Broadway Terms and Definitions
To what does the term "Broadway" refer?
Broadway refers to the professional Theatre District in New York City, New York (Manhattan).
Broadway theaters must have at least 500 seats, and with one exception, be located in the area extending from 42nd to 54th Streets between 6th and 8th Avenues. The theaters are all in the vicinity of Broadway, a street which crosses Times Square.
The exception to being situated in the Times Square area is the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, which is located on 65th Street in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex.
Theaters which have less than 500 seats are known as off-Broadway theaters—even if they are situated in the Broadway area defined above.
There are many terms and definitions unique to Broadway and the theater-going experience. Gaining an understanding of these terms will enhance your viewing enjoyment when you attend a performance.
Sarah Brightman and Antonio Banderas | March 6, 2006
Theatre District of New York City
A
New Amsterdam Theatre:
280 Broadway, New York, NY 10007
B
Belasco Theatre:
111 W 54th St, New York, NY 10105
C
Broadway Theatre:
1681 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
D
Cadillac Winter Garden:
1634 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
E
Helen Hayes Theatre:
240 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036
F
Imperial Theatre:
249 W 45th St, New York, NY 10036
G
Longacre Theatre:
220 W 48th St, New York, NY 10036
H
Gershwin Theatre:
222 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019
I
Neil Simon Theatre:
250 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019
39 Broadway Theaters
The following 39 theaters are all considered to be Broadway theaters. The Vivian Beaumont Theatre is the only theater not in the Times Square / Broadway area. It's located in the Lincoln Center complex.
Seating Capacity
| Theater Name
| Address
|
|---|---|---|
597
| Helen Hayes Theatre
| 240 West 44th Street
|
650
| Samuel J Friedman Theatre
| 261 West 47th Street
|
740
| American Airlines Theatre
| 227 West 42nd Street
|
766
| Circle in the Square Theatre
| 1633 Broadway
|
805
| John Golden Theatre
| 252 West 45th Street
|
806
| Booth Theatre
| 222 West 45th Street
|
922
| Studio 54 Theatre
| 254 West 54th Street
|
943
| Lyceum Theatre
| 149 West 45th Street
|
947
| Walter Kerr Theatre
| 219 West 48th Street
|
1025
| Music Box Theatre
| 239 West 45th Street
|
1040
| Belasco Theatre
| 111 West 44th Street
|
1093
| Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
| 236 West 45th Street
|
1095
| Longacre Theatre
| 205 West 46th Street
|
1096
| Ethel Barrymore Theatre
| 243 West 47th Street
|
1101
| Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
| 242 West 45th Streer
|
1102
| Cort Theatre
| 138 West 48th Street
|
1105
| Vivian Beaumont Theatre
| 150 West 65th Street
|
1108
| Eugene O'Neill Theatre
| 230 West 49th Street
|
1109
| Brooks Atkinson Theatre
| 256 West 47th Street
|
1120
| Ambassador Theatre
| 219 West 49th Street
|
1122
| August Wilson Theatre
| 245 West 52nd Street
|
1218
| Broadhurst Theatre
| 235 West 44th Street
|
1232
| Nederlander Theatre
| 208 West 41st Street
|
1380
| Richard Rodgers Theatre
| 226 West 46th Street
|
1428
| Neil Simon Theatre
| 250 West 52nd Street
|
1435
| Imperial Theatre
| 249 West 45th Street
|
1437
| Al Hirschfeld Theatre
| 302 West 45th Street
|
1468
| Shubert Theatre
| 225 West 44th Street
|
1498
| Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre
| 1634 Broadway
|
1509
| Lunt Fontanne Theatre
| 205 West 46th Street
|
1609
| Majestic Theatre
| 247 West 44th Street
|
1615
| Marquis Theatre
| 1535 Broadway at 45th Street
|
1710
| Minskoff Theatre
| 200 West 45th Street
|
1710
| St. James Theatre
| 246 West 44th Street
|
1743
| Palace Theatre
| 1554 Broadway
|
1761
| Broadway Theatre
| 1681 Broadway
|
1801
| New Amsterdam Theatre
| 214 West 42nd Street
|
1829
| Foxwoods Theatre
| 213 West 42nd Street
|
1935
| Gershwin Theatre
| 222 West 51st Street
|
Broadway-Related Terms and Definitions
The following 25 terms and accompanying definitions are just some of the ones unique to theater-going.
Broadway-Related Term
| Definition
|
|---|---|
Alternate
| An alternate is someone who plays a role in place of a star on an occasional basis. If a production has both matinee and evening performances, the alternate might play the role for all the matinees.
|
Book
| The book is the story upon which the production is based.
|
Cast Album
| A cast album is a live recording of a stage production.
|
Chorus
| The performers who are part of the chorus are the background singers and dancers in a production. If singers, their voices punch up the sound being heard by the audience. If dancers, their movements fill in empty spaces on the stage.
|
Company
| All of the people assocated with a production are the company.
|
Dance Captain
| The dance captain teaches choreography to dancers joining the company as replacements, and assists understudies in learning thier roles.
|
Diva
| A diva is a larger-than-life female star whose fans are often fanatical in their devotion to the singer. Broadway divas include the late Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Bernadette Peters.
|
Entr'Acte
| The entr'acte is the music played between the first and second acts of a musical production before the action begins, often before the curtain is raised.
|
Equity
| Equity is the name of the actor's union.
|
Featured Performer
| A featured performer is someone who is not the star of the production, but who has an important enough role for their name to be listed separately in the credits.
|
Flop
| A flop is a production in which the show's investors failed to receive a return on their investment.
|
Gypsy
| A gypsy is a performer who spends their entire theatrical career as a chorus member, moving from one production to another.
|
House
| The house is the number of seats sold in the theater for a given performance.
|
Libretto
| The libretto is the lyrics of the songs in a musical theater production.
|
Musical
| A musical production is one in which dialogue, song, and dance combine to tell a story.
|
Orchestra
| The orchestra is the ground floor level of seats in a theater.
|
Overture
| An overture is a medley of bits of the songs that will be performed in a musical theater production. It's played before the curtain is raised on the opening act.
|
Preview
| The preview period is the first few weeks of a show's production run. Any kinks or problems with the production are ironed out during this time.
|
Production Number
| A production number is an elaborate song and dance number involving many cast members.
|
Reprise
| A reprise is a song which is sung more than once in a musical production.
|
Showstopper
| A showstopper is a production number which is so popular, it literally stops the show. There is so much applause and cheering, the performers cannot continue until the audience calms down.
|
SRO
| Some theaters sell Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets for sold out performances. There is a designated area in the theater in which people who have purchased SRO tickets stand for the entire performance.
|
Standby
| A standby is an understudy who has learned several of the major roles in a production who literally "stands by" in case they are needed at the last moment to take over someone's role.
|
Swing
| A swing is a person who has learned all of the chorus roles in a production. The swing is called upon to take over any one of a number of minor roles should someone not be able to perform at the last moment.
|
Understudy
| An understudy is someone who can cover for a number of major roles in a production should the person in that role not be able to perform.
|
Have you ever attended a performance in a Broadway theatre?
When you attend a theatre performance, on Broadway or elsewhere, do you prefer seeing dramas or musicals?
