Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Beyond!

In order to be classified as a Broadway theater, venues must have at least 500 seats. Officially, there are 41 Broadway theaters; however, only two are actually located on the main thoroughfare – the Winter Garden Theatre and the Broadway Theatre. The vast majority are located on the surrounding streets, with one notable exception: the 1,080-seat Vivian Beaumont Theater, situated within the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex on 65th Street. Most of Broadway’s theaters are around 100 years old, with only two new venues opening in the last 50 years – the Marquis Theatre (1986), currently home to Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and the Lyric Theatre (1998), which houses Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The smallest venue is the Hayes Theater, with 597 seats, while the Gershwin Theatre, which has been home to the smash-hit musical Wicked since 2003, is the largest Broadway theater, with 1,933 seats. 

It’s an astonishing feat that this relatively small rectangle of real estate has had such a profound global influence on culture and art, attracting the biggest names in the entertainment industry and generating billions of dollars for New York City's economy. Each year, the Broadway League and American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards celebrate the best plays and musicals of the season. The ceremony is broadcast live on CBS to millions of homes across the United States, inspiring future generations of artists and theatermakers. 

Broadway productions are often synonymous with big budgets, lavish production values, and celebrity casting. Many Hollywood actors and global superstars have graced a Broadway stage in recent years, including George Clooney, Bette Midler, Samuel L. Jackson, and Keanu Reeves. Due to the major expense of mounting a Broadway show, producers hope that their productions will run for extended periods in an attempt to recoup their costs and make a profit for investors.

Some of Broadway’s most expensive productions are still running on Broadway today, including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Lion King, and Moulin Rouge! The Musical. However, sometimes producers can make costly mistakes, such as the ill-fated Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which was the most expensive Broadway production of all time, with a budget of $75 million. It closed early with a huge financial loss in 2014, after failing to meet the demands of critics and audiences. 

‘Off-Broadway’ refers to the smaller venues, primarily located outside the Broadway Theatre District, which contain between 100 and 499 seats. In 1974, Off-Broadway actors went on strike over pay and working conditions. It was during this strike that Actors’ Equity increased the maximum capacity of Off-Broadway theaters from 299 to 499, enabling the sector to fund higher-quality productions and maximize profits while at the same time paying actors a fairer wage.

There are over 80 Off-Broadway theaters throughout Manhattan, with notable examples including Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theatre Club, and the Public Theater. Each year, the Off-Broadway community’s achievements are recognised at the Obie Awards, which have championed new work and boundary-pushing theater since the 1950s. Recent winners have included Lin-Manuel Miranda, Cole Escola, and Lynn Nottage. Recent hit Off-Broadway productions include Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theatre, The Play That Goes Wrong, and Perfect Crime. The latter is the longest-running play in Broadway and Off-Broadway history combined. 

It’s important to note that Off-Broadway doesn’t simply mean Broadway done on a smaller scale. These venues are far more inclined to take risks and stage experimental, edgy works that would struggle to find an audience in the more tourist-driven Broadway market. This sense of creative freedom has enticed many major celebrities to star in Off-Broadway shows, including the likes of Tom Hanks, who is co-writing and starring in This World of Tomorrow at the Shed later this year; Adam Driver in Hold On to Me Darling at the Lucille Lortel Theatre; and John Krasinski in Angry Alan at Studio Seaview. And it’s not just actors, visionary film studio A24 has also staked its own claim in the Off-Broadway scene, buying the 100-year-old Cherry Lane Theatre for $10 million in 2023. And Audible, the audiobook giant, has had an ongoing partnership with the Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village since 2018, showcasing plays, comedy, and other genres of theater as part of its expansion. 

Ticket pricing is one of the most significant differentiators between Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters. Most Off-Broadway venues pride themselves on making theater more accessible to all, offering schemes for students, veterans, and seniors where tickets can be purchased for as little as $10 or even free of charge. Even shows with Hollywood actors like Hugh Jackman, who starred in Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes at the Minetta Lane Theatre earlier this year, saw the vast majority of tickets available for $35 and under. This is significantly lower than the average cost of a Broadway ticket, which currently stands at $129.12 (according to the latest research by the Broadway League).

We've curated a list of discount off-Broadway tickets for your convenience.

So, how do Broadway and Off-Broadway work together, and why is this symbiotic relationship meaningful for artists and creatives alike?

Off-Broadway theaters have been a very fruitful incubator for plays and musicals before transferring to a Broadway house. An Off-Broadway run allows the creative team to refine the material and address any technical issues without the demands and soaring costs of Broadway. Many of Broadway’s biggest shows started their life Off-Broadway, including Hamilton, Hadestown, and Oh, Mary!. Occasionally, this process is reversed, with Broadway shows transferring to Off-Broadway venues to save on running costs. Examples include Avenue Q, Jersey Boys, and The 39 Steps, which all moved to New World Stages. 

Some organizations, like Roundabout Theatre Company, operate both Broadway and Off-Broadway venues, which helps them achieve their mission of providing artists with long-term artistic support across the theatrical landscape. Its commercial endeavours at the Todd Haimes Theatre, Studio 54, and the Stephen Sondheim Theatre help to fund schemes like its New Play Initiative and Roundabout Underground. Similarly, Second Stage Theater recently added Broadway’s Hayes Theater to its portfolio of Off-Broadway venues, helping it to bring its programme of exclusively American plays to a broader audience.

While the Tony and Obie Awards are exclusive to their respective sectors, the Drama Desk Awards and Outer Critics Circle Awards recognize both Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, allowing for wider industry recognition of creatives and performers. 

New York City is world-renowned as the center of live theater thanks to its ecosystem of venues and stages of all sizes working towards a singular goal: artistic excellence. Off-Broadway theaters are not always competing with their Broadway counterparts, but rather working in unison as part of a creative pipeline for artists, playwrights, actors, and producers. 

If you’re a Broadway musical super fan, consider being part of the early audiences for in-development shows at Off-Broadway venues like the New York Theatre Workshop or Atlantic Theater Company, whose recent credits include Kimberly Akimbo, The Band’s Visit, and Sing Street. If you love watching innovative new plays Off-Broadway, consider supporting the more commercial endeavours on Broadway that make this work possible. With such vibrant and innovative work across the theatrical landscape, there has never been a more exciting time for fans to explore the full, extraordinary breadth of what New York City theater has to offer. 

Check out our articles on the best Broadway Plays and Musicals as well as the Best Off-Broadway Shows you can see on stage right now!