The Ritz Theatre was built in 1927 by William E. Butler for an estimated $400,000 and designed by the architectural firm Hodgens and Hill with 800 seats. It was named after the
Ritz hotel in Paris. The
groundbreaking ceremony in February 1927 was attended by
Oaklyn, New Jersey, borough officials. It was built in a
Classical Revival architectural style as a
movie theater and opened on September 12, 1927, with the film
Tillie the Toiler. Starting in March 1954 with
The Lavender Hill Mob, through the 1960s, the Ritz showed fine art and foreign films. In the 1970s, the Ritz became an
adult movie theater operated by a company that operated another pornographic movie theater. The stage was expanded over existing rows of seating, reducing the capacity to 400 seats. The company produced its first season of theatre performances beginning in January 1986 with a production of
The Boy Friend. This initiative later turned into having Shadow Interpreters for the theatre's annual Christmas tradition of
Scrooge in 2006 and 2008, as well as mainstage shows such as
Arsenic and Old Lace in 2010. Also offered are holiday shows, special events, summer theatre camp, dramatic workshops and outreach programs. During a renovation, the roof was replaced, the electrical system was upgraded, and sprinklers were installed. The lobby was renovated with new carpeting and paint, and work had begun on restoring the front of the building and the classic
marquee as well as the classical Greek interior
murals. In April 2014, the Ritz held its first fundraiser to keep the building and theatre going. The first annual "Rock The Ritz" fundraiser brought in over $11,000 to help the organization. ==Notable people==