William Randolph Hearst Greek Theater
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The William Randolph Hearst Greek Theater , usually called the Greek Theater or Hearst Greek Theater for short , is an open-air theater in the style of the Greek amphitheater and offers space for 8,500 spectators. The facility is owned and operated by the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley .
The Greek Theater is the venue for the Berkeley Jazz Festival and various concert events. Graduation ceremonies and similar celebrations of the university take place here as well as appearances by well-known speakers, including Theodore Roosevelt , William Randolph Hearst or Tendzin Gyatsho , the 14th Dalai Lama .
history
The Greek Theater was built in 1903. A similar, smaller facility from 1894, known as Ben Weed's Amphitheater , had previously existed at the site . The project had a prominent advocate in then-president of the university, Benjamin Ide Wheeler , and was the first university building designed by John Galen Howard . The construction was financed by the media tycoon William Randolph Hearst , whose name it was then given. Stylistically, the building is based heavily on the ancient theater of Epidaurus .
The official opening took place on September 24, 1903 with a student production of the Aristophanes comedy The Birds . In fact, the theater had been used for the first time shortly before its completion: In May 1903, the university's graduation ceremony with a speech by Theodore Roosevelt, a friend of Benjamin Ide Wheeler, took place on the grounds.
On March 25, 1982, the theater was listed as a site on the National Register of Historic Places .
Web links
- UC Berkeley's Greek Theater turns 100 years old this month ( s ) UC Berkeley . Retrieved November 11, 2010.
- William Randolph Hearst Greek Theater: Technical Specifications ( en ) Cal Performances. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entry in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed June 11, 2016
Coordinates: 37 ° 52 ′ 25 ″ N , 122 ° 15 ′ 15 ″ W.