Juke Joint Jukebox pays homage to the lineage of Gary Stanford Jr. (Creator/Director), and hopes to present a slice of history you may find challenging to learn in standard academia. His grandmother and her brother spent many years making a living behind the closed doors of adult-only entertainment Juke Joints on the east coast. 

Gary Stanford’s show takes a look at the origins of Juke Joints as created on slave plantations in the 1500s and 1600s of early America. As slavery ended, Juke Joints did quite the opposite and became one of the primary adult social mechanisms in the country. It also became a primary venue for some of our most beloved music artists to perform, collaborate, network, and more. When Prohibition forced alcohol underground, many of the best parties with the highest rollers and hottest performers followed suit, creating an underground arts environment like never seen before or again. 

With the end of Prohibition, the Juke Joints moved above ground and flourished in the biggest Metropolitan cities in the country, bringing with them the best musicians, performers and music. As WW2 slowed the industrial flourish of the newly invented Jukebox, a slew of new artists hit the scene and radio/tv airwaves with their music performed at Juke Joints by a multitude of club performers. We take a dive into Jukeboxes, Diners and styles of the 50s and finally explore the rock and roll era of the 1960s and the rise of Motown.

Performances: October 5 – 8, 2023

Thursday – 10/5 at 8PM

Friday –  10/6 at 8PM – CANCELLED

Saturday – 10/7 at 8PM

Sunday – 10/8 at 2PM

Please note: Patrons are recommended to wear masks at all times while in the theatre, and to remain at home if they’re experiencing any possible symptoms of COVID-19, or have been in recent close contact with somebody with COVID-19, at the time of the performance. Please find our COVID-19 policies here.