 During the first decade of operation, the Blackstone Theatre featured a number of unique productions. Among them were the performances of the Stratford-upon-Avon Players. Under the direction of F.R. Benson, they offered fourteen of Shakespeare's plays in two weeks during early November 1913. Also noteworthy was a presentation of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" in 1914; performances by the Boston Opera Company, featuring Mlle. Anna Pavlova in 1916 and Louis N. Parker's "Disraeli." And during periods of time when there was no play being performed, the Blackstone opened its doors to events sponsored by civic and fraternal organizations such as the Elks or Chicago's University Club. When Big Sisters was still a new organization, it held one of its first benefits at the Blackstone. The Blackstone was also the home to a large women's suffrage rally and conference in 1916; in attendance were 1,200 suffragists from all over the United States. And keeping up with the times, some of the performances from the stage of the Blackstone were heard on Chicago-area radio station WTAS, thanks to station owner Charles Erbstein, who thought it was a good idea to use the theatre for live broadcasts, and began doing so in early 1925.
