The Broadway League, formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers and League of New York Theatres and Producers, is the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry. Its members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in New York and more than 250 other North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry.[1]
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The League was founded in 1930 as the "League of New York Theatres and Producers". It was founded by Broadway theatre operators to further common interests,[2] with the main purpose of fighting ticket speculation.[3] The League's first successful act was the writing of the Theater Ticket Code (together with Actors' Equity) which later became a state law.[3] In the following years the League expanded its charter several times, serving at time as the chief negotiator for producers with craft unions and Actors' Equity.[3] With the decline of Broadway in the 1980s the League changed its name to the "League of American Theatres and Producers".[3] On December 18, 2007 the League changed its name to the current name, "The Broadway League".[4]
The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of American Theatre Wing and the League, at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are for Broadway productions and performances, and an award is given for regional theatre. A discretionary non-competitive Special Tony Award and the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre are also given.[5][6] The awards were founded by the Wing in 1947, and the League started co-presenting them in 1967.[7][8]
The Touring Broadway Awards (TBAs) recognize outstanding achievement in Broadway plays and musicals that tour North America.[9] Founded in 2000 by the League, the awards were known until 2004 as the National Broadway Theatre Awards.[10]
Broadway on Broadway is a free annual outdoor concert kicking off the Broadway season each September, produced by the League and the Times Square Alliance. The event takes place in Times Square, which is shut down for the event.[11] The event was conceived in 1992 as a welcome party for delegates to the Democratic National Convention, which was held in New York that year. The concert returned in July 1993 and 1994 and moved to September on 1995. It has been held in mid-September ever since.[12] The 18th annual show took place on September 13, 2009 and included performances from the casts of 21 musicals.[13]
Stars in the Alley was a free annual outdoor concert in Shubert Alley in the heart of Manhattan’s Theatre District, produced by the League. It was usually held the week of the Tony Awards, and marked the official end of the Broadway season. The 21st annual event was held on June 6, 2007, and the casts of dozens of Broadway shows took part.[14] The event has not returned in 2008 and 2009, and is not planned to return on 2010.[15]
The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of the League.[20]
The League serves as the central hub for statistical information about Broadway theatre production in North America. Its research department maintains historical data on individual playhouses and productions. In addition, many reference documents, including weekly box office grosses and season-by-season statistics, are available to the public, journalists, and scholars via the website. The Research department also publishes annual reports that track trends in the industry over time including the Demographics of the Broadway Audience and Broadway’s Economic Contribution.[21]