Carolyn Rafaelian
American designer, philanthropist, and businesswoman
Carolyn Rafaelian is an American-Armenian entrepreneur and businesswoman. She is the founder of the accessories and jewelry company Alex and Ani, and the owner of the Belcourt of Newport, Bar and Board Bistro in Newport, Rhode Island and Carolyn's Sakonnet Vineyards.
Background.
Rafaelian's father opened a jewelry factory in 1966, Cinerama Jewelry, in which Rafaelian and her sister worked. Over time she helped her father design pieces and produced original designs herself for her father's jewelry manufacturing company. She attended Prout Memorial High School for Girls (later known as The Prout School). She attended the University of Rhode Island between 1987 and 1989, and then she transferred to and graduated from the American College for the Applied Arts in Los Angeles. In 1994 she joined her father's business, and eventually began to work on her own line. In 2002 Rafaelian became co-owner of Cinerama with her sister. Rafaelian's designs became the main seller for the company, and in 2016 Alex and Ani bought the manufacturing facility for an undisclosed sum.
Business career.
In 2004 Rafaelian founded Alex and Ani, a jewelry line named after her two eldest daughters. The brand started with five cocktail rings and expanded into a full line of jewelry anchored by its patented expandable wire bangle.
Rafaelian has been interviewed by newspapers regarding current events, including the "New York Daily News". Rafaelian received the 2012 Rhode Island Small Businessperson of the Year award from the Small Business Administration for her work with Alex and Ani, and also the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year in the products category for New England. Her firm's revenue grew from $5 million in 2010 to over $500 million in 2016 and the company's Charity By Design initiative, where 20% of sales go to charity, makes up 20% of sales.
Rafaelian owns Bar and Board Bistro in Newport and a cafe franchise called Teas and Javas; some of its cafes are attached to Alex and Ani stores, and some are independent. She is also the owner of the Rhode Island winery Carolyn's Sakonnet Vineyard, purchased in 2012 which features wine making, dining area and locally sourced foods. Since taking over, the vineyard has won a number of awards in international competition.
Personal life.
Rafaelian is divorced from her first husband.
Rafaelian is the owner of a 60-room mansion, the Belcourt of Newport, formerly known as Belcourt Castle, in Newport, Rhode Island, built in 1894.
"Rhode Island Monthly" described Rafaelian's charitable work as including "Project USA, a nonprofit, which has raised funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, survivors of breast cancer, and endangered species" as well as separate projects with the Humane Society of the United States.
Rafaelian was listed 22nd in "Forbes" America's Richest Self-Made Women in 2016, with net worth estimated at $700 million in June 2016. In May 2017, she was recognized by the David Lynch Foundation for her humanitarian efforts. In June 2018, Rafaelian was estimated to be worth $1 billion, and 18th on the "Forbes" list of America's richest self-made women, owning 80% of Alex and Ani. By June 2019 her net worth had dropped to an estimated $520 million.
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Alex and Ani
Jewelry company
Alex and Ani is an American retailer and producer of jewelry located in Cranston, Rhode Island.
History.
The firm was founded in 2004 by Carolyn Rafaelian. The name comes from a combination of the first names of Rafaelian's two daughters. The company originally stated that they wanted to produce "bangle bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings that adorn the body, enlighten the mind, and empower the spirit". The company first manufactured its jewelry in a factory that was founded by Rafaelian's father in 1966 and all materials were made in America.
The first retail Alex and Ani store opened in Newport in 2009, and in addition to the stand-alone stores, the jewelry was sold through national departments stores. In 2011, American retail company The Paper Store LLC invested over $10 million to build "shop within a shop" areas featuring the jewelry brand Alex and Ani in many of their stores.
In 2010 Giovanni Feroce joined the company as CEO and drove the company's expansion, increasing the sales total for the year by more than 20 times its previous annual total. In 2011, the company launched its Charity By Design program where 20% of sales go to charity. It also partnered with the Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival to create specialty charms for each ticket buyer of each festival. In 2013 the company partnered with the New England Patriots and New England Revolution sports teams to provide sports-themed merchandise and uniforms. That year the company also published "Path of Life: Why I Wear My Alex and Ani", a book co-authored by Feroce and Alex and Ani corporate historian Cyd McKenna.
The company’s revenue grew from $5 million in 2010 to over $500 million in 2016. In 2012, the company acquired a majority stake in the advertising agency Mediapeel after becoming the firm's largest client, changing the company name to Seven Swords Media. Also in 2012, the firm opened its first European branded stores. That year, JH Partners acquired a large stake in the firm, adding it to its lifestyle portfolio. JH Partners cashed out in 2014, selling its 40% stake in the company to British buyout firm Lion Capital, in a deal that valued the company at $1 billion.
In March 2014, Rafaelian fired Feroce, the company's CEO. In March 2015, Harlan Kent, a former CEO of Yankee Candle, became the new president of the company. That year, the company expanded into Japan, and began a partnership with Disney Parks, to provide jewelry for their souvenir stores. Kent left the company within a year.
In 2016, Rafaelian purchased original copper from the Statue of Liberty and the company launched the Liberty Copper Collection. In 2017, Alex and Ani became the primary "presenting sponsor" of David Lynch's arts and music festival, the Festival of Disruption.
In October 2017, the company's Australian distributor, House of Brands, closed the Alex and Ani concept store in Melbourne, as well as all related kiosks in malls in Australia, announcing that it would shut down the related website in January 2018. House of Brands had been the company's distributor in Australia and New Zealand since December 2015.
At the end of 2017, the company's CEO, Cindy DiPietrantonio, and its CFO, Bob Woodruff, left the company; over serving in their roles for just over a year. In September 2018, the company announced that it intended to sell more of its pieces directly to consumers, rather than through distributors, with a goal of 75 to 80 percent of sales being through its stores or its websites by March 2020, up from its current 50 percent. The company said it planned to open 25 to 30 more concept stores within a year.
In July 2019, Alex and Ani filed a $1.1 billion federal lawsuit against Bank of America, asserting that the lender had discriminated in its treatment of the woman-led company. The company dismissed the suit in August, and in September 2019 agreed to a new debt structure with its syndicate of lenders, led by Bank of America. As part of the restructuring, Rafaelian had given up her controlling equity interest, and Lion Capital installed a new CEO, Bob Trabucco. In May 2020, Rafaelian was officially terminated as an employee of the company.
On June 9, 2021, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company attributes their bankruptcy filing to falling revenue in the wake of operational and supply chain difficulties as well as major turnover in their C-suite, which led to a 2019 out-of-court restructuring, plus the COVID-19 pandemic played a major role in the company's revenue decline.
At the time of the bankruptcy filing, founder Rafaelian was no longer involved with the company she started. In late 2022, Rafaelian launched Metal Alchemist, another jewelry company based in Rhode Island that uses American-made products and sticks to Rafaelian's Rhode Island roots.
Early in 2023, Alex and Ani had 38 stores across the United States. In June 2023, Alex and Ani had closed another 21 stores and their corporate headquarters in Rhode Island overnight, leaving 7 locations still open.
