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{{Short description|Type of theatre in New York City}}
{{About||the American rock band|Off Broadway USA|the 1982 play by Norman Krasna|Off Broadway (play)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}}
[[File:New World Stages - Million Dollar Quartet (6222691736).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[New World Stages]], an off-Broadway theatre complex in [[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan]]|alt=Night scene of a theatre entrance.]]
An '''off-Broadway''' theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a [[seating capacity]] between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than [[Broadway theatre]]s, but larger than [[off-off-Broadway]] theatres, which seat fewer than 100.
An "off-Broadway production" is a production of a [[play (theatre)|play]], [[musical theatre|musical]], or [[revue]] that appears in such a venue and adheres to related [[trade union]] and other contracts.<ref name=League>{{cite web| url=http://www.offbroadway.org/OB_MBA_2001a.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.offbroadway.org/OB_MBA_2001a.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Off-Broadway Minimum Basic Agreement| author=League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers Inc. and The Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers| access-date=December 14, 2007}}</ref> Some shows that premiere off-Broadway are subsequently produced on Broadway.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeseymour/2018/01/17/off-broadway-theater-isnt-dying-its-evolving-and-its-more-profitable-than-ever/#6303517cf6a1|title=Off-Broadway Theater Isn't Dying – It's Evolving. And It's More Profitable Than Ever|last=Seymour|first=Lee|work=[[Forbes]]|access-date=August 20, 2018}}</ref>
== History ==
The term originally referred to any venue, and its productions, on a street intersecting [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]]'s [[Theater District, New York|Theater District]], the hub of the American theatre industry. It later became defined by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers as a professional venue in Manhattan with a [[seating capacity]] of at least 100, but not more than 499, or a production that appears in such a venue and adheres to related [[trade union]] and other contracts.<ref name=League/>
Previously, regardless of the size of the venue, a theatre was considered a Broadway (rather than off-Broadway) house if it was within the "Broadway Box", extending from 40th Street north to 54th Street and from [[Sixth Avenue (Manhattan)|Sixth Avenue]] west to [[Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)|Eighth Avenue]], including [[Times Square]] and West [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]]. This change to the contractual definition of "off-Broadway" benefited theatres satisfying the 499-seat criterion because of the lower minimum required salary for [[Actors' Equity Association|Actors' Equity]] performers at off-Broadway theatres as compared with the salary requirements of the union for Broadway theatres.<ref>{{cite journal |title=How to Tell Broadway from Off-Broadway from ... |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/how-to-tell-broadway-from-off-broadway-from-com-110450| journal=Playbill |access-date=January 28, 2017 |date=January 4, 1998 |quote=No matter what else you may have heard, the distinction is mainly one of contracts. There are so many theatres of so many different sizes served by so many different unions in New York that this three-tiered Broadway/Off-Broadway/Off-Off-Broadway system evolved to determine who would get paid what. ... Most "Broadway" theatres are not on Broadway, the street. A few theatres on Broadway, the street, are considered "Off-Broadway."}}</ref> The adoption of the 499-seat criterion occurred after a one-day strike in January 1974.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.actorsequity.org/AboutEquity/timeline/timeline_1970.html |title= Actors' Equity 1970's Timeline |website=Actors' Equity Association |access-date=January 27, 2017}}</ref> Examples of off-Broadway theatres within the Broadway Box are the [[Laura Pels Theatre]] and [[The Theater Center]].
