Lafayette Theatre
The Lafayette Theatre was a landmark Harlem theater and movie venue known for desegregated seating, African American repertory theater, jazz performances, and the 1936 Federal Theatre Project production known as Voodoo Macbeth.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Lafayette Theatre was a major entertainment venue in Harlem, Manhattan, that operated from 1912 until 1951. Built at 132nd Street and Seventh Avenue, the approximately 1,500-seat theater became one of the most important stages for African American performers and audiences during the early twentieth century. It was locally nicknamed the “House Beautiful,” reflecting the prominence of its Renaissance-style architecture and its central place in Harlem’s theatrical life. Banker Meyer Jarmulowsky developed the theater, which was designed by architect Victor Hugo Koehler and opened in November 1912. Its early significance was both architectural and social. In 1913, the Lafayette became the first major theater in New York City to desegregate its seating. African American patrons were permitted to sit in the orchestra rather than being confined to the balcony, a practice that remained common at other theaters. The venue consequently became a prominent site for Black cultural participation and helped attract audiences from outside Harlem as well. The theater’s most important institutional legacy was the Lafayette Players, an African American resident repertory company. Anita Bush founded the troupe, initially known as the Anita Bush Stock Company, in 1914 or 1915. The company brought together actors including Charles S. Gilpin, Carlotta Freeman, and Andrew S. Bishop. In March 1916, Bush transferred the company to the Lafayette, where it was renamed the Lafayette Players and managed initially by Gilpin. The troupe presented a changing repertory, often staging a different play each week, and performed serious dramatic roles for Black actors at a time when African American performers were frequently restricted to stereotyped or comic parts. The Lafayette Players performed classics, melodramas, adapted Broadway works, and musical productions. Its repertory included Madame X, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Octoroon, Othello, Darktown, and Shuffle Along. The company helped launch or advance the careers of performers such as Charles S. Gilpin, Dooley Wilson, Evelyn Preer, Rose McClendon, Canada Lee, and Clarence Muse. Its programming also generated debate: figures including W. E. B. Du Bois criticized the company’s reliance on material written by white playwrights and its limited use of new work by Black dramatists. From 1916 to 1919, producer Robert Levy’s Quality Amusement Corporation managed the theater and the acting company. Arts manager and composer Lester Walton also held management and dramatic-lyric responsibilities during periods between 1914 and 1921. The Lafayette’s stage became a platform for theatrical, musical, and dance entertainment, drawing Black and white patrons and contributing to Harlem’s growing reputation as a center of African American cultural production. The venue also played a role in the development of jazz in New York. Duke Ellington made his New York debut while appearing with Wilbur Sweatman’s band at the Lafayette in 1923 and later returned with his own group. In 1927, Ellington and his orchestra appeared with Adelaide Hall in Jazz Mania, where “Creole Love Call” was introduced to the public. Other musicians associated with performances at the theater included Fletcher Henderson, Bennie Moten, Chick Webb, and Zutty Singleton. The theater additionally hosted the premiere of Eulalie Spence’s play On Being Forty in 1924. The Lafayette reached a major artistic peak in 1936 with Voodoo Macbeth, Orson Welles’s Federal Theatre Project adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The production relocated the action from Scotland to a fictional Caribbean island inspired by Haiti, used voodoo imagery in place of the original play’s witchcraft, and featured an all-African American cast. It ran at the Lafayette from April 14 through June 20, 1936, with music by James P. Johnson and performances by actors including Canada Lee and Rose McClendon. The theater closed in 1951 and was sold to Williams Institutional Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Its original facade was replaced in 1990, prompting concern from preservation advocates. The building was demolished in 2013 and replaced by an eight-story apartment building called the Lafayette. The venue is therefore defunct, but its legacy remains tied to the desegregation of New York theater, the history of Black repertory performance, the Harlem Renaissance, jazz, and the Federal Theatre Project.