In November 2023, months after Alex and Ani abruptly vacated their East Greenwich, Rhode Island headquarters, it left behind thousands of pieces of equipment, and unpaid bills from local business owners, its landlord, and the town of East Greenwich. Sal Corio, the owner of SJ Corio Company conducted the auction and told The Boston Globe that the bagging equipment alone was worth "more than $200,000" if it had been purchased new. He was initially hired by Alex and Ani to auction off their own equipment, but told The Boston Globe that they "locked him out" and never communicated with him again. Not long after, Corio was contacted by the property owner, who hired him to carry out the auction. The auction attracted more than 900 bidders.
Activities.
The firm produces bangles, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and rings. The company first came to national attention in 2004 when they produced a necklace featuring an apple for Gwyneth Paltrow following the birth of her daughter Apple, leading to many orders of similar merchandise.
The firm has begun collaborating with national organizations to create custom pieces and give a portion of proceeds to the respective charity.
A signature design feature of the company's products is the "patented sliding mechanism that replaces the traditional clasp, making each bracelet entirely adjustable" making it "one-size-fits-all". Rafaelian patented the Alex and Ani 14-gauge wire bangle in 2004; it is one of about 30 patents the company now holds.
References.
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Alex Ibru
Nigerian businessman (1945–2011)
Alex Ibru (1 March 1945 – 20 November 2011) was a Nigerian businessman, founder and publisher of "The Guardian" (Nigeria) newspaper, who was minister of internal affairs from 1993 to 1995 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha.
Background.
Ibru was the son of Chief Janet Omotogor Ibru and brother of Michael Ibru, founder of the Ibru Organization.
Ibru was born on 1 March 1945 in Agbhara-Otor, in today's Delta State. He attended the Yaba Methodist Primary School (1951–1957), Ibadan Grammar School (1958–1960), Igbobi College, Lagos (1960–1963) and Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom (1967–1970), where he studied business economics.
Business career.
Ibru was chairman of Rutam Motors. In 1983, he met with the newspapermen Stanley Mecebuh of "Daily Times of Nigeria", Patrick Dele-Cole also formerly of that paper and Olusegun Osoba, formerly of "Nigerian Herald". With 55% funding from the Ibrus, they launched "The Guardian" in 1983, with Alex Ibru as chairman.
The "Guardian" had various pro-left academics on its board, with a clear bias towards Obafemi Awolowo's Unity Party of Nigeria, and the first editor Lade Bonuola was held to strongly support the UPN. On the other hand, Ibru was from a Billionaire business family and Stanley Macebuh was right wing in his views, so the paper tried to maintain a balance. The stated goal of the paper were to provide an independent and balanced view.
The success of "The Guardian" made it clear that there was an appetite for high quality journalism in Nigeria and it was followed by news magazines such as "Newswatch".
The military regime did not appreciate the paper's independence and it was persecuted under military ruler General Muhammadu Buhari (January 1984 – August 1985).
Ibru provided funding to the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), established during the military regime of Buhari's successor, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Ibru was minister of internal affairs from 1993 to 1995 in the Sani Abacha government. His appointment by Abacha was seen as a gesture of appeasement to the press.
In December 1993, there were violent clashes between the Ogoni and Okrika people in the slums of Port Harcourt in Rivers State. Ibru led a committee to tour Ogoniland and investigate the causes of unrest. Other members were Don Etiebet, minister of petroleum reserves, and Melford Okilo, minister of tourism.The military administrator of the state, Dauda Musa Komo, escorted the group. Embarrassingly for the military regime, during the trip a large crowd demonstrated in Bori blaming Shell Oil pollution for their problems.
Ibru had told his staff on "The Guardian" that he would not get involved in partisan politics. Despite this, the newspaper was highly critical of the Abacha regime. On 14 August 1994, "The Guardian" offices were raided and shut down by the government, although Ibru retained his post. The newspapers were only allowed to reopen in October 1994 following an apology by Ibru for any offensive comments that may have appeared.
On 2 February 1996, his car was sprayed with machine gun fire from unidentified men who had trailed him in a deep-blue Peugeot. Both Ibru and the editor-in-chief Femi Kusa were flown to England for treatment of their injuries.
After Abacha's death in 1998, his chief security officer, Hamza Al-Mustapha, and others were charged with the assassination attempt.
Alex Ibru died on 20 November 2011, aged 66.
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Citations.
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Escape from Furnace
Books series by Alexander Gordon Smith
Escape from Furnace is a series of five novels written by British author Alexander Gordon Smith. The books are written from perspective of the teenage protagonist Alex Sawyer and describe his incarceration in the fictional London prison Furnace Penitentiary. "Escape from Furnace: Lockdown" is followed by "Solitary", "Death Sentence", "Fugitives" and "Execution". Smith followed up the series with a novella, "The Night Children", which tells the story of the 17-year-old commissioned officer Kreuz (known as Warden Cross in the series) and his meeting with Alfred Furnace, the prison's founder, and his creatures in the Belgian woods during World War II. Escape from Furnace is the United States title of the series, as in the United Kingdom the series is known as just "Furnace".
Plot overview.
"Lockdown".
Furnace Penitentiary, in the distant future, is the world’s most secure prison for young offenders. It is buried a mile beneath the Earth’s surface. One way in and no way out. Once you're here, you're here until you die, and for most of the inmates that doesn't take long - not with the sadistic guards and the bloodthirsty gangs. Convicted of a murder he didn't commit, sentenced to life without parole, ‘new fish’ Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world.
Only in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil: where creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood drenched tunnels below waiting to kill. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and as dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.
Together with a bunch of inmates - some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers - Alex plans the prison break to end all prison breaks. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex's actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that's hidden from the eyes of the world...
"Solitary".
Alex, Zee and Gary are on the loose in Furnace tunnels and caves but are eventually found by the warden, the blacksuits and their hounds. Alex and Zee are condemned to a month in the 'hole', the solitary confinement, while a wounded Gary is taken to the infirmary. In the pitch black hole, where all the worst nightmares come true, Alex and Zee manage to stay sane by communicating to each other by banging on the steel pipes and the frequent visits of Simon - he yanks them out of their cells and works with them and his friends in order to make an escape attempt: first through a steeple, later through the incinerator. In the prison's underground mazes Alex and Zee discover the dark truth: the inmates are lab rats; the wheezers perform procedures on them in order to become blacksuits but these experiments sometimes fail so they're either turned into 'rats' which seek only for food and revenge or 'mutants', half rats half boys, who are harmless because they remember their old lives. In the infirmary Alex finds Gary and Donovan (who is later smothered by a pillow) who are turned into blacksuits. Alex's second escape plan doesn't go smoothly either: Zee is taken to the infirmary but is later saved by Simon and Alex, the steeple doesn't lead to the outside but to one of the rats' lair and on their way through the incinerator Alex, Zee and Simon are caught by the blacksuits.
"Death Sentence".