The off-Broadway movement started in the 1950s as a reaction to the perceived commercialism of Broadway and provided less expensive venues for shows that have employed many future Broadway artists. An early success was [[Circle in the Square Theatre]]'s 1952 production of ''[[Summer and Smoke]]'' by [[Tennessee Williams]].<ref>[http://archives.nypl.org/the/21843#access_use "Circle in the Square papers"]. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. accessed December 18, 2018.</ref> According to theatre historians Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik, off-Broadway offered a new outlet for "poets, playwrights, actors, songwriters, and designers. ... The first great Off-Broadway musical was the 1954 revival" of ''[[The Threepenny Opera]]'', which proved that off-Broadway productions could be financially successful.<ref name=Bloom>{{cite book| last1=Bloom| first1=Ken| author2=Frank Vlastnik| chapter=Off Broadway, Part 1| title=Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time| chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/broadwaymusicals0000bloo_e1y1/page/94/mode/2up?q=%22off-broadway%22| publisher=Black Dog Publishing| ___location=New York| year=2004| isbn=978-1-5791-2390-1| page=94| access-date=2024-05-12}}</ref> Critic [[John Gassner]] argued at the time, however, that "Broadway is just as eclectic – and just as footless – as 'Off-Broadway'."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gassner |first=John |date=1954 |title=Broadway in Review |journal=Educational Theatre Journal |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=333|doi=10.2307/3203511 |jstor=3203511}}</ref> [[Theatre Row (New York City)|Theatre Row]], on West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues in Manhattan, is a concentration of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatres. It was developed in the mid-1970s and modernized in 2002.<ref>McKinley, Jesse. [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/21/theater/upscale-march-of-theater-row-a-centerpiece-of-redevelopment.html "Upscale March of Theatre Row; A Centerpiece of Redevelopment"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. November 21, 2002. Accessed March 2, 2017.</ref>
Many off-Broadway shows have had subsequent runs on Broadway, including such musicals as ''[[Hair (musical)|Hair]]'', ''[[Godspell]]'', ''[[Little Shop of Horrors (musical)|Little Shop of Horrors]]'', ''[[Sunday in the Park with George]]'', ''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]'', ''[[Grey Gardens (musical)|Grey Gardens]]'', ''[[Urinetown]]'', ''[[Avenue Q]]'', ''[[The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee]]'', ''[[Rock of Ages (musical)|Rock of Ages]]'', ''[[In the Heights]]'', ''[[Spring Awakening (musical)|Spring Awakening]]'', ''[[Next to Normal]]'', ''[[Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical)|Hedwig and the Angry Inch]]'', ''[[Fun Home (musical)|Fun Home]]'', ''[[Hamilton (musical)|Hamilton]]'', ''[[Dear Evan Hansen]]'', ''[[Hadestown]]'', and ''[[Kimberly Akimbo (musical)|Kimberly Akimbo]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://offbroadway.com/about.php|title=Off Broadway Theatre Information|access-date=January 27, 2017|website=League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers|archive-date=January 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130052411/http://offbroadway.com/about.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> In particular, two that became Broadway hits, ''[[Grease (musical)|Grease]]'' and ''[[A Chorus Line]]'', encouraged other producers to premiere their shows off-Broadway.<ref name=Bloom/> Plays that have moved from off-Broadway houses to Broadway include ''[[Doubt (play)|Doubt]]'', ''[[I Am My Own Wife]]'', ''[[Bridge and Tunnel (play)|Bridge & Tunnel]]'', ''[[The Normal Heart]]'', ''[[Oh, Mary!]]'', and ''[[Coastal Disturbances]]''. Other productions, such as ''[[Stomp (dance troupe)|Stomp]]'', ''[[Blue Man Group]]'', ''[[Altar Boyz]]'', ''[[Perfect Crime (play)|Perfect Crime]]'', ''[[Forbidden Broadway]]'', ''[[Nunsense]]'', ''[[Naked Boys Singing]]'', ''[[Bat Boy: The Musical]]'', and ''[[I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change]]'' have had runs of many years off-Broadway, never moving to Broadway. ''[[The Fantasticks]]'', the longest-running musical in theatre history, spent its original 42-year run off-Broadway from 1960 to 2002 and had another off-Broadway run from 2006 to 2017.