[4] From 1767 to 1774,[5] the theatre was operated by the American Company, which gave New York its first performances of The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, King John and Every Man in his Humour, as well as contemporary plays.

[2] The theatre was also the first to introduce "blackface" performances to the United States, with Lewis Hallam Junior's blacked-up portrayal of Mungo in The Padlock, which premiered at John Street on May 29, 1769.

A party of nine Cherokee chiefs attended a performance of Richard III at the theatre on December 14, 1767, and were so pleased with the civility of their reception that they offered to perform a traditional Cherokee war dance for a future audience: the offer was accepted, although the management, in its advertisements, requested that the audience behaved with proper decorum "as the persons who have condescended to contribute to their entertainment are of rank and consequence in their own country".

[2][5] The troops, under the direction of the infamous Major John André[2] (who was eventually hanged for his part in the Benedict Arnold affair), staged plays to maintain morale during the British occupation.

As well as Hallam, the theatre's regular cast included such well-known actors of the day as John Henry, Thomas Wignell, Elizabeth Walker Morris and Charlotte Melmoth.

[2][5][8] George Washington visited the theatre three times in 1789, watching The School for Scandal, The Clandestine Marriage and William Dunlap's Darby's Return.

He soon became extremely popular with the public, alienating the theatre's managers and current stars, John Henry and Lewis Hallam Jr, leading to acrimonious arguments.

Sollee's cast included Eliza Arnold, mother of Edgar Allan Poe, and Elizabeth Whitlock, sister of Sarah Siddons.

[2][6] The John Street Theatre was used for the last time on January 13, 1798, after which Hallam sold it for £115[2] to the neighbouring grain and hay store, which briefly used the building for an extension of its business.