Alex undergoes the blacksuit procedure, while Simon, Zee and Ozzie are locked up. With the 'nectar', a dark liquid full of tiny golden flecks, in his veins, Alex starts to forget things - his life prior and in Furnace, his friends and even his name - and what's left is a cruel, merciless hatred toward the weak and a lust for power. But to become a real blacksuit, he has to pass a test, in which he successfully kills many rats and Ozzie. As a new recruit, he finds out other secrets: the existence of the 'berserkers' (creatures that are bigger, stronger, more merciless and with no rational thoughts as the blacksuits), and the nectar - the essence of it (the darkness that lies in someone's fear of death) and the motives behind it (to create perfect soldiers without fear, pain nor pity). When he has to pass another test by killing Zee, Alex starts to remember his name so he attempts to escape for the third time along with Zee and Simon, this time through the elevator that connects the prison with the main gate. After a while, he starts to feel weak due to the lack of the nectar; without it he can either become a boy again or completely lose his mind and become a merciless killer, worse than a berserker, but Simon takes care of it. In the prison's 'gen pop' they and the other prisoners successfully defeat their enemies sent - first the blacksuits, later two berserkers - and reach the main gate. They are finally free. Hearing the police sirens, Alex, Simon and Zee run for it while in Alex's mind there's Furnace's voice screaming "I am coming for you".
"Fugitives".
The inmates are on the run with the police and the SWAT on their heels, but are also chased by Furnace nightmarish creatures that carry the 'red-flecked' nectar - it has evolved into a plague, so the infected creatures or humans spread it by attacking and/or killing others. Trying to get as far away from the prison as possible, Alex, Zee and Simon hide first in a mall, later in the metro where they meet Lucy. After encountering some infected, Alex is bitten by a red-flecked berserker that causes him to teeter on the brink of insanity thanks also to Alfred Furnace's voice and visions - he wants Alex to be his right-hand man in the new 'Fatherland'. Soon they realize that the city is in a state of chaos and destruction, a war between Furnace's infected and humanity. After an attack of the infected in St Martin's Cathedral that Alex, Zee, Simon and Lucy survive, they are brought by Annabel and another soldier to a supposed safe place of PMCs, later revealed as the blacksuits. During their short capture, Alex, Zee, Simon and Lucy discover another inconvenient truth: the red-flecked nectar has been created by Alfred Furnace and is more powerful than the warden's nectar, and the Furnace Penitentiary is not the only place where blacksuits are created. They decide to destroy Furnace's tower with Furnace and his creatures in it. When Alex comes to meet Furnace, he finds instead Warden Cross who fills himself with the red-flecked nectar. He fights Alex but is eventually defeated. Drinking from Cross' blood, Alex becomes a berserker. On the tower's roof while the building is being bombarded, Alex promises to find and kill Furnace.
"Execution".
Alex is brought by the army, along with Zee, Simon and Lucy, to St Margaret's hospital where he, Simon and other Furnace creatures are studied by Panettiere and others while the plague's spreading through and out of the country. During the experiments, Alex drifts in and out of sleep where he experiences Furnace's memories. With Zee's visit, Alex realizes that he's expendable - he doesn't have any information about the nectar reproduction/annihilation or the whereabouts of then culprit. So Panettiere kills him but is resurrected by Sam. After Cross' death, Alex's considered Furnace's right-hand man, therefore, Sam and some berserkers help him and his friends to escape. With Panettiere and her army on their heels (they want to study Zee's immunity to the nectar), they spend the night in Alex's house, where he finds out that his parents haven't abandoned him as he remembers but have been trying to get him out of prison, and then they finally reach the island where Furnace is. At last, Alex meets Furnace who's still alive by being attached to a machine and wants Alex to be his heir - Alex is the only one who could handle the nectar and remember his history, and that's what the Stranger needs to survive. He accepts Furnace's offer, in doing so Alex's nectar is replaced by the Stranger's blood in Furnace's veins. Furnace is turned to dust and the Stranger manipulates Alex in continuing the war. However, with his friends' support Alex ends it by killing all of Furnace's creatures, including Simon, through telepathic images of freedom and peace. When Panettiere finally reaches them, she receives all of Alex's blood and dies while Alex's saved by receiving a nectar transfusion. Alex, Zee and Lucy are then brought to a military base where he's interrogated about what's happened. As time passes, the three of them and the whole world are trying to live a better, normal life, and Alex goes under the knife in order to become human again.
Main characters.
Alex Sawyer - The main protagonist, 14 years old. Despite his young age, he makes several bad choices that lead him to imprisonment: he becomes a bully with two other kids, a thief and a liar. After a burglary, he is framed for the murder of his best friend and is sent to Furnace with no possibility of parole. With a bunch of inmates he tries to escape twice, but fails. After the second attempt he is turned into a blacksuit, and during a test to prove himself as a black suit, he kills Ozzie. However, he remembers his name and he successfully makes the third escape along with all of the prisoners of Furnace. He is on the brink of insanity due to the nectar running through his veins, but with his friends' help he manages to stay true to himself. After the escape he's infected with a new type of nectar, defeats Warden Cross and is turned into a berserker. After escaping the army who wants the nectar for themselves, he kills Furnace by becoming his heir and receiving the stranger's blood in Furnace's veins. Taking control of the war, he manages to end it by killing all of Furnace's creatures with his friends' help. He then escapes Furnace.
Zee Hatcher - One of Alex's closest friends, sent to Furnace at the same time as Alex. He is framed for driving into an older woman and prior to Furnace, he used to steal cars. He's immune to the nectar: to the warden in "Death Sentence" he's of no use (he is unable to be turned into a blacksuit), while the army in "Execution" is very interested in him (he could hold the key to the cure).
Carl Donovan - Alex's cellmate, 16 years old, one of the first to be brought to Furnace. At 11 years old he murders his mother's lover with a candlestick - he couldn't bear his mother's beatings. In "Lockdown" he acts as a guardian angel for Alex, although he is loath to admit it, and takes part in the escape plan until he is taken away in the blood watch. In "Solitary" he is turned into a blacksuit and is killed by Alex. Throughout the whole series, Alex still thinks of him and has imaginary talks with him.
Simon Rojo-Flores - A failed mutant who assists Alex and Zee with and after their escape plan from the hole. He is sent to Furnace because he accidentally murders the owner of a jewelry store during a robbery. He dies at the end of "Execution".
Lucy Wells - A girl who tags along with Alex, Zee, and Simon after they meet in "Fugitives". Her father was a policeman who was killed during the "Summer of Slaughter", therefore, she hates them at first.
Warden Cross - One of the main antagonists whose eyes are so full of madness, hatred and rancid glee that meeting them is like watching yourself die a million times over. He is over 100 years old, and was 'adopted' by Furnace during WWII. Since then, he has regularly taken the nectar. In Furnace Penitentiary, he has control over the wheezers, blacksuits, prisoners and other creatures. He takes orders only from Alfred Furnace, often referring to himself as Furnace's 'right-hand man'. Due to Alex's rebellion against him, Furnace attempts to use Alex as Cross's replacement. Warden Cross is eventually drained of his own blood by Alex and fed to the wheezers in "Fugitives".