<ref>Lefkowitz, David (January 13, 2002). [http://www.playbill.com/article/the-fantasticks-bids-farewell-jan-13-after-42-years-on-sullivan-street-com-103329 "The Fantasticks Bids Farewell, Jan. 13, After 42 Years on Sullivan Street"]. ''Playbill''. Accessed January 28, 2017; and Gordon, David (September 9, 2016). [http://www.theatermania.com/california-theater/news/interview-tom-jones-the-fantasticks_78283.html "After 56 Years, Tom Jones Isn't Finished With ''The Fantasticks''"]. TheaterMania.com.</ref>
==Awards==
Off-Broadway shows, performers, and creative staff are eligible for the following awards: the [[New York Drama Critics' Circle Award]], the [[Outer Critics Circle Award]], the [[Drama Desk Award]], the [[Obie Award]] (presented since 1956 by ''[[The Village Voice]]''), the [[Lucille Lortel Award]] (created in 1985 by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres & Producers), and the [[Drama League Award]]. Although off-Broadway shows are not eligible for [[Tony Awards]], an exception was made in 1956 (before the rules were changed), when [[Lotte Lenya]] won [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical]] for the off-Broadway production of ''[[The Threepenny Opera]]''.<ref>{{cite web| title=FAQ: Who Is Lotte Lenya| url=https://www.kwf.org/lotte-lenya-competition/contestant-resources/faq/| website=Kurt Weill Foundation for Music| access-date=2024-05-12}}</ref>
== List of off-Broadway theatres ==
Capacity is based on the capacity given for the respective theatre at the [[Lortel Archives|Internet Off-Broadway Database]].
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size:96%;"
!Theatre
!Address
!Capacity
|-
|[[47th Street Theatre]]
|W. 47th St. <small>(No. 304)</small>
|196
|-
|[[59E59 Theaters]], Theatre A
|E. 59th St. <small>(No. 59)</small>
|196
|-
|777 Theatre
|8th Ave. <small>(No. 777)</small>
|158
|-
|[[Abrons Arts Center]], Playhouse Theatre
|Grand St. <small>(No. 466)</small>
|300
|-
|[[The Actors' Temple|Actors Temple Theatre]]
|W. 47th St. <small>(No. 339)</small>
|199
|-
|[[Signature Theatre Company|Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre]]
|W. 42nd St. <small>(No. 480)</small>
|191
|-
|[[The Theater Center|Anne L. Bernstein Theater]]
|W. 50th St. <small>(No. 210)</small>
|199
|-
|[[The Public Theater|Anspacher Theatre]]
|Lafayette St. <small>(No. 425)</small>
|275
|-
|[[Astor Place Theatre]]
|Lafayette St. <small>(No. 434)</small>
|298
|-
|Asylum NYC
|E. 24th St. <small>(No. 123)</small>
|150<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://asylumnyc.com/rentals/|title=Rentals – Asylum NYC|access-date=March 26, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[Barrow Street Theatre]]
|Barrow St. <small>(No. 27)</small>
|199
|-
|[[Cherry Lane Theatre]]
|Commerce St. <small>(No. 38)</small>
|179
|-
|[[Vivian Beaumont Theater#Off-Broadway spaces|Claire Tow Theater]]
|W. 65th St. <small>(No. 150)</small>
|112<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lct.org/about/script-submissions/|title=Script Submissions|work=Lincoln Center Theater|access-date=April 24, 2019}}</ref>
|-
|[[Classic Stage Company]]
|E. 13th St. <small>(No. 136)</small>
|199
|-
|[[Daryl Roth Theatre]]
|E. 15th St. <small>(No. 101)</small>
|299
|-
|[[New 42|The Duke on 42nd Street]]
|W. 42nd St. <small>(No. 229)</small>
|199
|-
|[[La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club|Ellen Stewart Theater, La MaMa]]
|E. 4th St. <small>(No. 66)</small>
|175<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lamama.org/the-ellen-stewart-theatre-rental/|title=The Ellen Stewart Theatre Rental|access-date=March 28, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[Repertorio Español|Gramercy Arts Theatre]]
|E. 27th St. <small>(No. 138)</small>
|140<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/gramercy-arts-theatre|title=Gramercy Arts Theatre|work=Time Out New York|access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|The Gym at Judson
