NEW YORK—The Shubert Organization recently dedicated and revealed the newly renamed James Earl Jones Theatre, formerly known as the Cort Theatre. The name change is part of a massive $47 million restoration and expansion project that includes a new façade-mounted LED display system from SNA Displays.
Originally an old vaudeville theatre that opened in 1912, the James Earl Jones Theatre was designed to look like an eighteenth-century French palace. In addition to the new digital signage, highlights of the restoration project include a refurbished façade, a grand staircase, modernized rigging, and new seating to enhance comfort and accessibility. The improvements will allow the theatre to present more modern and technically challenging productions.
SNA Displays manufactured the LED screen on the building’s refurbished façade using its 8 mm pixel pitch EMPIRE™ Exterior line of video display products. Each face is 15’9″ high by 8’5″ wide (600 x 320 pixels) and protrudes from the building’s façade in a triangle shape with a 69-degree angle.
“The James Earl Jones Theatre sign was custom designed and fabricated to meet viewing angle requirements, providing ample read times from the east and west on 48th Street,” said Mikell Senger, senior project manager for SNA Displays. “We’re proud to be a part of this legendary theatre’s history as we continue to add to our theatre and Times Square portfolio.”
Going Sign Company provided installation services for the LED display.
The theatre’s name change reflects The Shubert Organization’s desire to honor the legacy of award-winning actor James Earl Jones. Jones’ Broadway career began in 1957, and in 1958 he played his first role at the Cort Theatre in Sunrise at Campobello. His career spans 65 years and has earned the actor two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors. He also was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement.
“I spoke my first line ever on Broadway in this theater,” Jones said during a private tour.
Learn more at SNA Displays’ portfolio page about the James Earl Jones Theatre.
About SNA Displays
SNA Displays brings creative visions to life by building high-end digital displays as vivid and dynamic as the imagination. SNA Displays employs a team of SNAPros™—engineers, skilled project managers, systems experts, installation managers, and support staff—whose mission is total project satisfaction.
SNA Displays is headquartered in Times Square and has worked with clients to design and build some of the largest and most recognizable digital spectaculars in the world. Discover how Dreams Live Digitally® at snadisplays.com.
