Do Broadway Theatres Pick The Show?

[BtMartin25]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 10:58pm

Do the Broadway Theatre's pick the show, or does the show pick the theatre?

AKA

Marquis and Drowsy
Gershwin and Wicked..
Etc.

Updated On: 8/28/06 at 10:58 PM

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 11:04pm

Producers of the shows pick the theatre.

[BtMartin25]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 11:07pm

Thank you.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 11:11pm

BUT, theatre owners don't have to accept any show that shows up at their door step. They can always say "no, we won't book you." And in times, like now, when there's a theatre crunch and lots of shows going after each desirable theatre, the theatre owner gets to pick and choose which one they want to give a lease to.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 11:12pm

Yes, they are offered theatres by producers depending on the venue best suited for the show, and how well the produces think a show might do.

[boxers7]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 11:18pm

Margo - Has a theatre ever not renewed a show lease?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 12:17am

Every Broadway theatre lease has something called a "stop clause" which enables a theatre owner to cancel a lease and evict a show if it has failed to break even two weeks in a row. While this clause isn't frequently invoked -- especially if there isn't a more promising show waiting to come in soon and occupy the theatre (a theatre owner doesn't want a dark theatre and even a flop provides some income) -- it has happened in the past.

[boxers7]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 12:18am

And did the show close or simply move to a different theatre?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 12:26am

It can cost millions to move to another theatre -- only major hits that look like they'll run a few more years and thus can repay the investors the cost of the move do it. No, if a show is floundering so badly that its stop clause is invoked, it just closes and packs up and leaves. As I said it's a rare occurrence for a show to be evicted and it only happens with truly hopeless shows that have little or no chance of ever becoming profitable. Usually struggling shows can work out some sort of deal with the owner to stay open.

[Horton]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 12:30am

Can you give us so specific examples?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 12:43am

Such matters are typically kept very private, between the owner and the producers. To have it revealed that your show was evicted would serve to embarass those involved, so owners usually quietly inform the producers that they will be invoking the clause in the near future and leave it to the producers to put up closing notices and make the public announcement of the closing date. This way the producers can make it appear that it was their decision to close and they can save face (though in such a tiny community with a relatively small handful of owners and producers, word does sometimes get out that a certain show was "pushed out" of their theatre).