Academy), July 16 th 1946, MOCA CMTA Collection 纽约新中美班暨全体优界联合演戏为八和粤剧协进会复原筹款摄影留念，1946年7月16日
美国华人博物馆（MOCA）中国音乐剧社（CMTA）馆藏
In the late 1920s, two Chinese opera theaters opened in Manhattan’s Chinatown, offering nightly performances. The network of theaters they belonged to spanned through San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, and Honolulu. This time period from the 1920s through the early 1930s would constitute the United States’ golden age of Cantonese opera. In their heyday, the theaters put on approximately 250 different opera titles from various genres every year. In 1931, the Chinese Musical Theatrical Association (CMTA) officially opened on Pell Street in New York. The Association was typically commissioned to perform publicly and privately for special occasions, such as Lunar New Year, the national day of the Republic of China, and patrons’ birthdays. Unfortunately due to raising rent costs and severely decreased membership the association was forced to close their physical location in 2018.
MOCA’s CMTA Collection includes a number of intricate opera costumes, rare musical instruments, stage props, and related documents from the association. The collection brings to light how Chinese immigrants adapted this centuries-old tradition to their modern settings and constraints, how Cantonese opera shaped the face of Chinatown in the greater community, and how opera clubs became a cultural focal point in the lives of immigrants.
上个世纪20年代末，两家中国戏剧院在曼哈顿唐人街开业，提供夜间演出。他们所属的剧院网络遍及旧金山、波士顿、洛杉矶和檀香山。从20世纪20年代到30年代初的这段时间，是粤剧在美国的黄金时代。在全盛时期，剧院每年会上演大约250个来自不同流派的剧目。1931年，中国音乐剧社（CMTA）在纽约披露街正式成立。该剧社通常在特殊场合为大众或私人演出，比如农历新年、中华民国国庆节和主顾的生日。不幸的是，由于租金上涨和会员人数严重减少，该剧社在2018年被迫将社址关闭。
MOCA的CMTA收藏包括许多复杂精致的戏剧服装、稀有的乐器、舞台道具和剧社的相关档案文件。该馆藏揭示了中国移民如何将这个具有百年历史的传统在现代环境和制约中发展，粤剧如何塑造了唐人街在更大社区中的形象，以及戏剧俱乐部如何成为了移民生活中的文化焦点。
Countdown to the TCS NYC Marathon on November 3, 2019: 216 Days.
2019年是美国第一条横贯大陆铁路建成150周年，为了纪念第一批华人来美建设这条铁路所做出的巨大贡献， MOCA将其2019 TCS NYC Marathon的活动命名为 MOCA Spike 150 – Running Forward With Our Stories！ 鼓励大家通过马拉松公益跑，全国线上接力，以及一天一个故事的方式讲述150个华人的历史故事，敬请大家持续关注， 讲出华人自己的故事，回顾过去，立足现在，展望未来，共同书写美国历史，使之更加充实完整。