|Thompson St. <small>(No. 243)</small>
|200
|-
|[[Signature Theatre Company|Irene Diamond Stage, Signature Theatre]]
|W. 42nd St. <small>(No. 480)</small>
|294
|-
|[[Irish Repertory Theatre]]
|W. 22nd St. <small>(No. 132)</small>
|148<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://irishrep.org/about/faqs/|title=FAQs|publisher=[[Irish Repertory Theatre]]|access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|[[Baryshnikov Arts Center|Jerome Robbins Theatre]]
|W. 37th St. <small>(No. 450)</small>
|238
|-
|[[The Theater Center|Jerry Orbach Theater]]
|W. 50th St. <small>(No. 210)</small>
|199
|-
|John Cullum Theatre
|W. 54th St. <small>(No. 314)</small>
|140
|-
|[[Roundabout Theatre Company|Laura Pels Theatre]]
|W. 46th St. <small>(No. 111)</small>
|425
|-
|[[Atlantic Theater Company|Linda Gross Theatre]]
|W. 20th St. <small>(No. 336)</small>
|199
|-
|Loreto Theater, Sheen Center
|Bleeker St. <small>(No. 18)</small>
|273<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sheencenter.org/rentals/floor-plans|title=Floor Plans|access-date=March 27, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[Lucille Lortel Theatre]]
|Christopher St. <small>(No. 121)</small>
|299
|-
|[[The Public Theater|LuEsther Theatre]]
|Lafayette St. <small>(No. 425)</small>
|160
|-
|Lynn Redgrave Theatre
|Bleecker St. <small>(No. 45)</small>
|199
|-
|Manhattan Movement & Arts Center
|W. 60th St. <small>(No. 248)</small>
|180
|-
|[[YMCA of Greater New York|Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater]]
|W. 63rd St. <small>(No. 5)</small>
|145<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ymcanyc.org/westside/pages/Theater|title=The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater|website=www.ymcanyc.org|access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|[[The Public Theater|Martinson Theatre]]
|Lafayette St. <small>(No. 425)</small>
|199
|-
|[[Second Stage Theater|McGinn/Cazale Theater]]
|Broadway <small>(No. 2162)</small>
|108
|-
|[[Minetta Lane Theatre]]
|Minetta Lane <small>(No. 18)</small>
|391
|-
|[[Vivian Beaumont Theater#Off-Broadway spaces|Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater]]
|W. 65th St. <small>(No. 150)</small>
|299
|-
|[[New Victory Theater]]
|W. 42nd St. <small>(No. 209)</small>
|499
|-
|[[New World Stages#Stage 1|New World Stages, Stage 1]]
|W. 50th St. <small>(No. 340)</small>
|499
|-
|[[New World Stages#Stage 2|New World Stages, Stage 2]]
|W. 50th St. <small>(No. 340)</small>
|350
|-
|[[New World Stages#Stage 3|New World Stages, Stage 3]]
|W. 50th St. <small>(No. 340)</small>
|499
|-
|[[New World Stages#Stage 4|New World Stages, Stage 4]]
|W. 50th St. <small>(No. 340)</small>
|350
|-
|[[New World Stages#Stage 5|New World Stages, Stage 5]]
|W. 50th St. <small>(No. 340)</small>
|199
|-
|[[New York City Center]] Stage I
|W. 55th St. <small>(No. 131)</small>
|300
|-
|[[New York City Center]] Stage II
|W. 55th St. <small>(No. 131)</small>
|150
|-
|[[New York Theatre Workshop]], Theatre 79
|E. 4th St. <small>(No. 79)</small>
|199<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytw.org/about/rent-space-nytw/|title=NYTW / Rent Space @ NYTW|work=NYTW|access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|[[The Public Theater|Newman Theatre]]
|Lafayette St. <small>(No. 425)</small>
|299
|-
|[[MCC Theater|Newman Mills Theatre]]
|W. 52nd St. <small>(No. 511)</small>
|245<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://mcctheater.org/the-robert-w-wilson-mcc-theater-space|title=The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space|access-date=April 4, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[Orpheum Theatre (Manhattan)|Orpheum Theatre]]
|Second Ave. <small>(No. 126)</small>
|347
|-
|[[Playwrights Horizons|Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons]]
|W. 42nd St. <small>(No. 416)</small>
|128
|-
|Players Theatre
|MacDougal St. <small>(No. 115)</small>
|248
|-
|[[Playwrights Horizons]] Mainstage
|W. 42nd St. <small>(No. 416)</small>
|198
|-
|[[The Shed (arts center)|The Shed]] (Kenneth C. Griffin Theater)
|545 W. 30th St.
