Poster for the premiere performance of the play Beauty Shop
date: label: Date
content: 1987; inscribed 1990
name: label: Printed by
content: Unidentified
label: Subject of
content: Shelly Garrett, American, 1946 - 2018
label: Signed by
content: Adrian Black, American
notes: label: Caption
content: Dissatisfied with the lack of opportunities for black actors in Hollywood, Shelly Garrett decided to produce a show of his own, and began writing plays. With help from his father, who had connections with the administration at San Bernadino Valley College, he secured the school’s 500-seat auditorium as a venue for the his play Beauty Shop. As Garrett later recalled, the show’s debut on April 5, 1987, was a crushing disappointment, with less than 50 tickets sold for both the matinee and evening performances combined. However, he persisted and took the show to Los Angeles, where he booked the historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre and bought radio ads on the African American-owned station, KJLH-FM. Through promotion and word of mouth, Beauty Shop began drawing sellout crowds soon after it opened in February 1988. In the fall of 1989, Garrett announced plans to send the show on a 50-city national tour. By 1991, Shelly Garrett’s Beauty Shop had grossed $33 million. The play would remain a fixture of the urban theater circuit for the next two decades. It would also inspire a television sitcom (ABC’s "New Attitudes," 1989) and a feature film, The Salon (2005), starring Vivica A. Fox.
label: Description
content: Black and white poster of the play, "Beauty Shop" adhered to a black mat board. The poster has a large silhouette image of a woman wearing a scarf flying behind her. Below in large letters is the name of the play, ["BEAUTY SHOP" / A COMEDY STAGE PLAY]. In smaller letters underneath is more information about the play beginning with, [Written, Directed and Produced by / SHELLY GARRETT] followed by the list of actors and actresses who star in the show. In larger letters at the bottom of the poster is the time and place, [SAN BERNARDINO / VALLEY COLLEGE AUDITORIUM / SUNDAY, APRIL 5th, 1987]. The show is being shown at two times, [Matinee] and [Evening]. At the very bottom is information where to buy tickets. Handwritten in gold ink on the mat board is an inscription by the actress, Adrian Black. It begins on the top left corner, [To Shelly], and continues on the bottom right corner, [Happy Birthday / Love Ya! / Adrian / '90]. The back of the poster is blank.
place: label: Place depicted
content: San Bernardino, California, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Comedy (Theatre)
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Memorabilia and Ephemera - Advertisements
label: Exhibition
content: Taking the Stage
label: On View
content: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 054
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Shelly Garrett
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2018.27
objectType: label: Type
content: posters
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on paper with mat board and adhesive
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 18 3/4 × 13 7/8 in. (47.6 × 35.2 cm)