Would Broadway benefit from a second in the round theatre?

[Catsbroadwayfan]

At least to me it seems shows that play Circle in the square have zero chance of playing a long run like Aladdin and Wicked because the theatre is in such high demand. Would broadway benefit from having another in the round theatre?

[Kad]

I think Broadway would benefit greatly from a flexible theatre space that can be configured in whatever way a production calls for- round, thrust, tennis court, proscenium, no seats at all.

[dramamama611]

In high demand?   If that were the case, OOTI would have (likely) been kicked out for not meeting their nut.   ANY theater would be thrilled to have a show last for years and years and not have to worry about looking for a new tenant.

 

Personally, I'd love more less traditional type shows/houses, but truth is: there isn't that much that is looking on the broadway level. 

[zainmax]

I feel like Circle in the Square has very low demand. Most shows don't want to be staged in the round.

[haterobics]

Catsbroadwayfan said: "shows that play Circle in the square have zero chance of playing a long run like Aladdin and Wicked because the theatre is in such high demand."

If a show is selling well, it will play as long a run as it wants. No wildly successful show is kicked out early so that another show gets a shot...

[HogansHero]

The reason shows don't last at Circle is because it is too small to make money unless you are a blockbuster. The demand for the venue is among the lowest. Broadway would benefit artistically by having more flexible venues, but not financially. What would be a benefit would be if Circle (or someone) were operating the venue (or some other one) as a non-profit company, and renting it out for appropriate situations a la RTC.

[SomethingPeculiar]

A show could run as long as its grosses warranted at Circle in the Square. The only reason why 2 shows are allegedly vying for CITS is that the current tenant's sales are horrible and have been for a while. If Once On This Island were grossing the numbers of My Fair Lady, there would be no talk of other shows "circling" CITS.

But to answer your question from the subject line... Yes, I think Broadway would benefit greatly from another "in the round" or thrust stage. The intimacy is beautiful, and it would make things more interesting to have different types of playing spaces. (Though most shows are interchangeable between theatres, if they're designed for a proscenium house of a certain size.)

[Catsbroadwayfan]

Ahhhh I see. I just think another in the round theatre could bring more unique productions, but I guess a theatre truly doesn't matter given the fact that The great comet could transform the Imperial into a unique experince

[SomethingPeculiar]

Catsbroadwayfan said: "Ahhhh I see. I just think another in the round theatre could bring more unique productions, but I guess a theatre truly doesn't matter given the fact that The great comet could transform the Imperial into a unique experince"

Those are two extremely different things, and GREAT COMET is a poor example because it was a colossal financial failure.

Is there a shortage of theatres on Broadway? Yes. Would it be nice to have another thrust/round theatre? Absolutely. Would more shows benefit from another small-midsize proscenium house? Possibly.

[JBroadway]

OP: I think the reason it seems like it’s in high demand is because every time an Off-Broadway musical talks about transferring to Broadway, at least one person on this board suggests that it should go into the Circle in the Square, even if, in all likelihood, it’s not one that they’re looking at.

[RippedMan]

Agreed, I think we'd do better with some more mid-size houses. Instead of the newer theaters like the Sondheim and Marquis. 

 

[zainmax]

HogansHero said: "The reason shows don't last at Circle is because it is too small to make money unless you are a blockbuster. The demand for the venue is among the lowest. Broadway would benefit artistically by having more flexible venues, but not financially. What would be a benefit would be ifCircle (or someone) wereoperatingthe venue (or some other one) as a non-profit company, and renting it out for appropriate situations a la RTC."

Why isn't Circle in the Square operated as a non-profit? A lot of the revenues support the non-profit school.

[HogansHero]

@SomethingPeculiar "Is there a shortage of theatres on Broadway? Yes." You say yes without qualification but the landlords say no.

@zainmax It was, until about 20 years ago.They couldn't make it work, and they were at risk of jeopardizing the school. So they became a landlord.

[Ravenclaw]

The trend in theatre architecture these days seems to be going toward flexible configurations, like what is shown in these videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzkHve8qcG8

https://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_prince_ramus_building_a_theater_that_remakes_itself#t-1047040

I think that as artists continue to push the boundaries of traditional theatre, it will become increasingly necessary for there to be a Broadway theatre that is flexible. Imagine how much money Great Comet could have saved had a Broadway house like one of these existed! Shows like Yerma and Oklahoma have been playing St Anne's Warehouse because the way the space functions is integral to the experience of the show. I think Broadway would benefit greatly from having some sort of flexible venue to house non-traditional shows.