History
The Lafayette Theatre opened in November 1912 at the intersection of 132nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Banker Meyer Jarmulowsky commissioned the 1,500-seat, two-story building, which architect Victor Hugo Koehler designed in a Renaissance style. The theater and its neighboring structures quickly became prominent features of Harlem’s emerging commercial and entertainment district. Locally, the venue was known as the “House Beautiful.” Its most consequential early decision was the adoption of desegregated seating in 1913. African American patrons were allowed to purchase orchestra seats rather than being restricted to the balcony, making the Lafayette the first major New York theater to take this step. The policy helped establish the theater as an important Black cultural institution while also broadening its appeal to white audiences. Productions such as Darktown Follies brought popular music and dance to uptown audiences and helped make Harlem a destination for theatergoers from across the city. The Lafayette’s central theatrical institution was the Lafayette Players. Anita Bush formed the troupe as the Anita Bush Stock Company in 1914 or 1915 after recruiting African American performers including Charles S. Gilpin, Carlotta Freeman, and Andrew S. Bishop. In March 1916, Bush transferred the company to the Lafayette Theatre, which renamed it the Lafayette Players. Gilpin became associated with its management, while Bush later organized touring versions of the company and remained connected with it until 1920. The Lafayette Players were notable because they placed Black actors in serious dramatic roles. Their work challenged the theatrical conventions of the period, in which African American performers were often confined to comic, musical, or stereotyped parts. The company performed frequently changing repertory, including adaptations and shortened versions of established plays. Its productions included Madame X, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Octoroon, Othello, Darktown, and Shuffle Along. The repertory attracted largely Black audiences but also participated in a broader Harlem entertainment economy. The company’s programming was not free of cultural debate. W. E. B. Du Bois and others objected to the emphasis on works created by white playwrights and argued for greater support of Black-authored drama. Even so, the company provided a significant professional platform. Performers associated with it included Laura Bowman, Sydney Kirkpatrick, Edna Morton, Lawrence Chenault, Canada Lee, Rose McClendon, Oscar Micheaux, Lionel Monagas, Clarence Muse, and Charles S. Gilpin. Dooley Wilson and Evelyn Preer were among those whose careers benefited from the company’s work. Composer James P. Johnson and director Edgar Forrest also worked with the organization. Management changed during the theater’s active period. Lester Walton served as manager and dramatic lyricist during periods from 1914 to 1916 and 1919 to 1921. From 1916 to 1919, Robert Levy’s Quality Amusement Corporation managed both the venue and the acting company. Levy also connected Lafayette performers with film work through his REOL Productions company, extending the theater’s influence beyond the stage. Music became another major part of the Lafayette’s identity. Duke Ellington made his New York debut in 1923 while performing with Wilbur Sweatman’s band at the theater. Ellington later returned with his own orchestra. In October 1927, he appeared with Adelaide Hall in Jazz Mania, a production associated with the public introduction of “Creole Love Call.” The venue also hosted musicians including Fletcher Henderson, Bennie Moten, Chick Webb, and Zutty Singleton. In the dramatic arts, Eulalie Spence’s On Being Forty premiered there on October 15, 1924. The theater reached its best-known artistic moment in 1936 with Voodoo Macbeth. Produced through the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Theatre Project and directed by Orson Welles, the production recast Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a fictional Caribbean setting inspired by Haiti. Voodoo imagery replaced the original play’s witchcraft, while the production featured an all-African American cast. James P. Johnson wrote the overture, and Canada Lee and Rose McClendon were among the notable performers. The engagement ran from April 14 through June 20, 1936, and became one of the most celebrated examples of the Federal Theatre Project’s ability to combine ambitious repertory with Black theatrical talent. The Lafayette continued operating as a theater and movie venue until 1951, when it closed and the property was sold to Williams Institutional Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. The original facade was later replaced in 1990, generating preservation concerns. In 2013, the building was demolished and replaced by an eight-story apartment building known as the Lafayette. Although the physical venue no longer exists, the Lafayette Theatre remains historically important for its role in desegregated theater, Black repertory performance, jazz history, and Harlem’s cultural development.
