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Rivenbark described that film as “pretty much a
novelty” at the Hall, perhaps because there was more
money in bringing in plays or because the theater was
too big for showing movies to be economically viable.
But Thalian refused to be left out of the nation’s grow-ing
fascination with the silver screen. Birth of a Nation
was shown, accompanied by a full orchestra, and
during the 1930s Shirley Temple movies were popular.
The history of movies at Thalian illustrates a surpris-ing
fact. While outward forms may change, the essence
of theatrical entertainments often remains remarkably
the same. Lecturers, for example, attracted large crowds
during the Hall’s early years. One of the most popular
was Oscar Wilde, who spoke on aesthetics and his
theory of beauty. Temperance lectures were another big
draw during Thalian’s early years.
Japanese acrobats, who were declared “the most
wonderful jugglers in the world” when they performed
at Thalian in 1867, were replaced in the 21st century by
the stylized and athletic performance of the Shanghai
Huai Opera, which performed in 2009.
Musical performances have proven to be a remark-ably
consistent part of Thalian’s history. Opera
companies, as well as individual singers, visited with
regularity, and operettas enjoyed wide acclaim. All
kinds of vocal and instrumental groups have performed
at Thalian, from all-female cornet bands to John
Phillip Sousa, and from symphony orchestras to the
U.S. Marine band. As with movies, many concerts
have moved to more specialized venues, but a variety of
musical acts continue to appear. The Hall has show-cased
classical pianists, jazz trios and even an African a
cappella group.
THALIAN Hall was certainly segregated even though
the city was one of the most integrated towns around.
But Rivenbark believed that economics became the
deciding factor. “In the end,” Rivenbark said, “it’s all
about making money and selling tickets.”
When artists appeared who appealed primarily to a black audi-ence,
Rivenbark believed that “they would put all the black people
downstairs and put the white people in the balcony.” When Booker
T. Washington spoke in 1910, “they
basically divided the house in half;
it had a center aisle, so they put the
blacks on one side and the whites on
the other,” Rivenbark said.
A variety of black entertainers
appeared. Musical savant Thomas
“Blind Tom” Wiggins (also called
Blind Tom Bethune) played the piano
at Thalian, appearing before the war
as a slave and afterward as a free man.
Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones, an
opera singer and vaudevillian, who
was known as “The Black Patti”
(referring to Adelina Patti, a famous
Italian opera singer of the day), also
performed there, and the theater
hosted classical singers Marian
Anderson and Caterina Jarboro.
Local black amateurs have a
continuing history at Thalian. In
the 1890s, the Acme Club, which
consisted of 48 black musicians,
appeared, as did The Willis Rich-ardson
Players (named for a black
playwright born in Wilmington).
In 1870, a small group of men
used Thalian to test the response
of the community to blacks sitting
in sections designated for whites.
When they were ejected, they sued
the theater. The judge who heard
the case chastised them, but he also
ruled that blacks were “entitled to
accommodation and privileges in
this theater equal to those enjoyed
by other persons.”
Clearly, times were changing,
and Thalian Hall would change
with them.
From top: Musician Thomas
“Blind Tom” Wiggins, opera
singer Matilda Sissieretta
Joyner Jones, and orator
Booker T. Washington per-formed
at Thalian Hall.
SEGREGATION
NEW HANOVER COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY/LOUIS T. MOORE COLLECTION