off Broadway

or Off Broadway

noun

1. professional drama produced in New York City in small theaters often away from the Broadway area and characterized by experimental productions.

off-Broadway

adjective

1. designating the kind of experimental, low-budget, or noncommercial productions associated with theatre outside the Broadway area in New York
2. (of theatres) not located on Broadway

off-Broadway

1. A descriptive term for part of the theatrical community of New York City that presents small-scale, often experimental dramas. The costs of off-Broadway productions are generally much lower than those of Broadway (see also Broadway ) plays.

Other Words From

• off-Broadway adjective adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of off Broadway¹

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55

Example Sentences

The current production’s starry, appealing cast, who also performed in a 2022 Off Broadway run at New York Theater Workshop, helped make the show a must-see even before audiences discovered that they liked the story and the songs and found the show both affecting and artful.

From New York Times

He has also periodically worked Off Broadway, including as the first star of a 2019 “Little Shop of Horrors” revival that is still running, with a variety of well-known performers in leading roles, at the Westside Theater.

From New York Times

In honoring Broadway’s best, the Tonys championed playwrights and directors who came of age Off Broadway.

From New York Times

He writes reviews of Broadway, Off Broadway, Off Off Broadway, regional and sometimes international productions.

From New York Times

That production was a success, and Maria directed subsequent productions in the West End, in Japan and in Boston before putting together the production starring Radcliffe, Groff and Lindsay Mendez, first Off Broadway at the New York Theater Workshop in 2022, and then on Broadway starting last October.

From New York Times

Related Words

• arena
• scene
• set
• spotlight
• theater