Alfred Furnace - He is the founder of the Furnace Penitentiary and the main antagonist in the series. He communicates telepathically with Alex and the other creatures through the nectar but he appears only in "Execution". Having been born in Hungary in the 18th century - thereby making him over 300 years old as of the events of the story - and has experienced this enhanced lifespan due to his usage of the Stranger's blood, the base product of the nectar. When he was a boy, he was framed for murdering his younger brother József - the real killer was the Stranger - and was crucified by the townspeople; instead of death he choose the Stranger's offer, receiving immortality through the Stranger's blood. For centuries, he traveled across Europe, creating soldiers with his nectar in order to make a world in which there is only strength and equality. However, Furnace isn't in control of his actions but is controlled by the Stranger. In "Execution" he finally dies and is replaced by Alex.
Side characters.
Sam The Blacksuit - A blacksuit who turns out to be assisting Alex while he is in the base in "Fugitives."
General Hamilton - A general in "Execution" who gives Alex, Zee and Lucy a lift from the island to a military base.
Monty - An inmate that shows up the same time as Alex. At first he is aloof and shows no warmness to Alex even after he saves his life during a skirmish in the trough room but at the end repays the kindness by making him, Donovan and Zee a legitimate meal using leftovers in the kitchen. He is taken by the blood watch and turned into a blacksuit - he murders Kevin. At the end of "Lockdown", he saves Alex from Moleface and dies. Seconds before his death however, he tells Alex, "Never forget your name", and this would save Alex from turning into a complete monster many times later in the series. Alex and Monty seem to be the only characters in the series who remembered their names after being turned by the nectar (excluding Warden Cross).
Toby Merchant - A boy who arrives at Furnace shortly after Alex and is framed for murder as well. In "Lockdown" he attempts to commit suicide along with Ashley but is saved by Alex. He helps Alex, Donovan and Zee with the escape plan, but during the escape he is badly wounded by the explosion. In "Lockdown" he dies during the attempted escape.
Moleface - A blacksuit with a small mole on the chin. He is the one who frames Alex for murdering his best friend.
Skulls - One of the many gangs in Furnace, particularly cruel to "new fish". Gary became their leader in "Lockdown".
Fifty-Niners - One of the gangs responsible for the "Summer of Slaughter" and one of the first to come to Furnace
Rats - Furnace inmates who undergo the procedure to become blacksuits; experiment fails. They completely lose their mind due to the pain caused by the procedure and are always in search for food, including human's flesh, and revenge against the blacksuits and the warden.
Jimmy - He is framed for murder at the same time as Alex, Zee and Monty. In "Lockdown" he wants to escape with Alex, Zee, Toby, and Gary but fails and rats them out. His fate is unconfirmed - probably dead.
Ashley - A boy who upon arriving at Furnace, commits suicide.
Carlton Jones - Zee's cellmate in "Lockdown". His fate is unconfirmed - probably dead.
Brandon - One of Alex's friends prior to Furnace. His fate is unconfirmed - probably dead.
Toby - Prior to Furnace, Toby was Alex's best friend and partner-in-crime who loved Elvis Presley. During a burglary, Toby is shot and killed by Moleface.
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Drumchapel Amateur F.C.
Association football club in Glasgow City, Scotland
Football club
Drumchapel Amateur Football Club is a football club from the village of Duntocher, near Clydebank in Scotland. Formed in 1950 in the Drumchapel area of the city of Glasgow, they are nicknamed "The Drum". The club presently competes in the Central Scottish Amateur Football League and is viewed as one of the top amateur clubs in the country, winning the Scottish Amateur Cup as recently as 2005.
A team with a proud history, they have been the start for many players who would turn professional such as George McLean, Jim Forrest, Alex Willoughby, Alex Ferguson, Walter Smith, David Moyes, Andy Gray, Archie Gemmill, John Wark, Kenny McDowall, Asa Hartford, Eddie McCreadie, John Robertson and Paul Wilson.
Club colours were originally green and white hoops; in the late-1980s the club moved on to red and black. "The Drum" play their home games at Glenhead Park, which is the former home of junior club Duntocher Hibernian. When Duntocher Hibs became defunct Drumchapel moved in, meaning that they no longer play home games in the area that gives them their name. It does mean they have one of the best playing facilities of any amateur team in Scotland. There is also still a youth system in place below the senior team.
A portrait of club founder Douglas Smith hangs in the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park, in recognition of his contribution to the club and the development of young footballers. It was unveiled in 2014 by former Drumchapel player Alex Ferguson.
2004–05
1986–87, 2002–03
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Nailbomb
Multinational heavy metal band
Nailbomb is a heavy metal band formed in 1993 as a side project by Brazilian musician Max Cavalera (then the frontman of Sepultura) and British musician Alex Newport of Fudge Tunnel. They played a combination of primarily industrial metal and thrash metal. The band recorded one studio album, "Point Blank", and played a warmup live performance and their only official gig for 29 years at the 1995 Dynamo Open Air Festival two days later, after which the band disbanded. The band reunited for the first time in 29 years in Tempe, Arizona in November 2024.
History.
Nailbomb hosted other musicians to play guest spots, including D.H. Peligro (Dead Kennedys), Max Cavalera's brother Igor Cavalera (Sepultura co-founder), and guitarist Dino Cazares (co-founder and guitarist of Fear Factory). Nailbomb's second album, "Proud to Commit Commercial Suicide", was a live recording capturing the band's appearance at the 1995 Dynamo Open Air Festival in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
The project was largely defunct for over two decades, with no intention of the band ever reuniting or releasing any new material, until Cavalera announced in April 2017 he would play the entire "Point Blank" album on tour with his band Soulfly. Newport was not involved in the performances, citing his busy schedule as the reason. Instead, Cavalera drafted his son Igor Cavalera Jr., who had previously toured as a bassist and backing vocalist for Soulfly, to perform Newport's vocal and keyboard/sampler parts.
On August 14, 2024, Max Cavalera announced that Nailbomb would reunite for its first show in 29 years as part of the "Max Cavalera Dynasty Show", which took place at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona on November 9. In addition to Cavalera, the lineup for this show was his son Igor and Travis Stone both on guitar, bassist Johny Chow, sampler Alex Cha and drummer Adam Jarvis. In early November 2024, it was announced Nailbomb would be playing the Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium in August 2025.
Band members.
Members.
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Giovanni Feroce
American politician
Giovanni Feroce is a 2018 Rhode Island gubernatorial election primary candidate, retired American military officer, former Rhode Island State Senator, and the former CEO of Alex and Ani and Benrus.
Political and military career.
Giovanni Feroce graduated with a BA in political science from the University of Rhode Island in 1991. He later graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Advanced Management Program and from the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School's Civil Affairs Officer Advance Course. In 1992, at age 24, he was elected to serve in the Rhode Island State Senate; at the time, he was the country’s youngest state senator. There he served on the Corporations and Labor Committees, and as secretary of the Joint Committee for Veteran's Affairs as well as Commissioner of the Rhode Island State Lottery. He retired from the state legislature to run for Rhode Island's


Joel Kinnaman
Swedish actor (born 1979)
Charles Joel Nordström Kinnaman (; born 25 November 1979) is a Swedish-American actor. He first gained recognition for his roles in the 2010 Swedish film "Easy Money" and the "Johan Falk" crime series. Kinnaman is known internationally for his television roles as Detective Stephen Holder in AMC's "The Killing", Takeshi Kovacs in the first season of "Altered Carbon," and Governor Will Conway in the American version of "House of Cards". He has also played Alex Murphy in the 2014 "RoboCop" remake, and Rick Flag in the Warner Bros. film adaptations of the DC Comics anti-hero team "Suicide Squad" (2016), as well as its sequel, "The Suicide Squad" (2021). Since 2019, he has starred as NASA astronaut Ed Baldwin in the Apple TV+ science fiction drama series "For All Mankind".
