Broadway's Cort Theatre to be Renamed for James Earl Jones

Photo: Shubert Organization                                                                                 

The Shubert Organization has announced that the 110-year-old Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street) will become the James Earl Jones Theatre, in recognition of Mr. Jones’s lifetime of immense contributions to Broadway and the entire artistic community, when it reopens later this year.

Mr. Jones’s Broadway career began in 1957, and his many Broadway credits include “Sunrise at Campobello,” “The Great White Hope,” “Fences” and “The Gin Game,” earning three Tony Awards in the process. He has additionally won seven Drama Desk Awards and has also been awarded the Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honor.

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Shubert Organization has performed extensive renovation and construction work at the site of the Cort Theatre, including construction of a new, contemporary wing off of the building’s western face. The work is planned for completion in the summer of 2022, and when the building reopens for productions, Shubert will hold a formal dedication ceremony.