December: almanac.(theater in history)(Chronology)

145 YEARS AGO (1861)

John T. Ford leases the Tenth Street Baptist Church. Despite the prediction of one church board member--that a dire destiny would befall anyone who turned the former house of worship into a theatre--Ford's venture goes on to gain him considerable popularity in theatrical circles. Four years later that reputation is tarnished when former actor John Wilkes Booth assassinates President Lincoln in the theatre.

45 YEARS AGO (1961)

Black Nativity, originally titled Wasn't That a Mighty Day, opens Off Broadway. The Langston Hughes Christmas story ...