Sun Sing Theatre collection

Collection

Identifier: 1993.007-2014.006

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of paper documents, printed materials, publicity materials, objects, and photographs. The paper documents include administrative and financial information about the theater, such as film inventories, time schedules, bills, account ledgers, and payroll records. Printed material, of which there is very little, includes books and journals, most likely personal copies of Sun Sing Theatre employees. Publicity materials consist mostly of film posters and lobby cards (or smaller posters used to promote movies). There are also news clippings with ads for the theater, film synopses, and advertising brochures. Objects include items from the theater itself, such as film reels, employee uniforms, and signs. The photographs consist of images of a press conference, a theater opening in Hong Kong, and the interior of the Sun Sing Theatre, among others. Some photographs are most likely from the personal collections of former employees. The majority of the materials begin in 1982, well after the theater began showing films, and end in 1993, when the theater closed. Objects are also searchable via PastPerfect Online System at http://mocanyc.pastperfectonline.com/randomimages.

Dates

1982-1993

Language of Materials

Some materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Most of the material in the second and third series is restricted, due to sensitive financial and legal information.

Conditions Governing Use

For reference use only; not for reproduction, distribution, or deposit in another collection. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Director of Collections. If publishing, cite: Sun Sing Theatre Collection, Museum of Chinese in America.

Biographical / Historical

The Sun Sing Theatre was located in New York's Chinatown at 75-85 East Broadway, under the Manhattan Bridge. Initially built in 1911, it was used as a venue for Yiddish vaudeville and film. In 1942, it became a theater for Peking opera. In 1950, the theater was renamed the Sun Sing Theatre and it began to show Cantonese films. In the 1970s, the theater was in danger of demolition because of necessary repairs to the Manhattan Bridge. Theater-goers rallied to save the building, and as a compromise, the theater reduced its seating capacity. The theater was viewed as the grandest of the Chinatown theaters, and it was famous for showing double features. Occassionally, the films included English subtitles, but the main audience was Chinatown residents imbued with a tradition of Cantonese cinema. The theater closed in 1993.

Extent

36 Linear Feet (19 archival boxes (standard and small) plus 3 drawers in a flat file)

Additional Description

Arrangement

Arranged into 7 series alphabetically: [1] Administrative materials; [2] Financial documents; [3] Legal records; [4] Objects; [5] Photographs; [6] Printed material; [7] and Publicity.

General

This finding aid was created with grant support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Processing Information

The collection consists of the initial donation, in 1993, plus two subsequent additions of salvaged materials in 2014, one of lobby cards and the other of film posters. These latter two donations have independent accession numbers but are included in this finding aid.