Marquee
Stage Door
240 West 44th St.
New York, NY
BUILT: 1912
SEATING CAPACITY: 597
Hayes Theatre (Broadway) History
Originally built by Winthrop Ames in 1912, "The Little Theatre" was an intimate 300-seat theater dedicated to presenting new playwrights and experimental dramas deemed too risky to stage in large Broadway theater. Through the years, the theater served as the television studio for "The Merv Griffin Show" and "The Dick Clark Show," as well as the original home of The New York Times town hall. In the 1970s the building was returned to use as a legitimate theater, and in 1987 New York’s Landmark Preservation commission designated the building as a Landmark Site. Notable engagements at the Helen Hayes over the years have included a five-year run of Albert Innaurato's Gemini, Harvey Fierstein's Tony-winning Torch Song Trilogy, Tony-winner The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Dirty Blonde, Golda's Balcony, Xanadu, Rock of Ages, and most recently, Stephen Karam's Tony-winning The Humans. Renamed in 1983 to honor the great "First Lady of American Theater," the Helen Hayes Theater remains the smallest house on Broadway - a perfect fit for the work Second Stage produces.
Rock of Ages achieved the box office record for the Helen Hayes Theatre! The production grossed $744,667 over nine performances for the week ending December 30, 2012. Rock of Ages opened in 2009 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre before transferring to the Helen Hayes Theatre in 2011.
Other productions that called the Helen Hayes Theatre home include Xanadu (2007); Dames at Sea (2015); The Humans (2016); Torch Song (2018); What the Constitution Means to Me (2019).
News
by Kym Vaitiekus - May 18, 2026
Ship Ahoy the Masterful HMS Hayes and THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE. A bountiful night of shenanigans, merriment, and joy.
by Stephi Wild - May 11, 2026
Hayes Theatre Co's acclaimed five-actor production of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, previously a sold-out hit, opens at the Foundry Theatre inside the Sydney Lyric in Pyrmont, with original cast members returning alongside new recruits.
by Stephi Wild - May 7, 2026
Joshua Robson Productions announced the full cast for THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Hayes Theatre Co, led by Erika Heynatz as Morticia and Marcus Rivera as Gomez, with direction by Julia Robertson.
by Josh Sharpe - May 5, 2026
With his nomination for Marjorie Prime, Danny Burstein has become the most nominated male actor in Tony history, having earned a total of nine nominations across his stage career.
by Josh Sharpe - May 5, 2026
June Squibb made Tony history this morning by becoming the oldest actor to receive a nomination. At age 96, the performer is nominated for her performance as Marjorie in the recent Broadway production of Marjorie Prime.
by A.A. Cristi - May 1, 2026
California Theatre Conservatory will present Rodgers & Hammerstein's OKLAHOMA! at the Hayes Theatre in San Rafael, featuring conservatory-trained young performers in a production developed over nearly five months of rehearsal.
by Bruce Glikas - Apr 24, 2026
Dr. Robby and Dr. Langdon were in the house at Becky Shaw on Broadway! The Pitt star Noah Wyle attended a recent performance of the Second Stage production, seeing his co-star Patrick Ball. See photos!
by Kym Vaitiekus - Apr 17, 2026
A sharp, hilarious musical about the chaos of creating GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 10, 2026
BroadwayWorld has just learned that Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Purpose, is now available at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT).
by Atlantic Theater Company - Apr 7, 2026
When deciding whether to pause my life, travel 10,000 miles from Australia, and invest in the Atlantic Acting School Summer Intensive, a wise friend told me: “You’ll never regret a summer in New York City.” She was absolutely right.
by Jennifer Broski - Apr 5, 2026
The 2025/26 Broadway season is here at last, with many new productions set to arrive before the end of the season. If you don't live in New York City or frequent the Theater District, odds are you haven't seen Broadway's newest marquees! Check out what's up so far below.
by Stephi Wild - Apr 2, 2026
NIUSIA, a one-woman show by Beth Paterson exploring Jewish identity and intergenerational Holocaust memory, will tour to Brighton and London in May following award-winning runs at the Melbourne, Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe.
by Nicole Rosky - Mar 30, 2026
The cast for the 2026 Australian tour of the musical comedy Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) was just announced. The five performers who will portray the iconic roles of Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Jane Bennet, Charles Bingley, Mr and Mrs Bennet and all other characters, will be Amy Lehpamer, Zoe Ioannou, Kaori Maeda-Judge, Ruby Shannon and Teo Vergara.
by Nicole Rosky - Mar 29, 2026
There is a lot to celebrate this spring at the Hayes Theatre. With the arrival of Becky Shaw, comes the Broadway debut of playwright Gina Gionfriddo... but the party doesn't end there! Three of its stars, Madeline Brewer, Patrick Ball, and Alden Ehrenreich, also make their Broadway debuts as 'Becky,' 'Andrew,' and 'Max' repectively.
by Stephi Wild - Mar 23, 2026
Hayes Theatre Co will present their acclaimed production of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE at the Foundry Theatre, featuring a dynamic five-actor cast. Learn more here!
by Stephi Wild - Mar 20, 2026
Rehearsals have commenced for the hilarious hit Broadway musical Gutenberg! The Musical! which opens at the Hayes Theatre on April 10. Learn more about the show here!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 19, 2026
The cast has been revealed for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the devilishly cheeky, fun-filled Broadway musical opening at Hayes Theatre Co this May. Music theatre star and Hayes Theatre Co favourite, Blake Erickson leads the cast as Lawrence Jamieson.
by Jade Kops - Mar 17, 2026
HEAD OVER HEELS THE MUSICAL celebrates the music of 70’s and 80’s Pop Rock group The Go-Gos through a pairing with Sir Philip Sidney’s pastoral romance, The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia.
by - Mar 10, 2026
Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is March 10, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
by Jennifer Broski - Mar 9, 2026
Previews will begin soon for Second Stage Theater production of Gina Gionfriddo's Becky Shaw, directed by Trip Cullman. The play will begin performances at the Hayes Theatre on March 18, and you can check out photos of the new marquee here.
Hayes Theatre Frequently Asked Questions
The Hayes Theater is accessible, with an elevator reaching from the lower level café to the Mezzanine. The Orchestra has a ramp aisle, while the Mezzanine utilizes stairs. The Hayes box office also has an accessible window.
Wheelchair seating is located in both the Orchestra and Mezzanine.
Orchestra: There are no steps to the designated wheelchair sections.
Mezzanine: There are no steps to the designated wheelchair sections. There are steps between the rows. Entrance to Mezzanine is behind row J.
There are accessible men’s and women’s restrooms on both the lower lobby and Mezzanine levels.
The theater is fully equipped with Infrared Assisted Listening Devices. Devices can be obtained upon request. Patrons must provide a form of identification to receive a device. At the end of the performance, the ID will be returned once the device is brought back. For optimal performance, please turn off your hearing aid when using Infrared headsets. The Hayes Theater will have access to the Loop Assistive Listening System – a wireless technology that transmits speech or music on stage directly to theatergoers’ cochlear implants and hearing aids with T-coils.
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