Early life.
Charles Joel Nordström Kinnaman was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. His mother, Bitte (Nordström), a therapist, is a Swedish citizen. His father, Steve Kinnaman (originally David Kinnaman), is an American who was drafted during the Vietnam War and deserted the military from his base in Bangkok. Kinnaman is a dual citizen of Sweden and the United States. His father, whose family was from the American Midwest, is of Irish and Scottish descent; whereas his maternal grandmother is of Ukrainian Jewish descent.
He has five sisters, one of whom is actress Melinda Kinnaman (paternal half-sister). During his childhood, Kinnaman learned two languages as he "spoke English with my dad and Swedish with my mom". He grew up with fellow actors Alexander Skarsgård and Noomi Rapace, and spent a year in Del Valle, Texas, as a high school exchange student. After graduating from high school, he decided to travel around the world. To finance the trips, he worked in various jobs — as a beer factory line worker and roof-sweeper in Norway, and as a bar manager in the French Alps. He then traveled for four to five months at a time over a period of two years in Southeast Asia and South America, the latter with fellow Scandinavian actor David Dencik.
Career.
Kinnaman began his acting career as a child actor in Swedish soap opera "" (1990). His older sister was dating one of the show's directors, and he asked Kinnaman to audition for a part on the show. After portraying Felix Lundström in 22 episodes, he stepped away from acting.
Kinnaman restarted his acting career in 2002. While studying at drama school, Kinnaman featured in several films such as "Hannah med H" and "God Save the King" (Swedish: "Tjenare kungen"). He also worked on productions staged at the Backa Theatre in Gothenburg. He graduated from Malmö Theatre Academy in 2007 and started working at the Gothenburg City Theatre. In the same year, he attracted the attention of Swedish media with the role of Raskolnikov in a stage adaptation of "Crime and Punishment". In 2009, he starred in the film "In Your Veins" (Swedish: "") and played the role of a police informant in six films of the "Johan Falk" film series. He was cast in the film "Easy Money" (released January 2010), which brought him mainstream attention in Sweden and at the international film market, and also earned him a Guldbagge Award in the Best Actor category.
Looking to expand his acting career, Kinnaman hired an agent in the United States. It was announced in the spring of 2010 that he would be making his international film debut in the thriller "The Darkest Hour", which began filming in Moscow in June 2010 and was released in December 2011. Between April 2011 and August 2014, Kinnaman had a four-season starring role as Detective Stephen Holder in the AMC television series "The Killing", based on the Danish television series "Forbrydelsen". Kinnaman was one of the contenders for the lead roles in "Thor" (2011) and "" (2015). Although Kinnaman said that he is eager to work and become recognized in the U.S., he added that "I absolutely don't feel that I have to take any role that I can get just because it is the United States. I'm looking for something interesting, I'm still young in my artistry, and I must dare to do things even when there's a risk for failure".
In 2012, Kinnaman reunited with "Easy Money" director Daniel Espinosa in the latter's Hollywood debut, "Safe House", and also starred in the indie film "Lola Versus". On 3 March 2012, it was confirmed that Kinnaman would play the lead role of Alex James Murphy/RoboCop in the remake of 1987's "RoboCop". The film was released in February 2014. In 2015, he starred in the action thriller "Run All Night" and mystery drama "Child 44".
In 2016, Kinnaman played Rick Flag in the Warner Bros. film adaptation of DC Comics anti-hero team "Suicide Squad", directed by David Ayer. He reprised his role as Rick Flag in its 2021 sequel/soft reboot, "The Suicide Squad", directed by James Gunn. He also starred in the independent drama-thriller film "Edge of Winter", in which he plays Elliot Baker, a father of two who takes his children on a shooting trip that goes wrong. The film was released on demand on 27 July 2016, and in select theaters on 12 August 2016.
Between 2016 and 2019, Kinnaman worked on 4 different original productions of streaming television networks such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. Kinnaman played Governor Will Conway in Seasons 4 and 5 of the American version of "House of Cards" on the streaming service Netflix, and the protagonist Takeshi Kovacs in Netflix's "Altered Carbon", an adaption of Richard K. Morgan's hardboiled cyberpunk science fiction novel of the same name. Also in 2019, Kinnaman starred as Erik in the Amazon Prime Video series "Hanna," an adaptation of the 2011 action film of the same name. Since 2019, Kinnaman starred as NASA astronaut Ed Baldwin in the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama series "For All Mankind".
In 2019, Kinnaman played Pete Koslow in Andrea Di Stefano's action thriller film "The Informer." In 2020, Kinnaman starred as Thomas Steinman in Yuval Adler's post-war thriller "The Secrets We Keep". Kinnaman also starred in Jérémie Guez's crime drama "Brothers by Blood" which was released in the United States in 2021. In January 2021, it was announced that Kinnaman was cast in Season 4 of the "In Treatment" reboot at HBO. He will star as Adam, the on and off boyfriend of the main character Dr. Brooke Taylor (played by Uzo Aduba). He also reprised his role as Ed Baldwin in Season 2 of "For All Mankind", which aired in 2021.
Between 2022 and 2023, Kinnaman reprised his role as Ed Baldwin in Season 3 of "For All Mankind" and once again for Season 4, airing in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Personal life.
Kinnaman grew up with the condition of pectus excavatum, with a caved-in appearance of the chest. He underwent surgery prior to the filming of "Altered Carbon", inserting two metal bars to push the sternum outward to correct the deformity.
Kinnaman has been a fan of his hometown football club Hammarby IF from an early age.
Due to his constant traveling, Kinnaman's accent is noticeably mixed. While he identifies it as an American accent, he has stated that the "melody" is wrong and has since been working to perfect it.
Kinnaman was married to Swedish tattoo artist Cleo Wattenström from 2015 to 2018. He subsequently began a relationship with Swedish-Australian model Kelly Gale in early 2019. The couple announced their engagement in January 2021. Gale confirmed via Instagram that the couple married in 2024 during the Burning Man Festival.
Legal issues.
On 6 August 2021, Kinnaman filed and was granted a temporary restraining order against Gabriella Magnusson, whom he alleged was threatening him in an attempt to extort him after they had been in a brief romantic relationship in late 2018. Magnusson denied trying to extort Kinnaman. On 11 August 2021, the Swedish Prosecution Authority confirmed that Kinnaman had been accused of rape in an ongoing investigation. The investigation was closed without prosecution in October 2022.
References.
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William Conway (Irish republican)
Member of the Irish Republican Army
William Conway (1902- 9 June 1976) was born in Ballycrenode, County Tipperary in 1902. He was the son of Timothy and Anastasia Conway and brother to 6 siblings, 5 brothers and 1 sister. William Conway was a member of the Irish Republican Army and among the founders of the Young Ireland Hurling Club.
Background.
