Miami Theatre History At Jerry Herman Ring Theatre

EARLY HISTORY OF MIAMI 'S THEATRE ROOTS ON VIEW AT THE RING

The University of Miami was founded and then nearly shut down by a catastrophic hurricane in 1926. That pivotal year also witnessed the founding of South Florida 's first permanent theatre group — the Miami Civic Theatre. It was the relationship between these two fledgling institutions that helped establish theatre in Miami.

            In celebration of the recent 80th Anniversary of these milestones, the University of Miami's Department of Theatre Arts and the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre will present "The Dramatic Birth of Theatre in South Florida," a display of historical memorabilia from the early era of Miami 's theatre history. This special exhibit will be launched on April 18, the opening night of the Ring's staging of On the Town, and will be on view before and after performances and during intermissions through April 28.

            The display was prompted in large part by a donation of press clippings and playbills from the early days of the university and the Civic Theatre by UM alumnus Alan Cross, Jr., whose father, J. Alan Cross, was a performer with the Civic Theatre and was also in one of the university's first graduating classes. Joining this effort, the University Library's Office of Special Collections added contributions from its own collection which enrich the overall display.

            Early History: Shortly after the university opened, representatives of the Civic Theatre approached the university's board of trustees with a proposal — the two groups would hire and share a theatre director and professor with each contributing half of the $6,000 a year salary. In September 1926, Howard Southgate from Carnegie Institute was hired to assume the dual roles of Civic Theatre Director and University of Miami professor of theatre. By November, Southgate staged three one-act plays in a university auditorium featuring actors from the Civic Theatre. In January 1927, the first full-length play, the Civic Theatre's production James Barrie's Dear Brutus was staged on campus.

            One of the more prominent alumni of the Civic Theatre was Joseph Cotten, who went on to Hollywood stardom in such films as Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Gaslight, Portrait of Jenny and Shadow of Doubt. Cotten also met his first wife, Lenore La Mont, on the university campus.

            The Civic Theatre ceased operation in 1933, a casualty of the Great Depression, but the university's theatre program continued to grow, and by 1940, a Drama Department was established. In 1945, the department finally had its own building when it took control of a circular building near the campus that had been used by the armed forces to train pilots and navigators. Since performances were in the round, the department named the building The Ring Theatre.

            In 1951, the current Ring Theatre was constructed. In 1996, the theatre was closed for one year for extensive renovations and reopened in 1997 renamed the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre in honor of the distinguished and talented alumnus who wrote the lyrics and music for such Broadway classics as Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles.

The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre is located at 1312 Miller Drive on the University of Miami 's Coral Gables campus.  For more information, contact the box office Monday – Friday between 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at 305-284-3355 or log on to www.miami.edu/ring. The theatre is wheelchair accessible, has handicapped parking, and offers free infrared hearing devices. Parking is free and plentiful adjacent to the theatre.

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