Stage 32 Glossary

nickelodeon

Nickelodeon is the term for a makeshift motion picture theater, often a converted store, which proliferated all over the US, mostly in working-class areas of metropolitan centers, during the first decade of the 20th century. Patrons would pay to watch short films on individual machines like a Kinetoscope or a Mutoscope. The name nickelodeon was derived from the 5 cents/nickel charged to patrons.