The son of a farmer, William Conway joined the IRA as a member of the North Tipperary IRA from 1917 to 1919. He came to Dublin and worked as a barman with his brother James near Lower Mount Street where they rented a place. Once in Dublin, he joined the branch of G Company 3rd Battalion of the Dublin Brigade. While working in Mount Street, he met Sean Hyde who had come into his shop.
Bloody Sunday (22 Lower Mount Street).
On 22 November 1921, his lodgings were raided by the military over the Bloody Sunday murders. The raiding party found pamphlets (illegal) a first aid kit, filed dressings, some maps, and a compass. He was arrested with his brother Jim and taken to the bridewell RIC barracks.
During a police lineup on 1 December, he was identified by Nellie Stapleton, a witness and maid at 22 Lower Mount Street, as being one of the people she saw during the assassination of Lieutenant Angliss. He was charged with murder.
On 15 December 1921 he was taken to Kilmainham Gaol along with three other suspects: Frank Teeling, Edward Potter, and Daniel Healy.
Kilmainham Gaol escape.
On the night of 14 February 1921, an escape from Kilmainham Gaol was masterminded by Michael Collins and his command. Frank Teeling, Ernie O'Malley, and Simon Donnelly escaped from the prison on the pretext of a transfer order, and after some guards were bribed. After Frank Teeling escaped, William Conway, who said he was in the cell next door told of the incident in a letter to the pensions board statement, that he took Frank Teeling's overcoat from his cell when he heard that bloodhounds were being brought in to search for the prisoners; thus removing the scent for the dogs. Following the prisoner escape by Frank Teeling from Kilmainham Jail on 14 February, the Under Secretary James MacMahon hastily arranged, under curfew, for the transfer of 24 high risk prisoners including Conway to Mountjoy Jail during the night of 16 February 1921.
Lower Mount Street trial.
The Bloody Sunday trial
for the Lower Mount Street murders began on the 25 January 1921, and ended on 31 January.
The whole of Ireland were enthralled by the trial with most Irish newspapers and international newspapers reporting it.
During the trial, William Conway vigorously protested his innocence saying that he was at 9am Sunday mass in Westmoreland Street. One controversial thing came to light with the release of Irish Military archive papers between 2015-2022, when a lawyer for the defence council, Vincent Rice, wrote to the Irish Bureau of Military history back in 1952 stating that a witness had seen Conway with his brother at about 8.50am walking on the way to mass. This statement was not shared by the prosecution at the time.
William Conway was convicted of the murder of Lieutenant Angliss along with Frank Teeling and Edward Potter. Two of the defendants were identified by a witness, a British Army Lieutenant called Mr. "C". The three were given sentences of death by hanging. Daniel Healy was tried separately and was found not guilty.
Parliamentary pressure.
A parliamentary question was asked by William Lunn MP in the House of Commons, with regard to doubts about William Conway's (and Edward Potter) conviction for the murder of Lieutenant Angliss. This being due to the two witnesses being of unreliable character. Mr. Lunn asked the Chief Secretary whether William Conway and Edward Potter were convicted of the murder of Lieutenant Angliss on the evidence of two witnesses; whether one of these witnesses was a servant in the house, whose account of the tragedy was excusably confused and contradictory; whether the other witness admitted that he was frequently drunk; whether he had been charged with disorderly conduct and also with assault and obscene language; and whether he had previously identified as having been concerned with the murder of Lieutenant Angliss two men who were subsequently proved to have been in gaol at the time?
A second parliamentary question was asked by John Swan MP to the Chief Secretary of Ireland, Sir Hamar Greenwood, about the 15 witnesses at Conway's trial who were brought forward to prove William Conway's alibi that he was not present during the murder of Lieutenant Angliss on 20 November 1920.
John Swan MP asked the Chief Secretary: "whether at the court-martial which convicted Conway and Potter of the murder of Lieutenant Angliss 15 witnesses were brought to prove an alibi for Conway and seven to prove that Potter was in bed at the time?"
Sir. Hamar Greenwood (the Chief Secretary of Ireland) stated: "The answer is in the affirmative".
Over a month later, William Conway and Edward Potter had their sentences commuted to penal servitude on 6 March 1921. Conway was later transferred to various prisons in England, including Dartmoor, Portland, and Frongoch in Wales.
Later life and death.
Following the amnesty of December 1921, Conway returned to Ireland. As an early member of the Gaelic Athletic Association he remained an organiser of the sport for a number of years. He was also a playing member of Faughs and Grocer's Club.
The then Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave attended his burial at Deans Grange Cemetery in 1976. William Conway was given full military honours at his funeral.
References.
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Old Broadway Theatre
Former theatre in Manhattan, New York
The Broadway Theatre (September 27, 1847 – April 2, 1859), called the Old Broadway Theatre since its demise, was at 326–30 Broadway, between Pearl and Anthony (now Worth) Streets in Lower Manhattan, New York City. With over 4000 seats, it was the largest theater ever built in New York when it opened. During its brief existence, many prominent performers of the era appeared on its stage. It presented plays, opera, ballet, hippodrama, and circus performances in a space that was reconfigured several times. The operators always struggled to make money, however, and after twelve years the Broadway Theatre was replaced by a more profitable building, for the textile trade.
The founding.
The original projector of the Old Broadway Theatre was Thomas S. Hamblin, in an agreement with James R. Whiting. But on April 25, 1845, just as Hamblin was about to begin construction, his Bowery Theatre burned to the ground, involving him in a loss of $100,000. At first he announced he was carrying on with his plan. Then he was publicly opposed by David Hale, editor of "The Journal of Commerce" and prominent member of the Broadway Tabernacle, across Anthony Street, which was used as a venue for concerts and other events. The "New York Herald" thought Hale objected to the prospect of competition so close by. Hamblin gave the project up.
Col. Alvah Mann, a well-known circus proprietor, then commenced the erection of it. After spending $14,000, he was obliged to call in the aid of James R. Raymond, a wealthy touring-menagerie owner, in order to complete the building. George Barrett was the initial acting and stage manager, and assembled the stock company of actors. On January 24, 1848, a few months after the theatre opened, Mann took a partner, E. A. Marshall, manager of the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, with "[t]he sole management of the Theatre, so far as its dramatic and theatrical arrangements are concerned, ... in the hands of Mr. Marshall. ... " Barrett left and was replaced by William Rufus Blake on February 21. The partnership was dissolved on October 25, 1848, Mann relinquished the building to Raymond, who held a mortgage on it, and Marshall became sole lessee and manager. He remained with the theater nearly ten more years.
The building.
One writer called the location "the very best spot in the city. It is accessible by all the omnibus lines, in the midst of the hotels, on high and wholesome ground." John M. Trimble was the theater's architect, and Addison Alger was the contracted mason and carpenter. The L-shaped lot had 75 feet on the south side of Anthony Street and the same on the east side of Broadway, the main entrance; it was 175 feet deep west to east. The façade on Broadway was three stories high and finished to look like stone. The upper stories each had six colored-glass windows. A balcony with thirteen large gas-lit globes overlooked the sidewalk from the second floor. (All the gas for the theater was manufactured in the rear basement from oil, to save money.) There was a square observatory on top. "The Evening Post" called the theater "a decided ornament to Broadway".
