The Rex Theater () is a venue in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

that opened in October, 1935. It was built by the Société Haïtienne des Spectacles (Haitian Entertainment Corporation), led by Daniel Brun. The theater seated 1,200 people and was managed by Mrs. Muffat Taldy until 1951.

Cultural events

The Rex has been the site of many cultural and entertainment events. In its first week, the Rex Theater screened films that included ''La Bataille'' (''The Battle''), ''La Robe Rouge'' (''The Red Dress''), ''Gai Divorce'' (''The Gay Divorcee''), and ''Banque Nemo'' (''Nemo's Bank''), and hosted its first play in April 1937.

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United S ...

performed at the Rex in January 1954 in honour of the 150th anniversary of Haitian independence^:60. Folk acapella ensemble

Sweet Honey in the Rock Sweet Honey in the Rock are an all-woman, African-American a cappella ensemble. They are a three-time Grammy Award–nominated troupe who express their history as black women through song, dance, and sign language. Originally a four-person en ...

also performed at Rex Théâtre in Fall 1994 to mark the return of constitutional democracy to Haiti.

Political events

On various occasions events at the Rex have had a political focus or political implications. For example, on 20 December 1945, as the first of a planned series of twelve lectures, the poet

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

spoke at the Rex on " Surréalisme". Upon completing his lecture, which was attended by six hundred students as well as the president of Haiti and many of his ministers, senators and deputies, and some military dignitaries and business people, Many years later, in 2001, the Rex was the planned site of an opposition political event. The Rex Theater had been the initially planned site for the "inauguration" of Gérard Gourgue as an "alternative president". However, "the theater's management, fearful of popular outrage, canceled the event".

References

External links

"Rex Théatre, un patrimoine à sauvegarder" (Youtube)
("Rex Théatre, a heritage to be preserved")
Rex Theater
at Cinema Treasures Theatres in Haiti Cinemas in Haiti 1935 establishments in Haiti Buildings and structures in Port-au-Prince Theatres completed in 1935 {{theat-struct-stub