Off and Off-Off

[BWayNewbie2]

Posted: 5/15/04 at 2:37am

Hey all. I just joined. I have always love theater and just recently took the plunge.

What's the difference between Off and Off-Off.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/15/04 at 6:17am

Generally speaking:

Off = 100 - 499 seats
Off-Off = 1- 99 seats

Broadway theatres all have 500+ seats, but not all theatres in NYC with over 500 seats are recognized as Broadway theatres (for example, the Delacorte which has roughly 1900 seats hosts Shakespeare in the Park each year is not a "Broadway eligible" theatre). "Broadway" is a very exclusive club that has nothing whatsoever to do with number of seats or location, but has everything to do with who it is that owns the theatre and whether or not they are "players" in the world of big-time legitimate NY theatre. The Shuberts, the Nederlanders, Jujamcyn, and a few other independent owners constitute "The League of American Theatres" which along with "The American Theatre Wing" administer the Tony Awards every year. Shubert Theatres constitute roughly half of them. Larger venues in NY which have at least 500 seats, but aren't devoted to the production of "legitimate" theatre on a full-time basis year round and/or have not been (for whatever reason) designated "Broadway" houses, are automatically considered "Off-Broadway" houses -- the Beacon, the Apollo, Radio City, the Schimmel Center at Pace among several others come to mind as being at least as large as most Broadway houses, but not designated as such by the powers that be.

Updated On: 5/15/04 at 06:17 AM

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 5/15/04 at 6:52pm

Thank you MargoChanning. That was an excellent explanation.