The Shubert Organization

The Shubert Organization is an American professional theatre company whose business spans theatre ownership and operation, theatrical production and co-production, and ticketing and distribution services. Its official site describes it as America’s oldest professional theatre company and the largest theatre owner on Broadway. The business was founded by brothers Sam, Lee, and Jacob J. Shubert, who came from Syracuse, New York. Sam and Lee moved to New York City in 1900, with Jacob J. following later, and the brothers began acquiring theatres and producing shows. The company’s present-day venue portfolio includes 17 Broadway theatres, six off-Broadway venues, and the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia, according to its official About Us page. Its activities also extend beyond owning and operating venues: over its history it has produced and co-produced hundreds of plays and musicals. The company’s official history names early performers who appeared in Shubert productions and describes the brothers’ expansion into theatre building, management, operation, and booking across the United States. Ticketing is another major part of the organization. Its official materials describe Telecharge as a ticketing service that has grown into a leading ticket provider in New York City’s theatre industry. The company also offers ticketing through Telecharge interfaces, API distribution, and private-label technology. Its consumer-facing brands include Telecharge, for retail ticket sales, and Broadway Inbound, which serves group buyers, tour operators, and the travel industry. Shubert says these channels sell millions of tickets each year. The Shubert Foundation is the sole shareholder of The Shubert Organization, Inc. The Foundation supports not-for-profit theatres and dance companies through grants, while the Shubert Archive documents and preserves the organization’s history. The company’s current leadership, as stated on its official About Us page, is led by Chairman and CEO Robert E. Wankel. Its public-facing website continues to publish theatre-industry and show news, including announcements about Broadway productions and events.

The Shubert Organization traces its origins to the late 19th century, when brothers Sam, Lee, and Jacob J. Shubert founded a theatre business. The brothers came from Syracuse, New York. In 1900, Sam and Lee moved to New York City, followed later by Jacob J., and began acquiring theatres and producing shows. The official history presents this combination of venue acquisition and production as the foundation of the company’s growth. Shubert productions in the early years featured performers including Richard Mansfield, Sarah Bernhardt, Lillian Russell, Maxine Elliot, Alla Nazimova, Eleanora Duse, Lew Fields, DeWolfe Hopper, Eddie Foy, Sir Johnston Forbes Robertson, and Lulu Glaser. In 1905, Sam Shubert died in a railroad accident. His brothers Lee and J.J. continued operating the business, which the company says then proceeded on an increasingly lavish scale. By 1916, the Shuberts had become, in the company’s account, the nation’s most important and powerful theatre owners and managers. During the 1910s and 1920s, they built theatres that became important Broadway venues, including the Winter Garden, the Sam S. Shubert, and the Imperial. By the middle of the 1920s, the brothers owned, operated, managed, or booked more than 1,000 houses across the United States. The official history names stars associated with the period, including Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Tallulah Bankhead, Willie and Eugene Howard, Fred and Adele Astaire, Marie Dressler, Marilyn Miller, Jeanne Eagles, Jeanette MacDonald, and Cary Grant. Across its longer history, the organization has owned hundreds of theatres and produced more than five hundred plays and musicals, according to its official History page. Its official About Us page describes a continuing portfolio of Broadway and off-Broadway venues, as well as the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia, and says the company has produced and co-produced hundreds of plays and musicals. Its productions have included titles such as Cats, Passing Strange, Amour, Dirty Blonde, Passion, The Grapes of Wrath, City of Angels, A Few Good Men, The Heidi Chronicles, and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. Since the 1980s, the company’s ticketing service Telecharge has grown into a leading ticket provider in New York City’s theatre industry. The organization now describes its ticketing operation as encompassing retail ticket sales, group and travel-industry sales, API distribution, and private-label technology. Telecharge and Broadway Inbound are its named consumer-facing ticketing brands. The organization is currently led by Chairman and CEO Robert E. Wankel, according to its official About Us page. The Shubert Foundation is the sole shareholder of The Shubert Organization, Inc. The Foundation supports not-for-profit theatres and dance companies, and the Shubert Archive, a Foundation project, preserves the organization’s history.

• 1916

  The Shuberts become major theatre owners and managers

• 1905

  Sam Shubert dies; Lee and J.J. continue the business

• 1900

  Sam and Lee Shubert move to New York City

• The Shubert brothers found a theatre business

• The Shuberts build major Broadway theatres

• Telecharge expands as a ticketing service

A major American theatre company combining Broadway venue ownership with theatrical production and ticketing services.

• Telecharge

  The organization’s consumer-facing brand for retail ticket sales and its theatre-industry ticketing service.

• Broadway Inbound

  A consumer-facing brand serving group buyers, tour operators, and the travel industry.

• Ticketing distribution and private-label technology

  The organization offers ticketing through interfaces, API distribution, and private-label technology.

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