set up the Theatrical Syndicate, or Theatrical Trust, headed by Erlanger. The agreement was ostensibly aimed at reducing losses to theaters from similar attractions competing in nearby locations, from touring companies from the inability to plan routes that minimized travel, and to both theaters and companies from indiscriminate bookings. The syndicate could force a producer who wanted to play in one of their houses to play only in syndicate houses throughout the tour. The syndicate in effect created a monopoly of venues for first-class theater production. The syndicate demanded a share of the profits of the theaters, and a fee from the producers. The members also began expanding the number of theaters they directly owned or leased. The syndicate soon controlled hundreds of theaters across the USA. Major performers such as Minnie Maddern Fiske and Sarah Bernhardt who would not agree to the syndicate's terms were locked out of major venues and had to perform in tents or minor theaters. The syndicate eventually lost power to the Shubert Organization. The Shubert brothers, owners of a chain of upstate New York theaters, began buying property across the country and offering an alternative to the syndicate. They at first posed as believers in a free market. They soon switched to the same exclusive practices as the syndicate. By 1910 they were on an equal footing with the syndicate in terms of the numbers of attractions they could book. New competition came from movies, an increasingly popular alternative to live shows. Later years Nixon came to control theaters across the Midwest. On 7 December 1903 Samuel F. Nixon opened the Nixon Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the corner of 6th Avenue and William Penn Place. The ornate Beaux Arts style building was opulently decorated. The interior featured massive fake-marble columns capped with gold, framed wall panels that seemed like damask silk, and velvet and silk draperies. The theater hosted many star performers, and put on elaborate shows. In 1905 four horse-drawn chariots came on stage in "Ben Hur", and a herd of camels, horses, goats featured in "Garden of Allah". The theater closed in 1950, when it was sold to Alcoa. It was demolished to make way for the present Regional Enterprise Tower. Samuel F. Nixon leased the 2,000-seat Apollo Theatre in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which opened as Nixon's Apollo Theatre in April 1908. It was soon the leading theater in the