What factors go into choosing a theatre for a Broadway show?

[natashalost]

Posted: 9/26/18 at 4:34pm

I always hear people say when a show is coming to Broadway that a show isn't "right" for a theatre, so what goes into choosing the "right" theatre for a show, besides availability, of course.

Updated On: 9/26/18 at 04:34 PM

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 9/26/18 at 4:37pm

Availability in the selected season, size of theater in terms of seats, size of theater in terms of stage, space, and storage, location, ownership of the theater, relationship with theater owner.  Those are just some basics.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/26/18 at 5:53pm

Everything said above, and also, the tone/mood of the show. Think about seeing The Band's Visit in the 1,900-seat Gershwin.

[Daddy Warbucks]

Posted: 9/26/18 at 6:28pm

A huge factor for producers is the size of the theatre.  You don't want a low budget play having to pay the rent of a huge theatre.  Further, if you have a big budget King Kong or Moulin Rouge, you want enough product (seats) to sell in order to make recoupment for investors feasible.  Investors won't back a show where recoupment isn't even theoretical.  So a bigger theatre helps make those numbers more possible.  

Another consideration is whether there is enough off-stage space to fit all of your set pieces. 

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 9/27/18 at 12:21am

It's not so much "choosing" a theatre, unless you have a REALLY hot property or an ultra-specific show (Harry Potter, Moulin Rouge, Matilda). After determining the size of the show, it all comes down to availability and the producer's relationship with each theatre owner.

Sometimes the show/theatre match is perfect: the Mark Rylance Shakespeare plays in the Belasco come to mind. Everyone's going to want one of the prime 44th/45th St houses, but the reality is, anything that could fit in the Booth could also play ~12 others. I would think the Cort and Lyceum are the least desirable playhouses, because of their locations, aesthetics, and second balconies (you can't charge as much for the second balc). But Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johansson, and Larry David have made plenty of $$ at the Cort!


(And I can't NOT mention the perfect jewels that are Circle in the Square and the Beaumont. I wish Broadway had a few more houses that weren't traditional proscenium spaces, it would make things so much more interesting.)

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 9/27/18 at 2:41am

Don't forget the factor in the location of the theater. If people can get to it easily and can even see it, you have a lot of instant traffic.

[Snakeskin]

Posted: 9/27/18 at 7:26am

Popularity within a specific group of people.

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 9/27/18 at 8:44am

In those cases where a producer has options, they will also generally look at how the seats in a theater are allocated by section--producers like orchestra seats since they can charge more, so those houses with larger orchestras will get preference over houses where a larger percentage of seats are in the mezzanine (or, God forbid, a third-level balcony).

[raddersons]

Posted: 9/27/18 at 9:30am

With more shows coming onto Broadway and never leaving, it's less about "Which theater is the best fit for me" and more "What's available?" these days. Yes, there's still options, but there are much fewer options each year than there were in the early 00s -- and even then, the early 00s had fewer options than the 80s.