- 2013
The building is demolished
[1]The former theater structure is demolished and replaced by an eight-story apartment building.
- 1951
The theater closes
[1]The Lafayette ceases operation and is sold to Williams Institutional Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
- 1936
Voodoo Macbeth runs at the Lafayette
[1]Orson Welles’s Federal Theatre Project production of Macbeth runs from April 14 through June 20 with an all-African American cast.
- 1927
Jazz Mania is presented
[1]Duke Ellington, his orchestra, and Adelaide Hall appear in Jazz Mania, associated with the public debut of “Creole Love Call.”
- 1924
On Being Forty premieres
[1]Eulalie Spence’s play On Being Forty premieres at the theater on October 15.
- 1923
Duke Ellington makes his New York debut
[1]Ellington performs at the Lafayette with Wilbur Sweatman’s band.
- 1916
The Lafayette Players are established
[1]Anita Bush’s stock company becomes the resident Lafayette Players after being acquired by the theater.
- 1913
Seating is desegregated
[1]The Lafayette allows African American patrons to sit in the orchestra, making it the first major New York theater to desegregate its seating.
- 1912
The theater opens
[1]A 1,500-seat Renaissance-style theater opens at 132nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.
Products and positioning
A landmark Harlem cultural venue centered on African American theater, music, dance, and film exhibition, with a reputation for progressive desegregation and prominent Black artistic participation.
Theater · 1916
Lafayette Players repertory productions
The Lafayette Players were the venue’s resident African American stock company. They presented rapidly changing repertory, including classics, melodramas, adaptations, and musical theater. Their importance came not only from the variety of their programming but also from casting Black performers in serious dramatic roles that were often unavailable to them elsewhere.
Theater production · 1936
Voodoo Macbeth
Directed by Orson Welles for the Federal Theatre Project, this adaptation of Macbeth relocated the story to a fictional Caribbean island inspired by Haiti. An all-African American cast and voodoo-centered visual and theatrical language made the production a landmark of 1930s American theater.
Music entertainment
Jazz performances
The Lafayette hosted important jazz performers and bandleaders, including Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Bennie Moten, Chick Webb, and Zutty Singleton. These engagements connected the theater to Harlem’s expanding jazz culture and helped establish it as a venue for both theatrical and musical entertainment.
Cinema
Motion-picture exhibitions
Alongside stage productions and musical performances, the Lafayette operated as a movie theater and entertainment venue. Specific film programs and operating periods are not established in the supplied sources.
Marketing campaigns
- 1936Voodoo Macbeth
Harlem · New York City
The Federal Theatre Project presented Orson Welles’s radically relocated Macbeth at the Lafayette. Its Caribbean setting, voodoo imagery, all-African American cast, and music by James P. Johnson made it the theater’s most internationally recognized production.
Outcome. The production became a landmark of the Federal Theatre Project and a defining event in the Lafayette Theatre’s history.
Brand decisions
1951
Closure and property saleOtherBackground
After decades as a theater and movie venue, the Lafayette ceased operations.
Action taken
The property was sold to Williams Institutional Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
Aftermath
The building no longer operated as the Lafayette Theatre, although the structure remained until its demolition in 2013.
1916
Acquisition of the Anita Bush Stock CompanyM&ABackground
Anita Bush had established an African American stock company that operated separately from the Lafayette.
Action taken
Bush sold the company to the Lafayette Theatre, which renamed it the Lafayette Players.
Aftermath
The troupe became the theater’s resident company and developed a long-running repertory program.
1913
Desegregated orchestra seatingStrategyBackground
African American patrons were commonly restricted to balcony seating at other New York theaters.
Action taken
The Lafayette permitted African American theatergoers to sit in the orchestra section.
Aftermath
The theater became a major Black cultural venue and is described as the first major New York theater to desegregate its seating.
Sources2 sources
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