Broadway theatre
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(See also Broadway, the major avenue in New York City that lends its name to the theater district.)
Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. Broadway theatre, or a Broadway show, refers to a performance (usually a play or musical) staged in one of the thirty-nine larger professional theatres located in the New York City borough of Manhattan, with 500 seats or more, that often appeal to the mass audience.[1]
Along with London's West End theatre, Broadway theatre is often considered of the highest level of English language theatre.[citation needed] Unlike most developed nations, the US has no nationwide government-subsidized theatre program, and thus the shows that reach Broadway and thrive there have historically been perceived as more populist or crowd-pleasing, less avant-garde or challenging than the plays produced Off-Broadway or in regional non-profit theatres such as the Guthrie Theatre and the American Repertory Theatre. (Whether this remains the case is debatable, as rigorous and harrowing shows such as The Pillowman and The Lieutenant Of Inishmore have met great critical success on Broadway, while conversely many regional theatres have tried to keep audiences by producing fluffy or "commercial" shows.[citation needed])
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[edit] Runs
Broadway shows may run for a varying number of weeks, depending on ticket sales. Musicals tend to have longer runs than do stage plays. On January 9, 2006, The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre became the longest running musical with 7,486 performances when it overtook Cats[2].
In addition to long runs in Broadway theatres, producers often copy the production with a new cast and crew for the Broadway national tour,[citation needed] which travels to theatres across the country. Both musicals and stage plays on Broadway and in their respective tours often rely on casting well-known performers in leading roles to draw larger audiences or bring in new audience members to the theatre. Actors from movies and television are frequently cast for the premieres of Broadway shows or are used to replace actors leaving a cast. Many performers, however, are still primarily "stage" actors, who spend more time on the stages of New York and will appear in television and screen roles as a secondary venue. (Stage actors generally once looked down on other venues, notably film and television, and it was common to hear stagecraft referred to as "legitimate theatre" - the implication being that film and television were not legitimate.)
[edit] Audience
Seeing a Broadway show is a common tourist activity in New York and a business that generates billions of dollars annually. The Tkts booth in Duffy Square, at Broadway and 47th Street, sells same-day tickets for many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows at half price. This service helps sell empty seats and makes seeing a show in New York more affordable. Many Broadway theatres also offer special student rates, same-day "rush" tickets, or standing-room tickets to help ensure that more people have the opportunity to see Broadway shows.
Some theatregoers prefer the more experimental, challenging, and intimate performances possible in smaller theatres, which are referred to as Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway (though some may be physically located on or near Broadway). The classification of theatres is governed by language in Actors' Equity Association contracts. To be eligible for a Tony, a production must be in a house with 500 seats or more, which basically defines Broadway theatre. Some theatres (by adding or subtracting seats) can convert from Off-Broadway to Broadway and vice versa.
Total Broadway attendance in 2005 was just under 12 million [3]. This was approximately the same as London's West End theatre [4].
[edit] Tony Awards
Broadway shows and artists are honored every June when the Antoinette Perry Awards (Tony Awards) are given by the American Theatre Wing. The Tony is Broadway's highest theatre award. The importance of these awards has increased since their annual broadcast on television began. Celebrities are often chosen to host the show, like Hugh Jackman and Rosie O'Donnell, in addition to celebrity presenters. While some critics have felt that the show should focus on celebrating the stage, many others recognize the positive impact that famous faces lend to selling more tickets and bringing more people to the theatre. The performances from Broadway musicals on the telecast have also been cited as vital to the survival of many Broadway shows. Many theatre people, notably critic Frank Rich, dismiss the Tony awards as little more than a commercial for the limited world of Broadway, which after all can only support a maximum of two dozen shows a season, and constantly call for the awards to embrace off-Broadway theatre as well.
[edit] List of Broadway theaters
- If no show is currently running, the play listed is the next show planned (dates marked with an * )
- If the next show planned is not announced, the play listed is the last one that closed.
[edit] See Also
[edit] External links
- American Theatre Wing
- The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc.
