Broadway Theaters - how do they work?

Can someone explain to me how Broadway theaters work? Can anyone buy property and construct a theater on Broadway and then it automatically comes a Broadway theater? Or how does it all work? Do you have to have a certain number so seats, etc. to make it a Broadway theater. How far "away" from Broadway can it be to still be considered a Broadway theater.

Actually, I think it is more than that.
I believe they need to be officially recognized as part of the Broadway circuit, which right now has 39 theatres, and soon 40.

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I dont think # of seats is the issue, cuz that's really up to the house and how much $$ they want to make.

Although there is a minimum seat requirement, 500, (one theater, I believe the Helen Hayes, is one or two seats under, but was granfathered), it must also be located within a certain geographic area. The only Broadway theater not located in this area is the Vivian Beaumont.

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I know that seating compacity plays into it, because I remember it being in the news in the '80s about the current Helen Hayes Theatre (which I think used to be called "The Little Theatre," since the original Helen Hayes Theatre was torn down)... There was a debate about whether this one qualified as a Broadway theatre, because it was under the minimum number of seats. I imagine other criteria plays into it as well, but "size" definitely matters here.

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First off, the Helen Hayes (the smallest Broadway house) has 597 seats).

Second, I've answered this one a few times, so pardon me if I just cut and paste an earlier response:

"The designation of "Broadway" is actually just a determination of the League of American Theatres -- a tiny little exclusive club of the people who own the current Broadway houses and co-produce the Tonys every year. While, yes, all Broadway houses have at least 500 seats, it's not as if every theatrical venue in New York city with over 500 seats (Radio City, The Beacon, The Apollo, The Delacorte) is a Broadway house.

Look at the Delacorte -- it has 1900 seats and is dedicated solely to the production of professional legitimate theatre ...... but it's ONLY not considered a Broadway house because the League says it's not a Broadway house (and they principally don't include the Delacorte because it's purely not-for-profit and subsidized by the state and corporate donors -- the only people who get to be in their "Broadway" club are those who take the same sorts of finanicial risks that they do) .

THEY decide who gets to join their club and who doesn't, based on their own whims. 20 years ago, Porgy and Bess played at Radio City. Because it was an expensive for-profit venture (and some of their producer buddies were co-producing it), guess what? Radio City Music Hall became a Broadway, Tony-eligible house for that production (and that production only). The League does whatever they wants and makes all the rules and decisions which are in their best interest -- basically they can designate any theatre in NYC a Broadway house if they want to ...... as long as the owner (and the producers of the shows playing there) are willing to pay the price.

Additionally, certain specific contracts are negotiated with each Broadway theatre by each union (Equity, Local One, Local 802 etc.....).

Off-Broadway is sort of the default category for all those theatres that aren't deemed Broadway theatres. Most have 100 to 499 seats, but then BAM has two theatres (each with 1000+ seats), which are also considered off-Broadway. These theatres all also have contracts with the major theatrical unions, with minimums determined by the number of seats.

Off-Off-Broadway generally denotes theatres with fewer than 100 seats (there are hundreds of them in town, often called "black box theatres") as well as other venues which aren't exclusively dedicated to theatrical production (churches, outdoor spaces etc). The main thing that makes a theatre "Off-Off-Broadway" is the fact that it has no specific contracts with the major unions (though Equity showcase rules do apply).

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Updated On: 9/28/05 at 10:49 AM

She was wrong and needs to be replaced.

The Biltmore (Manhattan Theatre Club), Studio 54 (Roundabout), American Airlines Theatre (Roundabout) and the Vivian Beaumont (Lincoln Center) are all owned and operated by "not-for-profit" companies and they are all Broadway theatres.

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"She was wrong and needs to be replaced.

The Biltmore (Manhattan Theatre Club), Studio 54 (Roundabout), American Airlines Theatre (Roundabout) and the Vivian Beaumont (Lincoln Center) are all owned and operated by "not-for-profit" companies and they are all Broadway theatres."

I was going to say! What a ludicrous reason to not be considered a Broadway show, just because you are a not-for-profit. And by the way, not-for-profit doesn't mean they don't make a profit, it means that profit is not the reason for doing what they do. I'm sure Roundabput made a nice profit from Cabaret.

I just realized I made a mistake.She did not say those were the requirements to be a Broadway theatre.Rather those were the requirements of a theatre so that a show playing in it could be nominated for a Tony.Obiously, she must have been wrong about the for-profit status.The Light In The Piazza was nominated and won Tonys and is at the Vivian Beaumont which as someone mentioned is not-for-profit.

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Okay, yeah that's what i was wondering. I mean, many people with "money" could just build a theater on Broadway or around Broadway, just wondering if they would be considered Broadway theaters. Are there any theaters on Broadway that aren't considered Broadway houses? Like theaters that are too small or do they usually keep those off-broadway, since there's nobody to really regulate what gets built, i'm surprised there aren't. How much would you say it costs to build a broadway size theater?

I was told on the tour that the Biltmore was bought from the city of New York by the MTC for $1 and cost $32,000,000 to renovate.

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A little more, actually...the New Amsterdam restoration was $34 million, and the Biltmore was $35 million. (Just thought about how nice it is that both theatres also were restored with their original names intact).

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That's Henry Miller's Theatre on West 43rd Street (where Cabaret started and where Urinetown played). The theatre was knocked down but the facade is still standing (as it was landmarked). A new Bank of America building is going up next to it, and a new 950-seat theatre is being built behind the facade, using some elements from the original Henry Miller's. It's slated to open in 2008.

I believe it will be owned and operated by the Durst Organization.

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Updated On: 9/28/05 at 02:01 PM