The Rehearsal Club was a theatrical girls' boarding house was founded in 1913 by Jean "Daisy" Greer, daughter of New York's Episcopal bishop, and Episcopal Deaconess Jane Harriss Hall. The residence provided young women pursuing a life in the theater a place to rest between auditions, along with opportunities to socialize and receive simple meals. Within a year, the Professional Children’s School was established in back parlors of The Rehearsal Club.

History

In 1920, the Club relocated from its first home on West 46th Street to a large house on West 45th to accommodate increasing residency. In 1923, the Club moved to 47 West 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, where it remained for over 50 years. The brownstone and its neighbor number 45, acquired for the Club in 1925, were owned by Rockefeller family members. The Rehearsal Club served as the inspiration for

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Ci ...

and George S. Kaufman's 1936 play ''

Stage Door ''Stage Door'' is a 1937 RKO film directed by Gregory La Cava. Adapted from the play of the same name, it tells the story of several would-be actresses who live together in a boarding house at 158 West 58th Street in New York City. The film ...

'', which was adapted into the 1937 film of the same name starring Katharine Hepburn and

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

."Origins of 'Stage Door,'" ''The New York Times'' 25 Oct. 1936. One of the most noted Rehearsal Club residents was

Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...

. In 1955, she initiated and was featured in a showcase of her fellow Club friends called 'The Rehearsal Club Revue,' which served as an initial career boost for several of the girls. Ms. Burnett sponsored scholarships for Club residents in the 1960s, and fondly recalls her Club life in her memoirs ''This Time Together'' and ''One More Time: A Memoir''. Although men were not allowed upstairs, many did hang out in the Rehearsal Club’s first-floor parlor. James Dean, before he became a Hollywood legend, often visited the Rehearsal Club and for a time dated resident Liz Sheridan, also known as "Dizzy," then a 23-year-old fledgling dancer on the Milton Berle Show. In 1979, Rockefeller Brothers Fund sold the buildings at 45–47 West 53rd Street to

American Folk Art Museum The American Folk Art Museum is an art museum in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, at 2, Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue at 66th Street. It is the premier institution devoted to the aesthetic appreciation of folk art and creative expressions of ...

and the Rehearsal Club closed for good.

Today

In 2007, Rehearsal Club alumnae gathered and formed an organization with a mission statement to "preserve the name of The Rehearsal Club, protect its legacy and inspire other younger generations".

References

{{Reflist 1913 establishments in New York City 1979 disestablishments in New York (state) 20th-century theatre