Ambassador Theatre

Ambassador Theatre may refer to:

Ambassador Theatre (New York City)

The Ambassador Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 219 West 49th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.

Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp for the Shuberts, the structure is noteworthy in that it is situated diagonally on its site to fit the maximum number of seats possible. Its external appearance, indistinguishable from many other Broadway houses, does not hint at the unusual layout within. The building has been designated a New York City landmark. The theatre's grid height is 54 feet 9 inches (16.69 m).

The theatre opened on February 11, 1921, with the musical The Rose Girl. The Shuberts sold the property in 1935, and for the next two decades it was used as a movie theater and television studio for NBC and later the DuMont Television Network, when it was known as the Ambassador Tele-Theatre. In 1956, the Shuberts assumed ownership again and returned it to strictly legitimate use.

Notable productions

Ambassador Cinema

The Ambassador Cinema was Dublin's longest-running cinema and was operational on and off until 1999. It operated as a music venue between 2001 and 2008. The Ambassador's current use is as an exhibition hall & event centre.

The building was constructed as part of the Rotunda Hospital in 1764 as an assembly hall and social rooms on what is now called Parnell Street.

From 1897 onwards, the venue was given the name Rotund Room and hosted a number of "moving picture" screenings which were a great novelty at the time. From about 1908 onwards, it was used more regularly to show film presentations and in 1910 it became a full-time cinema, with 736 seats, a basic layout at the time.

Again known as the Rotunda (its nickname being the 'Roto' or the 'Roxy'), the cinema-going public thronged to the venue. Over the years, the cinema changed hands until the 1940s when it was run by Capitol and Allied Theatres Ltd.

In the 1950s, the cinema was redesigned, increasing the capacity to 1,200. Added to the main hall was a balcony (containing 500 seats) with private boxes. A new entrance area was also constructed. The cinema was re-opened on 23 September 1954 as the Ambassador. It became a gala event venue, holding screenings of many films for the first time. Of note was the screening of The Blue Max in 1966, which was shot in Ireland. For the screening, a World War I plane adorned the roof of the cinema above the entrance.