Beyond the Great White Way! 5 Great Off-Broadway Theater Companies Chris Caggiano May 18, 2012 Arts & History, general, New York So, you’re headed to New York City! So much to see, so much to do. For many people, a trip to NYC wouldn’t be complete without taking in a Broadway show or two. But have you looked at the price of theater tickets lately? Face value tickets from the box office will run you $150 to $200 a pop, even higher for the really big hits. And even if you head over to TKTS for some half-price tickets, you’re still going to pay up to $100. If you’re traveling with your family, that’s gonna make a big hole in the old pocket. Off-Broadway offerings tend to be significantly less expensive that their Broadway brethren. And there’s always the chance you’ll catch the next Hamilton before it hits the Main Stem. What’s more, Off-Broadway fare tends to be more adventurous, if you’re looking for something beyond the splashy musicals of the Great White Way. These days, thanks to skyrocketing production costs, commercial Off-Broadway theater has all but disappeared, except for a few holdouts like the Westside Arts Theater and the Orpheum, where Stomp has been playing for nearly 30 years. This means that Off-Broadway is now dominated by a handful of ambitious and successful non-profit theater companies. With the decline of the out-of-town tryout, nonprofits have become and indispensable source of vibrant new works. Here are some of the most prolific and renowned Off-Broadway theater companies. The Public Theater The Public Theater by Alex Lozupone licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 The Public Theater is one of the most respected theatrical institutions in the country. This theater company, located in the East Village, regularly puts up productions that not only feature Broadway-caliber performers and production values, but also showcase diverse voices with challenging messages. The Public started as the New York Shakespeare Festival in the 1950s, and still produces first-class annual productions of Shakespeare plays at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Recent productions include the Pulitzer Prize winners Fat Ham by James Ijames and Sweat by Lynn Nottage. But the Public also has at times exhibited a decidedly commercial bent, having given rise to such internationally famous musicals as Hair, A Chorus Line, Fun Home, and the current worldwide phenomenon, Hamilton. There’s always something fascinating to see at the Public in one of its numerous theaters and performance spaces. Atlantic Theater Company Atlantic Theater Company by Jim.henderson is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 To step into the main theater at the Atlantic Theater Company, you might not think that this modest 199-seat house, in a converted church in Chelsea, could have given rise to many successful and award-winning plays and musicals. But the Atlantic has nonetheless launched a number of esteemed hits, including the Tony-winning musicals Spring Awakening and The Band’s Visit and the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Between Riverside and Crazy. The Atlantic has also produced a number of plays by Academy Award-winning British-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, including three that went on to acclaimed Broadway runs, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Cripple of Inishmaan, and Hangmen. Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons by Paul Sableman licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 Coming in at just one seat shy of the Atlantic’s 199, we have the eminent Playwrights Horizons, situated on a section of 42nd Street called Theater Row. Like the Atlantic, Playwrights is a wonderfully intimate space to experience a show, and it’s located just blocks away from Times Square. Whatever you see at Playwrights is pretty much guaranteed to challenge your perceptions of the world and take you on a deep dive into a fascinating new arena. Productions at Playwrights have won no fewer than seven Pulitzer Prizes, including the musicals Sunday in the Park with George, with musical and lyrics by the late great Stephen Sondheim, and A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson. A Strange Loop went on to win the Tony Award for Best musical in 2022. Playwrights is also known for producing challenging and genre-defying plays like Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play and Annie Baker’s The Flick. Other celebrated works include Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris and I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright. Second Stage Theater Second Stage Theater – Tony Kiser Theater by A.J. Suresh licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 If the Second Stage Theater‘s Tony Kiser Theater were roughly double its current size, it might be considered a Broadway theater. That’s because it’s situated right in the middle of the theater district on West 43rd Street. Plus, to be considered a Broadway theater, houses must have at least 500 seats. But its smaller size hasn’t stopped 2ST from nurturing pieces that became critical and commercial successes, including the plays Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman and By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynne Nottage. 2ST also birthed a number of successful musicals, including Dear Evan Hansen, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Next to Normal. The Second Stage recently purchased and renovated the Helen Hayes Theater, the smallest theater on Broadway, and has been programming a rotating slate of Broadway shows in addition to its Off-Broadway fare, since 2018. With this additional location, 2ST continues in its mission to showcase the works of new and established American playwrights. You Might Also Enjoy: Beyond Broadway! Great Theater Cities Around the World Vineyard Theater Cast of Avenue Q by Michael Schamis licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 The Vineyard Theater features the smallest auditorium of all the theaters in this post, with 132 seats. But don’t let the size of the theater fool you. The Vineyard is a highly respect and artistically successful company that, of necessity, showcases intimate plays and musicals, many of which have gone on to major acclaim. These include the musicals Avenue Q, The Scottsboro Boys, and the cult favorite [title of show]. Among the many plays the Vineyard has produced are Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive and Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, both of which won Pulitzer Prizes. The Vineyard also has a long-standing relationship with famed composer John Kander of Cabaret and Chicago fame, and has produced a number of workshops and productions of his newer shows, including The Landing and Beast of the Jungle. Do you have a favorite Off-Broadway theater company that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
