Softcover

ISBN 10: 0982772408 ISBN 13: 9780982772409

Publisher: Theatre Talks, 2010

From 19th Century playhouses to the opulence of the 1920s movie palace and the multiplexes of today, The Brooklyn Theatre Index acts as a resource guide to the borough's performance spaces. The Index has its origins in two earlier surveys of Brooklyn theatres conducted independently by Dario Marotta and Michael Miller, each compiling an extensive listing of Brooklyn venues. For the purpose of the Index, the two lists were combined and extensive research was carried out on each auditorium with new information uncovered and a number of new venues added. Volume I begins with Gothic Hall on Adams Street and ends with a "moving picture show" at Lorimer and Meserole Streets..

About the Author:

Cezar Del Valle is the author of the Brooklyn Theatre Index, a three volume history of borough performance spaces. The first two volumes chosen 2010 OUTSTANDING BOOK OF THE YEAR by the Theatre Historical Society of America. Final volume published in September 2014.

An artist and freelance writer, Del Valle has also been actively involved in the theatre for over forty years and has written numerous articles on theatrical history.

His artwork has been exhibited at galleries, museums, and art centers throughout the United States. It is part of the permanent collection of the Tampa Museum, the Kinsey Institute, and others.

Except for an appearance in an experimental Dutch short, Del Valle's involvement with the theatre has been largely behind the scenes: concert promoter, public relations, American agent for British musicians, and manager of numerous movie houses during their final years of operation.

Since 1996, he has conducted a series of popular theatre walks and talks. Tuesday Evening Hour, an artists non-profit slide-show program, found Del Valle to be "versatile and effective in his well-crafted presentations." While the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative refers to Del Valle as "a legendary theatre historian."

Review:

2010 Outstanding Book of the Year --Theatre Historical Society

"Comprehensive, accurate and useful, The Brooklyn Theatre Index series is a valuable addition to any serious theatre historian's Library." --Karen Colizzi Noonan, Marquee Magazine

"It sounds like a reference for theater buffs--and it is. But it also has fascinating information for the average Joe." --John Manbeck, Brooklyn Eagle Newspaper

"The definitive appraisal of all movie theatres to have operated in Brooklyn, a borough known to have had the most theatres operating out of the five NYC Boroughs." --Ken Roe, Editor, Cinema Treasures

"We have a wonderful collector of theatre history named Cezar Del Valle, who has collected more Brooklyn theatre information than probably anyone else around and has written two wonderful books."--Montrose Morris, Brownstoner Blog