Oscar Shaw
In addition to the above, Mr. Wayburn devised and staged for Mr. Ziegfeld nine successful Midnight Frolics and two Nine O’Clock Revues atop the New Amsterdam Theatre, New York, during this time.
For Mesmore Kendall, devised and staged the opening presentation for the Capitol Theatre, New York City, September, 1919, including an elaborate and very successful revue.
For Dillingham and Ziegfeld, at Century Theatre, New York, he devised and staged the sensationally successful second act finale to “The Century Girl” (1916), where the 50-foot circular revolving stage was employed so ingeniously in the “Uncle Sam” finale.
Staged “Miss 1917” at the Century Theatre, New York, with Irene Castle, Elsie Janis and 40 other stars.
For Lew Fields: “The Poor Little Ritz Girl.”
For A.L. Erlanger and B.C. Whitney: “The Ed Wynn Carnival,” at the New Amsterdam Theatre, N.Y.
For A.L. Erlanger: “Two Little Girls in Blue” (with the Fairbanks Twins, Oscar Shaw and Evelyn Law), at the George M. Cohan Theatre, N.Y.
Founded Ned Wayburn Studios of Stage Dancing and Ned Wayburn Booking Offices.
Staged F. Ziegfeld’s production, starring Will Rogers, also “Follies of 1922,” which ran 67 consecutive weeks in New York City and about 40 weeks on tour. No other “Follies” up to this time ever ran over 16 weeks in New York. Produced many vaudeville acts, among them, “Ned Wayburn’s Dancing Dozen.” Arranged motion-picture presentations for the Famous Players-Lasky Theatres. In association with Ben Ali Haggin produced several tableaux, including “Simonetta,” “Dubarry,” and “The Green Gong,” which were presented in many of the principal cities. Staged the musical comedy “Lady Butterfly,” at Globe Theatre, New York.
Staged the Anatol Friedland headline girl act for the Keith-Albee and Orpheum vaudeville circuits, and “The Birth of Venus,” a series of beautiful tableaux which were shown in many principal motion picture and vaudeville theatres. Staged for Florenz Ziegfeld “Follies of 1923,” at New Amsterdam Theatre, New York, which attraction played to the largest week’s receipts of any Follies ever produced at New Amsterdam Theatre.
Staged the following headline vaudeville productions:
“NED WAYBURN’S HONEYMOON CRUISE”
—an elaborate junior musical comedy, adapted for vaudeville, with a cast of dancers, principals and ensemble, composed entirely of pupils of the Ned Wayburn Studios. This act, the highest priced in vaudeville, started on tour in January, 1924, and broke all box-office records of the Poli Theatres in New England, as well as those of many other theatres on the Keith-Albee Circuit, including the premiere vaudeville theatre of the world, Keith-Albee Palace Theatre, New York, and the new $7,000,000 Earle Theatre in Philadelphia. It is still breaking records, and is one of the most sought-after acts in vaudeville.
“Ned Wayburn’s Demi-Tasse Revue”—another headline act, composed entirely of pupils of the Ned Wayburn Studios. Now on the Keith-Albee and Orpheum Circuits.
The opening engagement at Bridgeport broke the attendance record of the Palace Theatre there and the same results followed at New Haven, Hartford and Worcester, when the audiences and newspaper critics alike declared the Revue even better than Ned Wayburn’s “Honeymoon Cruise,” which had previously held the attendance records in those cities.
“Ned Wayburn’s Symphonic Jazz Revue”
Another new production, also composed of pupils of the Ned Wayburn Studios—touring the principal motion picture theatres in the Middle West and also Keith-Albee and Orpheum Circuits.
Staged the dances for Geraldine Farrar in an Operatic Fantasie—“Carmen” (all the dancers in this production being pupils of the Ned Wayburn Studios).
Society, University and Private Entertainments
For Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt, 2nd, devised and staged her “Mah Jong Fête” at the Hotel Plaza, New York, for the Big Sisters charity, December, 1923, and her “Persian Jazz Fête,” December, 1924.
The Princeton Triangle Club’s Musical Comedy, “Drake’s Drum” last year and “The Scarlet Coat” this year.