The effect on entering the house was called "brilliant in the extreme". It was lighted by thirteen chandeliers, each under a colorful grotesque figure of a Moor in the attitude of feeding it with oil. The stage curtain was of fringed crimson silk looped up by cords, and the drop depicted a Swiss landscape. The ornaments throughout the theater were gold on a white ground, and the fronts of the boxes represented a chase beginning on the lowest front, and continuing on the other two, turning alternately from right to left and from left to right. The top of the stage was adorned with portraits of Washington and Lafayette with the arms of New York State and the United States. The orchestra pit, surrounded by an open balustrade, was twelve feet by twenty-seven, with a double floor and a sounding chamber to increase the body of tone, especially of the cellos and basses. The stage was ninety-five feet wide by eighty-seven deep, and forty-seven feet across the proscenium.
The arrangement of seats was unusual for the period. The pit was transferred from the ground floor to the gallery (third tier), and in its place the inclined plane of the dress circle (first tier) was extended with the slope of an amphitheatre clear down to the stage. These seats were all entered from the dress circle, and cost the same price: one dollar. They were "well-stuffed sofas of luxurious width and inclination, leaving ample room between them for the 'largest liberty' of the feet." One writer contrasted the "personal comfort and luxury" with the Park Theatre's "system of torture applied to legs and arms" and "old fashioned filth, darkness and discomfort", adding, "all that is over".
The family circle (second tier) cost 50 cents and had 13 rows of benches. The third tier had "upper boxes", for which seats cost 50 cents, and the gallery, which cost 25 cents and had 20 rows of benches plus three additional rows, in the back, for African-American customers. The third tier included an unconnected female section with a separate entrance, on Anthony Street; the rest was for males. A newspaper editorial published October 2, 1847, addressed this arrangement in the context of sexual activity in theaters.
A large reservoir on the top of the building held a hundred tons of water, in case of fire.
Performers and performances.
As at other theaters, the resident stock company presented familiar plays in repertory, with guest stars – touring actors – playing the leading roles during engagements of one or more weeks. Sometimes a new play or special production had a run of consecutive performances. A bill opened with an overture by the house orchestra and comprised a full-length play plus a curtain-raiser or afterpiece, and perhaps another musical, dance, or specialty act, as well. Sometimes the main piece was an opera or ballet by a guest troupe. Summers the company was off, and the house was rented to touring acts. The performers who played the Broadway were the same as those who played the city's other theaters, such as the Park, the Bowery, Niblo's Garden, and the Academy of Music.
1847–50.
The first season began September 27, 1847, with "The School for Scandal". Lester Wallack made his American debut (using the name John Lester) in the afterpiece, "Used Up". The company also presented "Love's Sacrifice", "The Rivals", "Temper" (a new comedy by Robert Bell), "Money", Buckstone's "Flowers of the Forest", "Ernestine", "George Barnwell", "She Would Be a Soldier", "Robert Macaire", "Old Heads and Young Hearts", and "London Assurance", the last two starring Blake. Thomas Talfourd's new play, "Glencoe", and H. P. Grattan's new drama, "Advocate", were also produced. Short pieces included "Ladies, Beware"; "The Jacobite"; Thomas Haynes Bayly's "Ladder of Love"; "Captain of the Watch"; "Box and Cox"; and a new farce, "Young America".
Guest actors included James E. Murdoch in "Hamlet" and "The Lady of Lyons", Samuel Lover in his own play, "Emigrant's Dream", Mrs. George Percy Farren (née Mary Ann Russell) in "The Stranger", "The Gamester", and "The Ransom", Mr. and Mrs. James W. Wallack Jr. in "Macbeth" with guest actor James Stark, W. B. Chapman, James Robertson Anderson in "Othello" and "Romeo and Juliet". John Brougham's comedy, "Romance and Reality", starring the author, was a big hit and ran two weeks, as did John Collins, the Irish singer and actor.
Professor Risley & Sons, a popular gymnastics act, was on the bill for two weeks in October. The popular Italian ballerina Giovanna Ciocca, with Gaetano Morra, played two weeks. The French Ballet Company directed by Victor Bartholomin and featuring Hippolyte Monplaisir and his wife Adèle Monplaisir was on the bill from October 21 to November 29. Another French ballet company played April 3 – 15, starring Mlle. Hermine Blangy, with Mons. Bouxary, in "L'Illusion d'un Peintre" and "Giselle". Anna Bishop's Dramatic Company presented "Lucrezia Borgia" in Italian and "Linda of Chamouni" in English. The Monplaisirs returned on July 6 for four weeks (sans Bartholomin), presenting the ballets "L'Almee" and "Le Diable a Quatre".
The stock company was not successful the first season; audiences were meager and the press critical.
Edwin Forrest opened the second season August 28, 1848, in "Othello". He played a total of eight weeks over three engagements during the season, in the roles of Macbeth, Virginius, Richelieu, Damon in "Damon and Pythias", and Spartacus in "The Gladiator". Ann Childe Seguin and her husband Edward Seguin, singers of opera in English, performed October 11 – 24, and performed "The Enchantress" by Michael William Balfe for 20 nights beginning March 30. December 4 – 9 General Tom Thumb acted in "Hop o' My Thumb, or the Seven League Boots", written especially for him. On Christmas night, Lester Wallack (John Lester) played the title part in the premiere of "The Count of Monte Cristo", adapted by G. H. Andrews for this theatre, the first dramatization of the Alexandre Dumas novel to be performed in America. It ran 50 nights (dress circle and parquette raised to 75 cents), and was revived May 14–23, 1849. Henry Placide played March 5 – 24; with John Collins from March 12. April 18 – 21 James Henry Hackett played Falstaff in Henry IV. The Monplaisir Ballet Company ran May 28 – June 23, which ended the season. There followed a summer engagement of Italian opera, and ballet featuring Mlle. Blangy, August 13 – September 15.
The third season opened September 17, 1849, with Blake as acting and stage manager. James Hudson made his American debut, performing six weeks during the season. Charles Walter Couldock also made his American debut, appearing with Charlotte Cushman a total of six weeks. John Collins played five weeks. The Seguin troupe played two weeks. Mrs. George Barrett appeared 14 nights. Ellen and Kate Bateman, four and six years of age, respectively, made their first appearance in New York; they played a week, as did each of Murdoch, Hackett, and McKean Buchanan. "Extremes", a new comedy, was played for a month beginning February 25. Barrett returned as manager on March 21, after a grand benefit March 20 for Blake, who left the company at the end of the week. May 1 – 11, Mrs. Farren appeared. May 13 Jean Margaret Davenport appeared as "Evadne", sharing a bill with dancers Giovanna Ciocca and Gaetano Neri in a new ballet, "The Magic Flute". Her engagement ended May 25. July 4–6, 1850, Madame Augusta's production of the ballet "Nathalie", and Felix Carlo and family, pantomimists and gymnasts, formed a bill, closing the season.
1850–53.
