Best Regional Theaters for developing Broadway Shows

Ever wonder where broadway shows come from? My friend and I are having a debate - who are the front runners in developing future broadway shows?

Input is HIGHLY appreciated...

The not-for-profit companies on the East Coast that have had the most success developing new works for Broadway are in New York City:

The Public
-- Hair
-- A Chorus Line
-- Pirates of Penzance
-- Caroline, or Change
-- Topdog/Underdog
-- Elaine Stritch At Liberty
-- Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk
-- Two Gentlemen of Verona
-- Angels in America
-- Well
-- Take Me Out
-- The Wild Party
-- On The Town
-- Plenty
-- The Mystery of Edwin Drood
-- For Colored Girls
-- Streamers
-- The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel
-- Sticks and Bones

and several others


Playwrights Horizons
-- Grey Gardens
-- I Am My Own Wife
-- The Dead
-- Once on the is Island
-- Assassins
-- The Heidi Chronicles
-- Sunday in the Park with George

Second Stage
-- Spelling Bee
-- The Little Dog Laughed

The Vineyard
-- Avenue Q

Plus Roundabout, MTC and Lincoln Center have developed dozens of new works for Broadway that have played in their Tony-eligible Broadway spaces (American Airlines Theater, Studio 54, The Biltmore and the Vivian Beaumont).

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New York Stage & Film at Vassar - several Broadway transfers, lots of off-Bway transfers:

-Good Vibrations
-A Year With Frog & Toad
-Side Man
-Doubt
-Fran's Bed
-Nerds
-Tuesdays With Morrie
-Adrift in Macao
-Necessary Targets

Duke University in Durham, NC hosted LITTLE WOMEN before it came to Broadway.

North Carolina Theatre in Raleigh is hosting the pre-Broadway engagement of Frank Wildhorn's WAITING FOR THE MOON

Doesn't Pittsburgh CLO premiere touring productions of shows before they go out on the road?

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Barrington began development of Spelling Bee as a non-musical play, but it wasn't until Second Stage that the composer William Finn and the director James Lapine were able to finish creating the full-fledged musical that then was able to move to Broadway.

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Couldn't resist putting in a plug for Actors Theatre of Louisville. "The Gin Game," "Crimes of the Heart," and "Agnes of God" started their road to Broadway there. As for Off-Broadway, "After Ashley," "Omnium-Gatherum," and "The Scene" were all showcased at ATL prior to their NYC runs.

it is not broadway but off broadway two shows leaving queens and almost maine they had they stage debt in portlan ,maine at portland stage company.

Margo- Wasn't I Am My Own Wife developed at the Playhouse, and then transferred for an off-broadway run? I don't think it was actually developed at Playwrights Horizon.

just curious..any big names from Papermill Playhouse?

No new shows or major revivals have moved from the Paper Mill to Broadway, though a couple of minor revivals (You Can't Take It With You and a failed production of I'm Not Rappaport) did make the transfer.

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Goodspeed was where Annie premiered, I believe