Opinion Article: Theater vs. Theatre

When creating a name for movie theaters, business owners often come to a fork in the road- Theater or theatre? While both words technically mean the same thing, there may be subtle differences between the two spellings. 

The word theater comes from the Greek theatron, which translates to “a place of seeing.” This evolved from the verb theasthai, which means “to behold.” When Greek gave way to Latin, the word became theatrum, which then evolved to the French word theatre. From there, English speakers used the words theater and theatre interchangeably, with William Shakespeare one of the notable authors to use the theater spelling. Then, between 1720 and 1750, theater was dropped in Britain, giving way to the prominent spelling of theatre in Europe.

In the 19th century, Noah Webster began compiling what became later known as the Merriam-Webster dictionary. In a true act of American patriotism, he decided to revolutionize the spelling of many English words, changing “colour” to “color,” “centre,” to “center,” and finally, “theatre” to “theater.” This was often considered the next phase of the American Revolution, creating a language separation and establishing total independence from Britain.

From a historical viewpoint, theater, and theatre mean the same thing- a building or space where a performance may be given before an audience. In modern America, many theatrical institutions and those versed in theatrical art offer a new meaning to the differences in spelling. They claim that theater is the building where a performance is held, whereas theatre is the art of performing. While this may seem like a squabble over semantics, there is some validity to the argument. In Britain, “going to the theatre” is specifically used to describe going to a live performance, while “going to the cinema” means going to the movies. While theatre is still used to describe the building where both movies and live performances are held, there is a clear correlation in the usage of “theatre” describing the art form in the ever-evolving American English language. 

Language is constantly evolving. Language often evolves to distinguish and clarify. It also evolves to create clever slang that may only be accessible to people who have a firm understanding of the language. Mastering the art of the English language requires a keen recognition of the evolution and adaptation to those changes. Theatre is a clear, precise distinction between the art of performance versus theater as the building that contains the performances. This distinction does not currently exist in such a precise form in American English and has true merit in simplifying the way we categorize visual art. 

How does this apply to your business? When naming your theater, it may seem like a great idea to use the theatre spelling, giving your business a distinguished French flair. If you were to go in this direction, it would be more straightforward to use the word “Cinema.” For example, if I were to start a movie theater, instead of creating “The Schuhriemen Theatre,” it would be more acceptable to use “Schuhriemen Cinemas.” In your advertising, it would be acceptable to label your stage performance event as “Live Theatre.” 

At the end of the day, the English language is your oyster. You are able to use words however you would like and this article on the difference between theater and theatre is just food for thought. We would love to hear your thoughts, and maybe even encourage a lively debate on the difference between theater and theatre.