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Wells Theatre

Jake Wells had the looks of a matinee idol, an athlete's physique and was a star on the …baseball field? Before Wells became a theatre mogul, he was a catcher and first baseman and the popular manager of the Richmond Colts. Wells entered Spence's Trunk Store in downtown Richmond to purchase a leather strap to bundle baseball bats. He inquired about the store's odd architecture. The store was the former Barton Opera House which failed as a "honky tonk" featuring disreputable entertainment. He quickly persuaded Spence to relinquish his lease, and reopened the building as the Bijou Family Theatre on January 9, 1899. Richmond's first Vaudeville house was an immediate success and Jake Wells made the transition from baseball to "Mr. Clean Entertainment." Norfolk was the first city Wells chose to expand his theatrical enterprise. Otto Wells, Jake's younger half-brother, arrived from Pensacola, Florida, to open the Granby Theatre in 1901. Ten years later the brothers operated the largest theatre circuit outside New York, and by the early 1920's Jake Wells was known as The Father of Vaudeville in the Southeast.

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  Wells Theatre

  254 Granby Street
  Norfolk, VA 23510

  Phone: (757)627-6988

  Fax: (757)628-5958

  Email

  Website

  Full map and directions

• Locations

  Norfolk

  Downtown Norfolk

• Parking Info

• Accessibility Info

  • Wheelchair Access
  • Assisted Listening System

• NOTE: We do our best to ensure all information is accurate, however it's a good idea to visit the website or call the venue to verify the information.

• Video & Image Gallery

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• Upcoming Events

  12/03/08- 12/23/08	A Christmas Carol
  01/20/09- 02/08/09	A Moon for the Misbegotten
  02/24/09- 03/15/09	Line in the Sand
  03/31/09- 04/19/09	Ella

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• Past Events

  10/21/08- 11/09/08	Centennial Casting
  09/16/08- 10/05/08	My Fair Lady
  07/12/08	Leslie Jordan's My Trip Down the Pink Carpet
  04/25/08- 04/27/08	Lost in the Stars
  04/01/08- 04/20/08	Hank Williams: Lost Highway
  02/26/08- 03/16/08	The Poetry of Pizza