Off-Broadway theaters are smaller than Broadway theaters, with fewer than 500 seats but more than 99. They are usually not-for-profit and offer less expensive admission prices. Off-Broadway productions are ineligible for the Tony Awards but are eligible for other awards, such as the Lucille Lortel Awards. Off-Broadway theaters include Playwrights Horizons and Second Stage Theater. Many popular plays and musicals, such as A Chorus Line and Avenue Q, began in Off-Broadway theaters before moving to Broadway.
Off-Broadway refers to both the location of a theater as well as its size and the plays it produces. Off-Broadway-produced theater generally has less expensive admission prices than Broadway shows, as theaters are usually not for profit and do not need to recoup expenses from ticket prices. Unlike Broadway productions, shows produced by the Great White Way are not eligible for the Tony Awards.
When Off-Broadway first began in the 1950s, theaters were located away from Broadway, usually in downtown New York City. Subsequently, a number of theaters were located on Broadway but met other requirements to be considered Off-Broadway. The term has more to do with the size of the theater than where it is located, although all Off-Broadway theaters are required to be in Manhattan, New York City.
To be considered Off-Broadway, a theater must have fewer than 500 seats but more than 99. Usually, the theater needs to hire actors and performers under an agreement with Actor’s Equity. Actor’s Equity sets the minimum salary an actor or stage manager can earn while working Off Broadway based on the size of the theater and the production’s projected takings.
While Off-Broadway productions are ineligible for the Tony Awards, they are eligible for a variety of other awards, from the Obies to the Drama Desk Awards. The Lucille Lortel Awards are given specifically to Off-Broadway productions. To be eligible for the Lortel Awards, a show must run for at least 21 performances in an adequately sized theater.
The Lortel Awards began in 1985 by the League of Off-Broadway Theaters and Producers, an organization created specifically to support Off-Broadway theaters. Categories for the awards include Best Play, Best Revival, and Best Musical. Productions that have won a Lortel Award include The Scottsboro Boys, which won Best Musical in 2010, and Wit, which won Outstanding Performance in 1999.
Off-Broadway theaters include Playwrights Horizons located on 42nd Street. Playwrights Horizons is a theater dedicated to developing new works by contemporary American playwrights. Second Stage Theater, on 43rd Street, is also dedicated to new plays, although its original mission was to reproduce plays that initially did not do well. Other Off-Broadway theaters include the Public Theater and the New York Theater Workshop, both located downtown.
A number of plays and musicals began life in an Off-Broadway theater and later moved to a large Broadway theater. The musical A Chorus Line was originally produced at the Public Theater, for example. Other popular transfers include Avenue Q and The 39 Steps.
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