West End Museum Exhibit “The Old Howard Theatre”

A show reception will take place on Thursday, October 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Concurrent programs—a film screening, an author talk, and an evening of burlesque music—complement the show, which runs through February 15, 2020.

The Old Howard (officially, the Howard Athenaeum) enjoyed a heyday of opera, ballet, and serious drama performances through the late 1860s when its audience dwindled in favor of other local theaters. To claim new patrons, the theater ushered in an era of vaudeville starting in 1869. By the early 1900s, however, variety and burlesque had become the order of the day at the Howard, featuring such legendary performers as Gypsy Lee Rose, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, and Ann Corio.