[Fosse76]

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee used a thrust stage set-up at Circle in the Square, and was not in the round. I could see a show like Come From Away easily adapted into that type of space.

[GeorgeandDot]

I'd really like to see a space like The Park Avenue Armory or St. Ann's Warehouse. Broadway needs a flexible space.

[SomethingPeculiar]

GeorgeandDot said: "I'd really like to see a space like The Park Avenue Armory or St. Ann's Warehouse. Broadway needs a flexible space."

I feel like that should be the goal of a Broadway non-profit. How amazing would it be if Studio 54 was a flexible performance space instead of a traditional proscenium house? (I guess the issue of any flexible theatre is the mezz....but it's fun to dream!)

[Call_me_jorge]

Wasn’t there a rumor they were going to build a black box theatre next to the imperial, but the Shuberts felt there wasn’t a need for another theatre on broadway?

[HogansHero]

correct

[VintageSnarker]

GeorgeandDot said: "I'd really like to see a space like The Park Avenue Armory or St. Ann's Warehouse. Broadway needs a flexible space."

Two questions. 

1) What do you think prevents Broadway houses from being spaces like this? Is it the need to preserve the integrity of the interiors, etc., at least for the older theaters? (Obviously HP transformed the Lyric without a problem.) Does it have to do with space? The closest thing I can think of are the Lincoln Center theaters but I think being in their own space and having so much real estate they have a lot more room to play around. 

2) What do you think prevents these spaces from drawing more of a Broadway audience and having longer runs and/or more traditional shows? Is it financial? Is it location (though Park Ave is a bit isolated at night, it's not really a bad location)? I'm curious if there are any numbers that might hint at location affecting ticket sales. I can only speak for myself as someone who lives in Manhattan and needs to take public transportation to get anywhere. Is it prestige or is there a real commercial benefit to being on Broadway that you don't get at being at NWS or any off-Broadway space that's just a few blocks away from a Broadway theater?

[SomethingPeculiar]

VintageSnarker said: "GeorgeandDot said: "I'd really like to see a space like The Park Avenue Armory or St. Ann's Warehouse. Broadway needs a flexible space."

Two questions.

1) What do you think prevents Broadway houses from being spaces like this? Is it the need to preserve the integrity of the interiors, etc., at least for the older theaters? (Obviously HP transformed the Lyric without a problem.) Does it have to do with space? The closest thing I can think of are the Lincoln Center theaters but I think being in their own space and having so much real estate they have a lot more room to play around.

I think tradition has a lot to do with it. 39 out of 41 theatres are proscenium stages because once upon a time, Broadway was just one stop on a tour. Even today, proscenium houses dominate across the world. LCT was built as a rep theatre within the Lincoln Center complex, and Circle in the Square was built to serve its namesake company.

The Lyric situation is unique because it's an impossibly large space that was built in the 1990s, and the theatre owners and Potter producers were willing to pay big $$$ to remodel it.


2) What do you think prevents these spaces from drawing more of a Broadway audience and having longer runs and/or more traditional shows? Is it financial? Is it location (though Park Ave is a bit isolated at night, it's not really a bad location)? I'm curious if there are any numbers that might hint at location affecting ticket sales. I can only speak for myself as someone who lives in Manhattan and needs to take public transportation to get anywhere. Is it prestige or is there a real commercial benefit to being on Broadway that you don't get at being at NWS or any off-Broadway space that's just a few blocks away from a Broadway theater?"

Not sure I 100% understand the question, but... Broadway is an elite brand with specific location and size requirements for its theatres (and hefty union wages), and there are definite commercial benefits (Tony Awards, branding prestige, etc). With 4 exceptions, Broadway is geared towards commercial producers, with shows that should appeal to 8,000+ people per week.

Armory/St. Ann's are non-profit venues that present more esoteric work than you'd typically see on Broadway. Plenty of shows sell out there. The locations could help or hurt: someone from Inwood might not want to travel to St. Ann's, but it could attract Brooklyn locals.

[imklepcyk]

Would be nice to have smaller house theatres. The Gershwin just is just too big. It's small compared to touring houses but has the same feel. That was part of the reason I didn't love wicked was because it didn't feel intimate like say the Shubert or hirschfeld feel