The Filene Store’s musical comedy, “The Caddie Girl,” Colonial Theatre, Boston, in April, 1924, and “Barbara Lee,” in April, 1925, presented at the Tremont Theatre, Boston, for one week, with Leah Ainsworth, a Ned Wayburn pupil, in the title role.
Penn. State College Thespian Club’s Show, “The Magazine Cover Girl” last year, and “Wooden Shoes” this year.
The Third Annual Masonic Fashion and Home Exposition at Madison Square Garden, New York, May, 1924.
Elaborate entertainments for the Willys-Overland Company, at the Hotel Biltmore, New York (three years).
Jewelers’ 24-Karat Club Annual Entertainment at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York (three successive years).
“Own Your Own Home Exposition,” at Trenton, New Jersey.
Shriner’s Frolic, at Washington, D.C.
Kansas City “Junior League Follies” (December, 1924).
Atlanta “Junior League Follies” (February, 1925).
A Musical Revue for the New York Edison Co., 1925 (so successful it had to be repeated).
The Providence Junior League Show, 1925.
The New Haven “Junior League Nautical Bal Cabaret,” 1925.
The Vincent Club Musical Comedy, “Fez,” in Boston (April, 1925).
“The Chatterbox Revue” in Rochester (April, 1925).
The Massachusetts “Tech” Show, “The Duchess of Broadway” (1925),—and a great many other society, charity, masonic and church entertainments.
It is out of this amazingly wide and varied experience that Ned Wayburn evolved the courses in stage dancing, stage-craft and showmanship which are being taught with such great success today at the Ned Wayburn Studios.
Ned Wayburn is known to thousands as the genius who staged the very best editions of “The Follies” and “Midnight Frolics” at the New Amsterdam Theatre, N.Y. But in the world of the theatre—among those who know—he is recognized as America’s foremost creator, producer and director of musical comedies, revues, headline vaudeville productions, motion picture presentations, fêtes and every other form of entertainment that features beautiful, original or spectacular dancing.
His versatility knows almost no limit. His wealth of theatrical experience runs the gamut from his own first appearance as an amateur actor and coach to a succession of triumphs as producing director of the most gorgeous theatrical presentations both here and abroad.
Added to his practical stage-craft there is the vital flame of imaginative genius, a creative faculty that clearly stamps all his work. It is this, as well as his extraordinary executive ability and his all-embracing knowledge of stage technique, that makes him the most sought-after of all directors. It also explains the distinct advantage which pupils of the Ned Wayburn Studios have over all others, in that they are being constantly sought for desirable engagements because of the thorough way in which they are trained, both physically and mentally, in dancing.
THE NED WAYBURN
METHOD OF TRAINING
THERE are five basic types of stage dancing that I teach, covering the modern field in full, and supplying the pupil with a complete knowledge of all the steps needed for a successful stage career.
These five types consist of:
Musical Comedy Dancing,
Tap and Step Dancing (Clogging),
Acrobatic Dancing,
Exhibition Dancing (Ball-room),
Modern Americanized Ballet Dancing.
The last named includes all the best variety of ballet dances, such as toe, classical, character, interpretive, oriental, folk, national, covering Spanish, Russian, Greek, Javanese, etc.
Instruction is given in any or all of the above to beginners, advanced amateurs, professionals and teachers, and is preceded in every case by the Ned Wayburn Foundation Technique, which includes my limbering and stretching process, and is one of the most important courses ever devised for the student of dancing in that it saves years of study. This original technique is described in a succeeding chapter.
In addition to the types of dancing mentioned above, we also give instruction in the art of making up for the stage.
Accompanying the technical instruction, each class and pupil receives without cost the benefit of the valuable stage-craft, managerial and producer’s knowledge that I have acquired during my years of activity in the theatrical world. This is given in occasional lectures or inspirational talks before the class. Students also, when duly fitted, will be informed as to where and how to obtain engagements, correct forms of contract to be entered into, and other valuable business information concerning the practical side of selling their services to the best advantage, saving them much time and possible embarrassment and loss.