Al Hayman, also known as Raphael Hayman, (1847 – February 10, 1917) was the business partner of the better-known
Charles Frohman who together with others established the
Theatrical Syndicate. In addition to the financial backing, ownership and construction of new theaters and the early
monopolisation of the booking networks, the Syndicate also produced a number of
Broadway shows.
Biography
Al Hayman was born to a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family in
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...
. He began his theatrical career as a manager for a tour of ''
The Black Crook'' in 1871. In 1883, Hayman traveled to San Francisco and, leasing the Baldwin Theatre, became its producing manager, becoming a well-known manager. Around 1989 he moved to New York and bought the play ''Shenandoah'' with
Charles Frohman. He also gained control of a theater in Chicago, starting the wide ownership of theaters.
["Al Hayman Quits Theatrical Field"]
''The New York Times'', August 11, 1911 In 1896 he, along with Frohman,
Marc Klaw,
A.L. Erlanger,
Samuel F. Nixon and
J. Fred Zimmerman Sr. established the Theatrical Syndicate.
[ This group established systemized booking networks throughout the United States and created a monopoly that controlled every aspect of contracts and bookings until the late 1910s, when the Shubert brothers broke their hold on the industry. Hayman concentrated on investments in real estate.
As ]theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...
impresarios and booking agents he helped develop the theater district in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
at the turn of the 20th century. Hayman owned and/or operated several theaters in New York, such as the Knickerbocker Theatre and the Empire Theatre.
Hayman retired from the theatrical field, leaving his interests to his brother, Alf, and moved to Europe in 1911.[ Hayman died on February 10, 1917, in New York City.][Al Hayman Dies Suddenly", ''The New York Times'', February 10, 1917, p. 9]
References
External links
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American theatre managers and producers
1847 births
1917 deaths
19th-century American businesspeople
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