525 Madison-Gallery Circle Theater

A celebrated address for sale. Home of community theater and the start of Diane Ladd’s career.
I had heard about this theater over the years and back in the early 80s lived down the block. I would sit on my balcony and imagine theater goers arriving at dusk on foot and by taxi. Later as I stood inside my living room leaning against the doorway, I would think I could hear applause over the wall. Or maybe it was real and from around the corner in the Square, back in those days of jugglers and guitar players quietly practicing in front of stragglers late into the late night.

Gallery Circle Theater was the up-and-coming challenger to Le Petit. After two seasons – 1948-1950 – in the Jewish Community Center, GCT played the 1950-1951 season in the American Legion Hall. In September 1951, it opened its fourth season with Bob Cahlman directing Marion Schexnaydre [Zinser] in The Heiress in a new home at 525 Madison Street in the French Quarter. In 1953, Cahlman cast a young inexperienced newcomer from Mississippi, named Diane Ladner in Room Service. She would go on to become Diane Ladd, wife of Bruce Dern and mother of Laura Dern.

And this from the 2014 news story about it being for sale still (or again):

It was the 1950s when the Gallery Circle Theatre made a home here. Actress Diane Ladd got her start in the 1953 production called “The Heiress.” Caldeira said the property was larger and was cut in half about 20 years ago. “A gentleman who lived in the Quarter acquired this half of it and created this house,” said Caldeira.

It also held WPA gallery showings:

nutrias
525-Madison-Street-Tomato-Warehouse-entrance for sale in 2011 for 3 point 6 million bones, and in 2014 for 2 point 8.  What a place.

for sale

Benefit for HNOC

Well it ain’t Lil Queenie on the President, but may still be nice to get on the river…

5:00 p.m. Lectures by Captain Clarke “Doc” Hawley and Duke Heitger
6:30 p.m. Guests board the Steamboat NATCHEZ
7:00 p.m. Dinner cruise departs
7:30 p.m. Seating for dinner
9:00 p.m. Steamboat returns to the dock

Registration is now open! Tickets are $45 per person and include the lectures at 533 Royal St. and the dinner cruise (soft drinks included; cash bar), which departs from the dock at Toulouse St. and the river. You may also purchase your nonrefundable tickets through the NATCHEZ office by calling (504) 569-1401 and mentioning The Historic New Orleans Collection.

Guests can pick up their purchased tickets at The Collection, 533 Royal St., on the day of the event, starting at 4:30 p.m. You must have your tickets in hand to attend the lecture and board the ship. Ticket price does not include parking or gratuity. Proceeds from this event will benefit The Collection.

The story of Stanley and Stella

In restaurant form that is.
A classic New Orleans story with food as the central character. Scott Boswell, a young chef who is serious about his ongoing training, owns these restaurants with his wife Tanya. Scott is found at Stella’s working the kitchen (when he’s not traveling to restaurants to offer himself as a free apprentice) and Tanya can be seen daily at Stanley’s working the door and watching the entire place.
Both restaurants serve excellent food. Stella’s is award-winning and pretty expensive, but even with the deep pocket needed to go there,I can’t count how many times I have heard that this was the favorite meal of visitors and some locals who hit all of the top ones. Many times.
I know the chef and his wife from their stalwart support of the Crescent City Farmers Market, where I work. We opened a 4th location a few years before Katrina and they did anything they could do to support it. We’ll never forget it.
I like these folks because they are Quarter residents and real workers and committed to a scale of production, service and ambience that has made the city what it is.
(Now I have a friend who is not very happy with them and feels slighted in every way; she’s a savvy local who has loads of patience for quirks but got bad service and a worse response after, so I sorrowfully acknowledge that too. It’s the only version I have heard of that story, but she is pretty sore with them now.)
My experience has been great and now they have added a Stanley’s service bar right next door on the Square and so a tip of my cap again is in order. Espresso, pastries, ice cream and sandwiches in a beautifully designed storefront. Some work remains to do to get it all done but if you’re out at 8 am til evening in the area, go try the coffee or ice cream and then go have a eggs hollandaise poboy next door.

And revel in the culture renewing itself in the oldest part of the city, thanks to entrepreneurs like Scott and Tanya..

The newest addition to the Pontalba family. Espresso, pastries and ice cream from 8-7ish daily.

Study of a Friday morning

Royal Street at Esplanade.
The camera zooms in to a helmeted female, leisurely biking alongside of the parked cars. Weaving figure 8s, she squints up at the sun and nods to a few people on either sidewalk. We see her:
catch sight of the wisteria blooming on Royal in the Princess of Monaco courtyard. She pulls up on the sidewalk under it and stops to admire it.

Early morning wisteria at Cafe Amelie on Royal

After breakfast at Royal Blend, she takes a middle seat inside the Historic New Orleans Collection for the first Master Class of the year at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival. At its end, she is overheard saying to an acquaintance that it was more of a panel than a class. No matter. Still useful she says firmly, 2-3 new tidbits of information. She walks politely but quickly ahead of the more mature part of the crowd through the carriageway, into the sunlight and on to the street itself.

Tennessee Williams Literary Festival-Friday Master Class at HNOC

She cuts diagonally down Royal and again diagonally across Toulouse and spies the open door at Kitchen Witch Cook Books. She stops to chat about the Festival with its owners, neighbors and friends of hers. The couple are perennial TWiLFers as well. Lively talk among the 3 for a few minutes, then the female half of the couple kisses the male half goodbye and walks quickly to the corner of Decatur with lunch in hand.The man continues to talk to our heroine (arms folded, scrunched down a bit to be at eye level with her), while the cookbook dogs settle in for a long nap on the floor. On the way out she admires the mix of everything.

Kitchen Witch Cookbooks

A few zigzags across the French Quarter over the next few hours with some writing in a notebook and some chat. At 1 p.m. more or less, she walks to Jackson Square, past table-waiting couples giving their names to a white-shirted waiter and goes directly to the counter inside Stanley’s. She orders quickly and assuredly: small gumbo with potato salad, Italian soda with pomegranate. On either side of her, people watch her settle in. She notices them and engages both sides in conversation: first, on her right-a couple from California, married at the river last Friday. Long time visitors to the city. She thinks to herself it sounds like the woman married the city rather than the man.
Next, at her left is a Colorado couple in for “March Madness” which sounds odd to her ears. All discuss New Orleans, and interestingly both women ask our heroine what “she does”. She answers politely but does not ask them what they do. Instead she asks them what they want to do while here and offers suggestions.

The gumbo with potato salad, and the eggs benedict poboy

The waiter asks her if she likes the gumbo. She wonders why.

Clean plate at Stanley's

Book bag now in the basket, she swings a leg over her bicycle as it begins to roll down Chartres. The camera pans over the entire Square, which is seen with activity and life and music in every corner; at the end of the shot, she and her bicycle are indistinguishable from the rest.
The End. No credits.

Half Off Entry Fee to the CitySolve Urban Race

Well that would explain those crazy people I see from time to time, sprinting and or skipping while yelling “it’s here!” (Alas, I thought it was over my cheap drink map…)