"name":111,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What architectural and operational features characterized the overbuilt commercial theaters?",{"text":113,"@type":109},"Stage space and lighting/scene-shifting equipment were minimized, lobbies were inadequate, and audiences faced uncomfortable conditions such as narrow aisles and poor sight lines.",{"name":115,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why did non-commercial theater producers increase as speculative commercial theaters collapsed?",{"text":117,"@type":109},"Community centers, universities, colleges, schools, and local art theaters gained funding to build theaters for themselves, creating growing needs for new play-giving programs and performances.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":120,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":122,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":124,"site_id":56},565000,1792382626,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":127},{"doc_id":124,"user_id":128,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":9,"category_id":8,"category_name":11,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":76,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":135,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":141},5909893218464,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","VOLUME LVII  \n# BASIC THEATER PLANNING\n\nBY  \nLEE SIMONSON  \n## I.THE OLD TENANT\n\n个HE typical American theater plan,like manyI other type plans in this country,has beendictated by the real estate speculator.Until the lastfew years,a successful theater could yield a land-lord profits greater than any other form of realestate investment.The tenant,the producer of aplay,agreed to pay 40 per cent of his gross boxoffice receipts as rent and to vacate the premiseswithin two weeks whenever this 40 per cent fellbelow a stipulated figure,usually $5,000 per week.This process of dispossessing tenants kept up untilthe theater housed a \"hit,\"and a hit could averageanywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 a week,or over,and run for a year or more.  \nBut even on the 60 per cent left by the theaterlandlord,the producer might make a fortune run-ning to half a million dollars from a New York hitand two or three companies on\"the road\"re-producing it throughout the United States.Hehad no commitments beyond the cost of settings,costumes and dress rehearsals,and a guarantee oftwo weeks'salary to his cast who rehearsed fourweeks free.This original investment might runanywhere from $10,000 to $50,000.But with thepossibility of making anything up to 1,000 percent profit,it was easy to raise money to back a\"show\"or to build a theater.Competition forspeculative profits led to rival chains of theatersin every large city outside of New York City aswell as in New York City itself  \nTheaters were accordingly overbuilt on plotswhose cost,both in site value and taxes,wassteadily driven higher by competition for desirablelocations in congested centers.As in the case of  \nevery other type of building designed to get maxi-mum returns from inflated land values,theaters didso at the expense of their tenants.They representeda maximum of extravagance on inessentials,facade,trimmings,ornament and gilt gewgaws of all sorts,intended to impress temporary tenants and com-pensate them for unsound planning.The total plotwas invariably too small in the first place.Thestage space was reduced to a minimum,too shallowto set scenery,shift it or light it without a maximumwaste of time and labor.A minimum of lightingand scene shifting equipment was provided.Thelandlord was selling site value;his calculations werebased entirely on getting the maximum number ofseats and a minimum stage on the smallest piece ofexpensive real estate that would hold them.Buteven so,audiences were made as uncomfortable aspossible by narrow aisles,bad sight lines and lobbyspace so inadequate that during an intermissionthey usually found themselves on the street.Anyattempts to improve theaters either architecturallyor mechanically were met by the invariable answerof a landlord profiting by urban congestion:If thetenants did not like it,they could go elsewhere.Why should he pay for more space and unnecessaryimprovements?If the play were a failure,the audi-ences did not come;if a hit,they were glad to geteven the bad seats.If a producer had a hit,he couldeasily afford extra stage hands.If he had a failure,his extra expenses ended in two weeks anyway.Why should the landlord worry?It was a great busi-ness for anyone who knew how to play the game.  \nThis type of theater has collapsed with everyother form of speculative real estate based on in-  \nflated land values and high rentals.In New Yorkmost theaters cannot earn their carrying charges.This deflation is not primarily due to the presentdepression,which has merely administered a coupde grace.The sure-fire popular appeal,the bigmoney and the easy money have been drained offinto the movies.The movies have also reduced the  \n个HE demand for new theaters has not stopped.I It comes from a new source:community centers,universities,colleges,schools and high schools,andlocal \"art\"theaters scattered throughout thecountry.And in increasing numbers they commandthe funds necessary to build theaters for themselves.This non-commercial theater is underbuilt;its needsare growing and","cbCaigK0f7G44qaZ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaigK0f7G44qaZ","pdf",49159836,112,"English","# BASIC THEATER PLANNING\n## I.THE OLD TENANT","[{\"question\":\"How did real estate speculation shape American commercial theater planning?\",\"answer\":\"Successful theaters were dictated by landlords seeking maximum land value returns, driving rent terms that forced tenants out quickly if receipts fell below a set level.\"},{\"question\":\"What architectural and operational features characterized the overbuilt commercial theaters?\",\"answer\":\"Stage space and lighting/scene-shifting equipment were minimized, lobbies were inadequate, and audiences faced uncomfortable conditions such as narrow aisles and poor sight lines.\"},{\"question\":\"Why did non-commercial theater producers increase as speculative commercial theaters collapsed?\",\"answer\":\"Community centers, universities, colleges, schools, and local art theaters gained funding to build theaters for themselves, creating growing needs for new play-giving programs and performances.\"}]","BASIC THEATER PLANNING - VOLUME LVII - I.THE OLD TENANT | PDF",1791845654,39]