If you’ve ever been to Broadway you’ll recognize the bright lights, the over-the-top costumes, and the expensive tickets. For most, the experience is worth it, even if it’s a one-time gig. However, for those looking for a real NYC theater experience, off-Broadway, or even off-off-Broadway is a way to participate in the real-artsy side of the underground theater scene in New York.
What is Off-Broadway?
An off-Broadway production is a show created to be performed to a smaller, more intimate audience than a lights and banners Broadway production. Off-Broadway shows are usually written and directed by smaller names (although often quite as good as Broadway writers and directors) who produce quality theater on a lower budget, for fewer people, and often times the content is more propagandistic, racey, or avant-guarde than your typical Broadway show.
Where Can I See an off-Broadway Show?
Off-Broadway shows are typically done in smaller theaters for audiences of 40-200 (off-off-Broadway shows are the ones done for audiences of 10-50 in coffee shops, warehouses, amphitheaters, or wherever they can find space). They’re still performed in the Broadway area, but the smaller audiences create a more intimate, personal performance and the greater change for audience participation.
The following is a list of Off-Broadway Theaters and the shows they’re currently playing:
13th Street Repertory, 50 West 13th Street: The Accidental Pervert
45 Bleecker, 45 Bleecker Street: Monday Night Magic
47th Street Theatre, 304 West 47th Street: Shows Coming Soon
Acorn Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street: Burning
Actors Temple Theatre, 339 West 47th Street: Black Angels Over Tuskegee
For a more complete list of over 100 off-Broadway Theatres, click here.
Ready, Set, Go
Tickets generally run from $20-$50 dollars a piece and shows typically run for 4-6 weeks. Off-Broadway Theater is a fantastic and inexpensive way to really experience and support the art scene of NYC and get yourself, your friends, or your family exposed to the young talented writers, actors, and directors making in in the Big Apple.