Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off Off Broadway: An Audience Member’s Guide To New York City Theatre and Its Many Distinctions
By the Theasy.com Editorial Staff
New York City theatre is identified as Broadway, Off Broadway or Off Off Broadway (also called independent theatre). Do these categories matter for the average audience member? Not really. In some ways these distinctions tell you what you can anticipate from a production, but there are many shows that break expectations, for better or worse. Still, it’s helpful to know the difference between these types of shows.
The first thing to know is that the terms Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off Off Broadway are necessary distinctions for the artists, not the audiences. They’re actually defined by unions, based largely on the number of seats in the theatre, and are used for contracts. For example, the professional stage actors’ union, Actors' Equity Association (also known as “Equity” or AEA), needs to know what kind of contract a show falls under because that designates how much an actor or stage manager gets paid, along with other professional allowances received. A Broadway contract pays way more than an Off Broadway contract, and both are like winning the lottery compared to an Off Off Broadway contract, which is under a totally separate agreement that has more to do with exposure and opportunity than paying the rent. The important thing to know is that when producers label a show, they are really just defining the contract that is currently in place.
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What does it mean to be a Broadway show? (Hint: it does not mean that the theatre is literally on the street called Broadway).
There are 40 Broadway theatres and they are located in Midtown Manhattan, or what is also known as the “Theatre District” or “Times Square” by tourists, and as “that place I try to avoid whenever possible” by locals. Those theatres are large in scale, with anywhere from 597 seats (the Helen Hayes) to 1,900 seats (the Gershwin). The important thing to know about Broadway shows is that they are primarily commercial ventures, meaning the people who put money in are expecting to get a return on their investment.* It’s expensive to produce a Broadway show (at least a few million dollars, often much more) and, partly because union contracts limit shows to eight performances a week, Broadway shows often need to run for awhile to make back their money.
Broadway tickets usually cost in the $100-$150 range. You can often get discounts when tickets aren’t selling out; conversely, when a show is selling very well you may only be able to find tickets for outrageously expensive prices (a relatively new phenomenon, the so-called “premium seats”).
Another thing to note about Broadway shows is that they often have star-studded casts. Because producers need to sell tickets, Broadway shows often hire celebrities to help draw attention. This doesn't always mean that the actor is the most talented or appropriate for the role, but it does ensure that the audience gets a special "only in New York" experience.
And finally, only Broadway productions are eligible for the Tony Awards. There are other awards that are given out to Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway productions, but because the Tony Awards are broadcast on network television, they function as a kind of “theatre ambassador” for the city, helping to inform people around the country about what’s playing on Broadway. But there’s a lot more great theatre to be found in New York City…
*Note: Six Broadway theatres are owned by non-profit theatre companies, so the productions in these houses are often (but not always) non-profit productions, which operate under a different contract. This doesn’t mean these shows don’t or can’t make money. But it does mean that when a theatre company has a hit show, the company can use the money to fund other, less profitable, productions.
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The vast world Off Broadway...
Off Broadway encompasses many of the big and fancy non-profit theatres in town (The Public, Atlantic, Roundabout, and the like). Some Off Broadway shows are commercial (anything playing at New World Stages, for example) but many are produced by the non-profits, meaning these theatre companies are financially supported by grants and donations. They usually have networks of members: arts patrons who enjoy their work. Since they aren’t trying to turn a profit, they can take risks that Broadway shows often can’t, and their work is often more artsy, intellectual, and daring than Broadway shows. That said, they also have to program shows that their audiences will want to see, so the risk-taking is always calculated. Off Broadway theatre companies produce very high quality work, and there is consistent overlap between actors and artists who work on Broadway and Off Broadway. There are awards specifically for Off Broadway shows – the Obies – and then others, like the Drama Desk Awards, cover both Broadway and Off Broadway shows).
Off Broadway theatres are also smaller, which means that audiences get a more intimate experience. Based on Equity guidelines, Off Broadway shows have to be in theatres that are between 100-499 seats (there are occasionally exceptions). Tickets for Off Broadway shows vary greatly in price, but they typically start at around $30, and should never be more than around $80, unless it’s a really high-profile show. And even then, not everyone pays the same price. (For example, while tickets for Hamilton at The Public reached a maddening $112, members who bought their tickets early paid only $50).
Now is a good time to note that if a production has no union actors, it doesn’t have to play by any of these rules. So it can mount the show in a 12-seat house, charge $400 per ticket, pay its actors nothing, and call the production an Off Broadway show. And that’s another reason these distinctions aren’t always super helpful in terms of understanding what a show might offer.
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Off Off Broadway is under the radar, but it doesn't have to be.
The largest and most diverse category of New York City theatre is Off Off Broadway, also known as independent theatre. Not only is it where the most theatre happens, it’s arguably where the most adventurous theatre happens. There are many independent theatre companies that produce Off Off Broadway productions, which basically means that the venue won’t have more than 99 seats, and tickets will likely be in the $15-$25 range. If there are Equity actors in the cast, these productions are produced as an “Equity Showcase,” which entails further restrictions. And there are even awards specifically for Off Off Broadway shows – the New York Innovative Theatre Awards (or IT Awards).
At Theasy, we love to champion Off Off Broadway, because there is so much incredible work that flies under the radar due to the severe constraints of producing independent theatre. Budgets are often small (Equity showcases can’t spend more than $35,000), so marketing can be difficult. And because theatre rentals are so expensive (and because Equity showcases can’t play more than 16 performances), Off Off Broadway shows often don’t run long enough to benefit from word of mouth.
Off Off Broadway definitely runs the gamut in terms of theme, tone, and quality of work. But it’s the place to go to discover incredible new plays, the actors and directors who are on the cusp of blowing up, and the most laid-back theatergoing experience in town. It’s not unusual for a show to begin Off Off Broadway and then receive subsequent productions Off Broadway or sometimes even on Broadway (Hand to God is a recent example of this upward movement). And most New York City actors have Off Off Broadway credits to their names, even if they eventually reach celebrity status. Off Off Broadway productions are often the very best deal in New York City theatre.
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And if you want more information about Actors’ Equity Associate and the policies we’ve discussed, visit their helpful website at www.actorsequity.org.
