A Broadway Show Girls Field Guide
The Theatergoer's Guide
Where to sit, how to pay less, how long it runs, what to wear, whether the kids can come, and what on earth a "swing" is. Our three critics answer the questions every theatergoer asks — no jargon, no gatekeeping.
- 17questions answered
- 73glossary terms
- 41theaters mapped
Act I
Planning the Night
Tickets, seats, timing, kids and access — everything you decide before you leave the house.
What should I know before my first Broadway show?
Buy from the official seller, arrive about 30 minutes early for the bag check, pick up your free Playbill from the usher, turn your phone fully off, and stay for the curtain call.
How do I get cheap Broadway tickets?
Rush tickets, digital lotteries and the TKTS discount booths are the honest routes to a cheaper seat; buying direct from the official seller avoids resale markups.
Where are the best seats in a Broadway theater?
Center orchestra about ten to fifteen rows back for a play; the first rows of the front mezzanine for a big musical, where you see the whole stage picture, often for less.
How long is a Broadway show?
Most musicals run about two and a half hours including a roughly 15-minute intermission; plays range from 90 minutes with no break to three hours or more.
How old do kids have to be to see a Broadway show?
Most Broadway theaters do not admit children under four, every child needs their own ticket, and each show posts its own recommended age.
How do I book accessible seats, captions or audio description?
State the need when you buy, through the official ticketing site or the box office; captioned, ASL-interpreted and audio-described performances are scheduled on set dates, so plan around them.
Act II
In the House
What to wear, how to behave, and what happens at the stage door after the bows.
What should I wear to a Broadway show?
There is no dress code. Smart-casual is the sweet spot for an evening show, and a layer is essential because the houses run cold.
What is the etiquette at a Broadway show?
Phones silenced and put away, no filming, clap after the big numbers and at the bows, and if you are late expect to be held at the back until a break in the action.
How does the Broadway stage door work?
After the show, fans wait at the performers’ entrance, often behind barricades; some cast members come out 15–45 minutes after curtain, but no one is obliged to.
What happens at a closing night performance?
A closing-night audience’s job is presence, not noise: cheer when the show can hold it, and give the performers the silence they built when it can’t.
Why do plays have an intermission?
A good act break is a structural cut that changes how you carry the story into act two; contracts, bar sales and habit keep it in place by default, and many modern plays run straight through.
Act III
How Broadway Works
Previews, understudies, transfers, awards and the labels — the machinery behind the curtain.
What is the difference between Broadway and Off-Broadway?
Size, mostly: Broadway houses seat roughly 500 or more, Off-Broadway theaters roughly 100 to 499, and Off-Off-Broadway fewer than 100.
What is a preview performance?
Previews are full-price public performances before the official opening, while the creative team is still changing the show; critics traditionally wait for opening to review.
What is an understudy?
An understudy is a cast member who learns a principal role and goes on when that actor is out; swings cover ensemble tracks and standbys cover leads from offstage.
What does it mean when a show transfers to Broadway?
A transfer moves a production that began Off-Broadway, regionally or abroad into a Broadway house, usually with a bigger budget and a commercial producer.
What are the Tony Awards and which shows are eligible?
The Tonys honor productions that open in one of the 41 Broadway theaters during the season ending in late April; they are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League each June.
How do movies become stage musicals and plays?
Producers license the stage rights from the film’s rights holders, then a creative team rebuilds the story for live performance — often with a new score, structure and ending.
The Lexicon
The Broadway Glossary
73 words from the ticket, the Playbill and the reviews, defined in plain English.
Open the glossary →The Houses
Every Broadway Theater
All 41 Broadway houses: seat counts, how the levels stack, where we'd sit, accessibility notes and the nearest train.
Browse the House Guide →