The fourth season opened August 19, 1850, with Barrett as stage manager, and the American debuts of William Davidge, Frederick B. Conway, and Henry Scharf, and Sarah Anderton. During the season, Conway played opposite Cushman in "The Stranger" and other plays, and also appeared in "The School for Scandal", Morton's "All That Glitters is Not Gold", Douglas Jerrold's comedy "Retired From Business", a new drama called "Presented at Court", James Planché's "A Day of Reckoning", a French drama called "Belphœger", a new spectacle from the French called "Azael, the Prodigal", "The Husband of My Heart", "The Idol of My Heart", G. H. Boker's "The Betrothal", and Sullivan's "Old Love and New". Playing opposite Conway in the last four was Madame Ponisi (Mrs. Elizabeth Wallis), who made her New York debut November 11, as Lady Teazle in "The School for Scandal", and was so successful that she was at once given "leading business". She held that position almost continuously until the house was closed. September 2 – 7 Anna Bishop presented "Judith". Collins played three weeks in two engagements. Sir William Don's American debut was September 28; he played for two weeks. December 16 – 28 brought a ballet troupe, Celestine and Victorine Franck with Messrs. Espinosa and Gredelue. April 7, 1851, "Vision of the Sun" was revived; it starred Miss Anderton and ran five weeks. June 23 saw Cushman as Lady Macbeth. The season ended July 12.
Marshall's friends arranged a benefit for him at Castle Garden, August 12, 1851. It lasted from morning until late at night, and ticket-holders could leave and reenter at will. The next day, the report of this remarkable event took up two and one half columns in the "New York Herald".
Its interior entirely remodeled and renovated—the parquet enlarged to more than double its original size, the lower tier of boxes rebuilt, new gas fixtures introduced throughout the building, and a new stage laid, among other alterations before and behind the curtain—the Broadway Theatre opened for its fifth season on August 27, 1851, with Thomas Barry, formerly of the Park Theatre, as stage manager. The company played a week and a half of mixed bills including ballet by the Rousset Family, who danced "Les Fees", "Catarina", and the first act of "Giselle". Forrest appeared fifteen weeks over three engagements this season, performing King Lear, Jack Cade, and Metamora, in addition to his other roles. Madame Céleste played seven weeks in two engagements: in "St. Mary's Eve" and a new drama, "The Queen's Secret"; as Miami in "The Green Bushes", Cynthia in "The Flowers of the Forest", and Mazourka in "Taming a Tartar"; and as the French Spy, Naramattah, Marie Ducange, and the Cabin Boy. She also appeared opposite Conway in Boucicault's "The Willow Copse". On June 7, Mr. and Mrs. Seguin and Mr. T. Bishop appeared with her in "La Bayadare". Collins appeared five weeks over two engagements, in Edward Fitzball's version of "Paul Clifford"; in a new play by C. P. T. Ware, "The Irish Genius"; and as Sir Patrick O'Plenipo. Starting December 1 "Ingomar the Barbarian" was produced for one week, featuring Ponisi and Conway. Lola Montez, Countess of Landsfeld, opened December 29, 1851 for three weeks in the ballet "Betley, the Tyrolean". On May 18 she returned for two weeks in "Lola Montes in Bavaria", by C. P. T. Ware, in which she played herself. Mr. and Mrs. Barney Williams made their first appearance at this house June 21, 1852, running until July 7, 1852, on which date Forrest also appeared, in "Jack Cade", and the season ended.
The sixth season opened August 30, 1852 with "The Hunchback" by James Sheridan Knowles, in which Julia Dean made her first appearance at this theater. Collins arrived for two weeks, one of them with the Bateman Children in "The Young Couple" and "The Spoiled Child". Forrest began five weeks on September 20, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Barney Williams for one week. November 1, "Ingomar, the Barbarian" with Dean and Conway. November 8, "The Duke's Wager", by Mrs. Kemble Butler, with Dean, Ponisi, and Conway. November 15, a new petite drama by the Brothers Mayhew, with the Bateman Children and their father. November 29, Mrs. Mowatt for two weeks, who played Parthenia in "Ingomar", Blanche in her play "Armand", Rosalind, Mrs. Haller, Ion, and Martha Gibbs, and the title character in "Anne Blake, the Poor Dependent", by John Westland Marston. Nine weeks of opera began December 13, 1852, with the world premiere of the opera "The Peri" with words by S. J. Burr and music by James Gaspard Maeder (1809–1876), featuring Mr. Bishop, Caroline Richings, Ponisi, and Davidge. It was performed twelve times. December 27, "La Cenerentola" with Marietta Alboni performing for the first time in New York City, supported by Signors Sangiovanni, Rovere, and Barili. Alboni appeared as Norma, Amina, Rosina, and Marie in "Child of the Regiment", through January 28, 1853. February 14 for the first time in America, Jerrold's comedy "St. Cupid" was presented. February 24, Forrest acted Othello. His engagement was interrupted by illness, and on the 28th, "The White Slave of England" was produced, with Ponisi, Conway, Barry, and Mrs. Vernon. March 7, Forrest resumed, as Jack Cade. April 26, a new comedietta by Charles Mathews (the younger) called "Little Toddlekins" was given, with Davidge and Mrs. Vernon. On May 2 a new and lavish production of "Macbeth" opened, with Forrest, Conway, and Ponisi; it played 20 nights. The season closed July 18, 1853. The summer season by the Williamses (July 4 – August 6) was very successful.
1853–56.
The seventh season opened August 15, 1853, with "Forest Rose", by Samuel Woodworth. The Williamses played eight weeks over four engagements, with constantly increasing popularity; their repertory included "Shandy Maguire". Julia Dean played six weeks over three engagements, including "Isabel" and Boker's drama "Leonora di Guzman", both with Ponisi and Conway. Forrest played eight weeks in two engagements, performing in "Hamlet" and "The Merchant of Venice", among other plays. J. R. Anderson played six weeks over two engagements, in "Hamlet", "The Lady of Lyons", "Ingomar", "Othello", "Richard III", John H. Wilkins' "Civilization", "King Lear", Rev. James White's "The King of the Commons", "Macbeth", Gerald Griffin's "Gisippus", and "The Robbers". On November 1, he played Charles in "The Elder Brother" and Delaval in "Matrimony", for the American debut of Fanny Morant. On November 28, Miss Davenport began a two-week engagement which included "Adrienne, the Actress", "Camille", and the Countess in "Love". Collins played December 12, as Major Bagnal O'Daly and Paddy Murphy. On January 23, 1854, Sterling Coyne's comedy "The Hope of the Family" began, with "The Cataract of the Ganges", playing a six-week run. On February 6 a lavish new production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" began a run which ended March 11. (It competed with a production of the same play at Burton's Theatre, running at the same time.) May 29 began three weeks of "Faustus", with Charles Pope and Ponisi and Conway. The season closed July 8, 1854. ("Putnam's Monthly" disdained the building, its management, and its audience in a February 1854 article.)
The eighth season opened August 21, 1854, with Barrett as stage manager, replacing Mr. Barry. Miss Davenport played two engagements totaling four weeks, in "Camille" and "Adrienne" and opposite Conway in both "Ingomar" and "Evadne". E. L. Davenport played five weeks, two of them with his wife, Fanny Vining, who made her American debut (opposite her husband) March 2 in "Love's Sacrifice". He performed as Richard III, Brutus, Rolla