- Theatre Communications Group
- Actors' Equity Association
- The Dramatists Guild of America
- Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers
- American Federation of Musicians
- Costume Designers Guild
- Broadway Theatre Archive
- United Stages / See More Shows
- Broadway Cast Recordings
- Broadway Show Guide
[edit] Notes
- ^ While many Americans use the spelling "theater", the majority of venues, performers, and trade groups for live dramatic presentations use "theatre". The -er spelling is more common, for example, when writing movie theater.
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| SHUBERT: Ambassador Theatre | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | Belasco Theatre | Booth Theatre | Broadhurst Theatre | The Broadway Theatre | Cort Theatre | John Golden Theatre | Imperial Theatre | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre | Longacre Theatre | Lyceum Theatre | Majestic Theatre | Music Box Theatre (joint operation) | Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre | Shubert Theatre | Winter Garden Theatre NEDERLANDER: Brooks Atkinson Theatre | George Gershwin Theatre | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre | Marquis Theatre | Minskoff Theatre | Nederlander Theatre | Neil Simon Theatre | Palace Theatre | Richard Rodgers Theatre JUJAMCYN: Al Hirschfeld Theatre | Walter Kerr Theatre | Eugene O'Neill Theatre | St. James Theatre | August Wilson Theatre ROUNDABOUT: American Airlines Theatre | Studio 54 OTHER: Vivian Beaumont Theatre | Biltmore Theatre | Circle in the Square Theatre | Helen Hayes Theatre | Hilton Theatre | New Amsterdam Theatre ACTIVE BUT NO LONGER BROADWAY HOUSES: City Center of Music and Drama | Hammerstein's Theatre/Manhattan Theatre | Manhattan Opera House DEFUNCT AND DEMOLISHED: 39th Street Theatre | 44th Street Theatre | 48th Street Theatre | 49th Street Theatre | 52nd Street Theatre | Adelphi Theatre | American Theatre | Apollo Theatre | Astor Theatre | Bandbox Theatre | Belmont Theatre | Berkeley Lyceum Theatre | Bijou Theatre | Broadway Theatre (41st St.) | Casino Theatre | Center Theatre | Central Theatre | Century Theatre (46th St.) | Century Theatre (62nd St.) | Circle Theatre | Cosmopolitan Theatre | Criterion Theatre | Daly's Theatre (30th St.) | Daly's 63rd Street Theatre | Earl Carroll Theatre | Edison Theatre | Eltinge Theatre | Empire Theatre | Fifth Avenue Theatre | Frolic Theatre | Fulton Theatre | Gaiety Theatre | Garrick Theatre | George M. Cohan's Theatre | Hampden's Theatre/Harkness Theatre | Henry Miller's Theatre | Hudson Theatre | Herald Square Theatre | Hippodrome Theatre | Jardin de Paris | John Golden Theatre/Cort's 58th Street Theatre | Klaw Theatre/Avon Theatre | Knickerbocker Theatre | Latin Quarter | Liberty Theatre | Lincoln Square Theatre | Manhattan Theatre (33rd St.) | Mark Hellinger Theatre | Maxine Elliott's Theatre | Mayfair Theatre (44th St.) | Mayfair Theatre (46th St.) | Mercury Theatre | Morosco Theatre | New Century Theatre | New York Theatre (44th St.) | Nora Bayes Theatre | Playhouse Theatre | Playhouse Theatre (6th Ave.) | President Theatre | Princess Theatre (29th St.) | Princess Theatre (39th St.) | Proctor's Theatre | Punch and Judy Theatre/Charles Hopkins Theatre | Rialto Theatre | Sam H. Harris Theatre | Savoy Theatre | Star Theatre | Theatre Republic | Times Square Theatre | Vanderbilt Theatre | Victoria Theatre | Waldorf Theatre | Wallack's Theatre/Harris Theatre | Wallack's Theatre/Palmer's Theatre | Wallack's Lyceum Theatre | Waverley Theatre | Winter Garden Theatre (Jenny Lind Hall) | Ziegfeld Theatre |
