Vivian Beaumont Theatre (Broadway) - Theater Information
 Marquee |  Stage Door | ||||||
| Address: 150 West 65th St. at Broadway New York, NY 10023 BUILT: 1965 SEATING CAPACITY: 1080 |
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Vivian Beaumont Theatre (Broadway) History
The Vivian Beaumont Theater opened to the public on October 21, 1965. Designed by the renowned architect Eero Saarinen and named for Vivian Beaumont Allen, a prominent New York philanthropist, the Beaumont was originally the home of the now-defunct Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center, which closed in 1973 after nine seasons (two of which were presented in a temporary theater erected in Washington Square Park). From 1973 to 1977, Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival was in residence at the Beaumont. From 1978 through 1985, the Beaumont was mostly rented to outside producers or was not used at all; a new resident company was formed in 1979, but it only presented one Beaumont season in 1980-81. In 1985, the building's current management -- Lincoln Center Theater -- was established. Former New York Mayor John V. Lindsay assembled a new board of directors and signed Gregory Mosher as Director and Bernard Gersten as Executive Producer. In 1991, Linda LeRoy Janklow and Andre Bishop succeeded Messrs. Lindsay and Mosher as Chairman and Artistic Director. Lincoln Center Theater has not only outlasted all the prior managements combined, but it has become America's largest not-for-profit theater, producing a year-round program of plays and musicals at the Beaumont and at various other theaters around New York City.
On the roof of the Beaumont is the Claire Tow Theater, which opened in 2012! The theater is home to LCT3, and dedicated to producing the work of new artists. The theater seats 112, and stages three to four productions a year. The most recent shows to play the Claire Tow theater in 2020 and 2019 include the Headlands by Christopher Chen, Power Strip by Sylvia Khoury, In the Green by Grace McLean and Marys Seacole by Jackie Sibblies Drury. The lower level of the building houses the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. This theater seats 299 and houses Off-Broadway plays and musicals. The last shows to play the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in 2020 and 2019 include Greater Clements by Samuel D. Hunter, The Rolling Stone by Chris Urch, Nantucket Sleigh Ride by John Guare, and The Hard Problem by Tom Stoppard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wheelchair access to the Lincoln Center Theater box office, serving the Vivian Beaumont, is available from the street-level entrance on 65th Street. Enter through the glass doors in front of the large curved mural, and use the wheelchair lift on the left. The doorbell next to the lift will call a security guard to assist if necessary. The Beaumont lobby and Orchestra level are accessible by a ramp located to the right of the box office.
Wheelchair access to the Beaumont and Newhouse Theaters is available from the street-level entrance via a manned elevator located to the right of the large mural.
Vivian Beaumont Orchestra:
Orchestra level is accessible via the elevator described above. The entrance is behind Row O, which is the only row accessible to people using wheelchairs. There are approximately one to two steps down per row to all other rows, except Row P, which is one step up.
Vivian Beaumont Mezzanine:
The Mezzanine is called Loge at this theatre. Due to structural limitations, this location is not accessible. It is located up two flights of stairs, 30 steps. The entrance is behind Row E and there are approximately one to two steps down per row to reach all other Loge seats.
Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are located on the lobby level.
Closed Captioning
Handheld closed captioning devices are available in the Vivian Beaumont Theater three weeks after a show’s opening performance. Pick up from the concessions bar in the lobby. No reservations are necessary.
Assistive Listening System
The Beaumont is now equipped with Induction Hearing Loops for state-of-the-art assistive listening. If your hearing aid has a T-coil, please toggle to that setting to receive the audio signal directly without any headphones or other equipment needed. If your hearing aid does not have a T-coil, headphones are also available. If using headphones, please be sure to turn down the volume on your hearing aids to avoid feedback. Headphones are available from the concessions bars in the lobbies. A driver’s license or an ID with a printed address is required.
