What constitutes a Broadway and/or an Off Broadway Show?

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 11/27/03 at 8:53pm

Is it just the location? I would think so. Or is it shows of a lesser calibur off Broadway. Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question. I've just always wondered about this-LoL.

[Amneris]

Posted: 11/27/03 at 8:56pm

it's not a stupid question at all...i actually think it's the amount of SEATS in the theater... i think anything under 500 is considered OFF bway.. anything above is bway.

[Horsey!!!]

Posted: 11/27/03 at 10:33pm

Actually, to be more specific; what constitutes whether a show is "Broadway" or "Off-Broadway" is determined by the type of contract a show has. The contract is determined by the size of the house where the show is playing. So...basically, yes...in most cases the "number of seats" determines the type of contract a show has, and thereby determining whether a show is considered Bway or Off-Bway. Updated On: 11/27/03 at 10:33 PM

[Cadriel]

Posted: 11/27/03 at 10:45pm

A theatre is actually officially classified as a Broadway, Off-Broadway, or Off-Off-Broadway house. A Broadway house has to have 500 or more seats and be within, I believe, two blocks of Broadway between 41st St. and 54th St. (with the Nederlander and Studio 54 at extreme ends - don't think anything is further uptown). Off-Broadway houses are scattered throughout Manhattan, with their primary qualification being that they're 499 seats or less.

The general theme is that everything on Broadway is more expensive. A Broadway house is very costly to rent, Broadway staging tends to be first-class, actors are paid handsomely, and there is an absolute minimum of musicians who must be employed (16-18, depending upon the particular theatre) for a musical. The advantage? Well, it's Broadway, and you can charge a lot of people a lot of money for the privelege of seeing a Broadway show. You can employ more actors and have a much higher production budget - Broadway shows tend to range $8-10 million, while Off-Broadway is about $1 million. Since the profit range for a Broadway show is so much higher, it's a very desirable place, but it's very difficult even for successful shows to get back their whole investments nowadays.

-Wayne

[Alex the Cat]

Posted: 11/27/03 at 10:51pm

Isn't the Vivian Beaumont theater at Lincoln Center (where Henry IV is currently playing) considered a Broadway house? It's up at 65th...

[Horsey!!!]

Posted: 11/27/03 at 10:59pm

Yes.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 11/28/03 at 1:14am

This also means, the smaller the theatre, the money put into the show will be different.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/28/03 at 1:21am

Additionally (in regards to contracts and budget), with few exceptions, every person working on a Broadway show from acting to crew to front of house is a member of their respective union. This is not necessarily so for Off-Broadway.

Are showcases considered off-off Broadway? If not, there is a 4th category of production in NYC, plus workshops.

[logan30]

Posted: 12/1/03 at 11:23am

The size of the house (50O+ seats) is what the Tony Award Administration Committee uses to designate a Tony eligible show. Ticket prices, seating capacity, union contracts and to a lesser degree location are generally used to designate a Broadway house. In the 1960s, MAN OF LA MANCHA played at the former ANTA Washington Square (under 500 seats and way downtown) but it was still considered a Broadway show. Both Town Hall and the City Center have at one time or another been designated Broadway houses. Conceivably, both the Beacon and the Apollo could sign contracts with the theatrical unions and be designated Broadway houses.