Features
Tours de Farce: 5,664 And Counting
Thomas Barklay Associates may not be the most famous of companies. Started in 1925 as a theater assistance enterprise, founder Thomas Barklay intended the company to work quietly in entertainment’s shadows as it provided essential services such as transportation, bail bondsmen and orphanages for the fast-growing show business industry of the early twentieth century. But as the Great Depression rolled across America, Thomas Barklay began buying up failed theaters, burlesque houses and vaudeville music halls, thus resulting in the largest family-owned chain of entertainment houses the world has ever seen.
Today, the TBA venue franchise is located in all markets, big and small. Headed up by Thomas Barklay V, a TBA venue can be found in virtually every city that matters, including New York, Chicago and San Francisco, as well as fly-over burgs such as Omaha, Kansas City and Indianapolis. Or, as the old show-biz saying goes; “Stick a pin in a map, and chances are it will land on a TBA”
Who plays TBA venues today? It’s easier to say who doesn’t pound the floorboards of a venue founded by Thomas Barklay Associates. U2, Avril Lavigne, Robert Plant – they’ve all played a TBA venue at one time or another during their successful careers. Plus, a quick look of future engagements shows that Jefferson Starship, Devo, even The Beach Boys have TBA venues slotted on their schedules. In short, everyone plays a TBA house every now and then.
Of course, having the largest chain of venues in the world has attracted some notice from its competitors, including Verizon’s renaming offer made in 1999 as well as Clear Channel’s attempt at a hostile takeover in 2003. Plus, TBA has had its share of internal problems, most notably the 1951 sex scandal involving Thomas Barklay III, where the facts of the case were so lewd and licentious that neither newspapers, radio or the then-new medium known as television dared to report its details. However, the chain of theatres bearing it’s founder’s initials continues to thrive well into the 21st century.
Today, over 5,664 markets host a TBA venue, with new TBA theatres, nightclubs and sports arenas growing at an average of 135 per day, clearly making the chain of venues founded by Thomas Barklay Associates the number one pick when indecisive agents and promoters can’t make up their minds as to where their shows shall play. Or as the old booking agent saying goes;
Coming up later this week we’ll present an in-depth look at another venue chain – Private Function. Just how private are they? Furthermore, what do they do in private that they can’t do in public? Stay tuned.