Facts about Live Performance Theaters in the US

What is a live performance? As the term stands “live” means anything that is performed before an audience. Live performance refers to any play (theatre), dance, or musical.

Live performance theaters in the US have existed since the 1700s. The turn of the 19th Century saw a dramatic rise in performance theaters and productions. With the recognition of Broadway and commercial success in the 20th Century, live performance theaters in the US became a part of historical and cultural significance.

ick Perdian — the best music travel consultant has brought up interesting facts about live performance theaters in the US.

Brief History of Live Performance Theater in the US

The earliest history of live performances in the US began in the 1600s when Spanish Dramas and Native American theatrical events were prevalent. The professional theater began when Lewis Hallam arrived with his theatrical company in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1752. He founded the American Theater Company in New York in 1767.

The origins of Broadway history in New York did not begin until 1750 when Thomas Kean and Walter Murray opened a theater company on Nassau Street. Theater moved to Broadway in the middle of the 18th century due to inexpensive real estate prices. Many such theaters were located near Madison square.

The 20th Century saw the major refurbishing with Broadway shows. It gave birth to On Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows. During the 1920s, the American playwrights came into light. They were Eugene O’Neil, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and Maxwell Anderson.

Did You Know? According to a survey conducted by Nielsen Scarborough in spring 2016, over 47 million Americans had attended a live theatre event within the past month and around 73.5 million people had visited a performing art event in 2013.

Interesting Facts about Live Performance Theaters in the US

• American Theaters with a house larger than 499 seats are considered Broadway Theaters. Theaters with houses between 99 and 499 seats are considered Off-Broadway while any other theater less than 99 seats are considered Off-Off-Broadway.
• Although Broadway is named after the Broadway Street, only four of the 40 Broadway Show theaters are actually on Broadway — The Winter Garden, The Roundabout, The Marquis, and The Broadway Theatre.
• Broadway theaters in New York must abide by Actors’ Equity’s Broadway production contracts.
• Musical productions on Broadway typically have an average initial cost of $9.6 million and Off-Broadway musical production have an average initial cost of $1 million.
• In the US, the revenue of the live music industry is forecast to gradually rise from around nine billion U.S. dollars in 2015 to almost 12 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.
• The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, is an American theatrical form that was popular from the early 19th to the early 20th century. It was founded on the comic enactment of racial stereotypes. The tradition reached its zenith between 1850 and 1870. The actors who wore blackface masks were predominantly white performers.
• Broadway was one of the first streets in New York to be fully illuminated by white electric bulbs in the 1890s, thus giving rise to the nickname “The Great White Way.”
• The Phantom of the Opera opened in 1988 marked its 30th anniversary in 2018. It is one of the longest-running live performances in the US with over 12,500 performances that have been staged to 18 million people!
• Chicago, the second longest-running theatrical production, is based on a real-life 1924 Windy City murder case that was transformed by reporter Maurine Watkins into a 1926 Broadway comedy.
• Disney’s Lion King is Broadway’s highest-earning production. In ran for 20 years and grossed $1.4 billion, with an average of $2 million a week. It is also the first-ever Broadway show to gross $1 billion dollars in revenue.
• Amongst the many Broadway Theatres that are believed to be haunted, the Palace Theatre is said to have almost 100 spirits stalking the theatre. The most frequent phantom is of Judy Garland, a popular actor, and performer, who performed in the theatre in the 1950s.
• The theatrical play “Coast of Utopia” won the most Tony Awards — 7. It is the only non-musical play to won seven Tony Awards.
• The musical Waitress, which premiered on March 25, 2016, is the first musical to feature an all-female creative team.
• The Mean Girls were refurbished in a contemporary setting. While the plot remains the same with no major changes, the Mean Girls Musical has been adapted to suit the 2018 generation. The audience could find references to mobile apps, social media, and smartphones.
• Though Disney and magic go hand in hand, the mystery of the Flying Carpet in Aladdin production has baffled many over the years. The scenic production artist Bob Crowley is tight-lipped about the technology he has used to create this art.
• Annual Report published by Broadway League was found that 66% of the audiences were women. Also, there were 13.3 million admissions to Broadway shows from 2016 to 2017. Were you one of them? If not, become one!
• Tony Awards is the theatre equivalent of the Oscars and the very first Tony Awards was held back in 1947. For the first 2 years, the winners were not given statues as awards but pocket-sized awards along with scrolls. The men were given cigarette lighters and the women were given a makeup compact.

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