|500<ref>{{Cite web |title=Building |url=https://www.theshed.org/about/building |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=The Shed}}</ref>
|-
|[[Signature Theatre Company|Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre]]
|W. 42nd St. <small>(No. 480)</small>
|191
|-
|[[SoHo Playhouse]]
|Vandam St. <small>(No. 15)</small>
|178<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/11cvVV1Rt711ea1QTxy0yVk78pwS_1TQP3C0RvhCqWk0/edit|title=Rental Fact Sheet Soho Playhouse|work=Google Docs|access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|St. Clement's Theatre
|W. 46th St. <small>(No. 423)</small>
|161<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated -->|title=The Theater at St. Clement's |date= |url=https://www.stclementsnyc.org/theater |website= |___location=New York City |access-date=Jan 18, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[St. Luke's Theatre]]
|W. 46th St. <small>(No. 308)</small>
|178
|-
|[[Stage 42]]
|W. 42nd St. <small>(No. 422)</small>
|499
|-
|Studio Seaview<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://playbill.com/article/seaview-is-turning-off-broadways-tony-kiser-theater-into-studio-seaview|title=Seaview Is Turning Off-Broadway's Tony Kiser Theater Into Studio Seaview|access-date=March 26, 2025}}</ref>
|W. 43rd St. <small>(No. 305)</small>
|296
|-
|[[MCC Theater|Susan & Ronald Frankel Theatre]]
|W. 52nd St. <small>(No. 511)</small>
|100<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://mcctheater.org/the-robert-w-wilson-mcc-theater-space/|title=The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space|access-date=April 4, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[Theater 555]]
|W. 42nd St. <small>(No. 555)</small>
|130<ref>{{cite magazine|title=A Midtown Off-Broadway Venue Will Reopen as Theater 555 This Fall|author=Andrew Gans|url=https://playbill.com/article/a-midtown-off-broadway-venue-will-reopen-as-theater-555-this-fall|magazine=[[Playbill]]|date=July 29, 2021|access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref>
|-
|Theatre at St. Clement's Church
|W. 46th St. <small>(No. 423)</small>
|151
|-
|[[York Theatre|Theatre at St. Jeans]]
|E. 76th St. <small>(No. 150)</small>
|204
|-
|[[Theatre Row (New York City)|Theatre Three at Theatre Row]]
|W. 42nd St. <small>(No. 410)</small>
|199
|-
|[[Triad Theatre]]
|W. 72nd St. <small>(No. 158)</small>
|130
|-
|[[Vineyard Theatre]]
|E. 15th St. <small>(No. 108)</small>
|132
|-
|[[Westside Theatre]], Downstairs Theatre
|W. 43rd St. <small>(No. 407)</small>
|249
|-
|[[Westside Theatre]], Upstairs Theatre
|W. 43rd St. <small>(No. 407)</small>
|270
|}
==See also==
* [[Little Theatre Movement]]
* [[Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain]]
* [[Off-off-Broadway]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.iobdb.com Internet Off-Broadway Database]
* [https://www.offbroadway.com/ Off-Broadway League]
{{portal bar|LGBTQ|Theatre|New York City|New York (state)}}
{{Off-Broadway theatres}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Off-Broadway| ]]
[[Category:Broadway theatre]]
[[Category:Culture of New York City]]
[[Category:Theatre in the United States]]
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