20 Best Performing Arts Venues in New York City, New York

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The streets of New York alone are stageworthy. With so many people faking it 'til they make it, daily life can take on the feeling of performance—to exhausting, and inspiring, effect. No wonder that the city draws a constant influx of actors, singers, dancers, and musicians from around the globe, all striving for their big break and infusing the city with a crackling creative energy. This fiercely competitive scene produces an unrivaled wealth of culture and art that many New Yorkers cite as the reason they're here, and that millions more are determined to travel for.

Although costly ticket prices can make attending a Broadway show a less common outing for even the most devout theater-loving New Yorkers, that's not true of many other kinds of more affordable performances. Whether the audiences are primarily local or not, it's their discernment that helps drive the arts scene, whether they are flocking to a concert hall to hear a world-class soprano deliver a flawless performance, or crowding into a cramped café to support fledgling writers reading from their own work.

New York has upward of 200 "legitimate" theaters (meaning those with theatrical performances, not movies), and many more ad hoc venues—parks, churches, lofts, galleries, rooftops, even parking lots. The city is also a revolving door of special events: summer jazz, one-act-play marathons, film festivals, and music and dance celebrations from the classical to the avant-garde, to name just a few.

St. Ann's Warehouse

DUMBO Fodor's choice

This cutting-edge theater (originally established in Brooklyn Heights in 1980) occupies a stunningly refurbished tobacco warehouse from 1860 that sits beneath the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The 24,000-square-foot space, with original brick walls and archways intact, has hosted Tony Award–winning productions. They also host weekly outdoor music concerts in the summer. Check their calendar for all upcoming performances.

The Public Theater

East Village Fodor's choice

Fresh, exciting theater keeps people talking about the Public Theater, which was founded in 1954 but has most recently seen such hits as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s current Broadway sensation Hamilton, and David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's "poperetta" Here Lies Love, about Imelda Marcos. Many more noted productions that began here (Hair and A Chorus Line, among others) went on to Broadway and beyond. Tickets for the constantly changing roster of shows are available through the website; some "rush" tickets (day-of) are available on a first-come-first-served basis. This is also the company that puts on Shakespeare in the Park in Central Park in summer. On the mezzanine of the theater, The Library restaurant and bar is an elegant spot for a meal or a drink, whether or not you're attending a show.

Classic Stage Company

East Village

At the CSC's cozy 199-seat theater, you can see work by Shakespeare as well as excellent revivals—such as dramas by Tennessee Williams or Eugene O'Neill and Sondheim musicals—often with a modern spin, reigning theatrical stars, and new scores.

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Dixon Place

Lower East Side

Founded in the 1980s, this small nonprofit theater continues to host worthy, and frequently unconventional and hilarious, performances of theater, music, dance, and more, with a focus on new works. Its popular HOT! Festival of Queer Performance, held in July, is the longest-running LGBTQ+ festival in the world. The Lounge, Dixon Place's cheerful bar, is a great place to meet up before the show and connect with artists after.

HERE

SoHo

Celebrating all manner of contemporary, genre-bending productions, the original home of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues and Basil Twist's Symphonie Fantastique also hosts art exhibitions and puppet shows, and has a lounge in which to hang out before or after the show.

La MaMa Experimental Theater Club.

East Village

The late Ellen Stewart founded La MaMa E.T.C. in 1961 in a small Manhattan basement. Since that time, the Experimental Theatre Club has grown continuously, all the while taking risks on unknown works that cross cultures and performance disciplines. (Blue Man Group, for instance, got its start here.) In an effort to keep theater accessible, ticket prices start at $15–$25 across the theater's several venues. In addition to theater performances, there's a continuing program of dance, puppetry, and poetry readings.

Minetta Lane Theater

Greenwich Village

This charming, intimate, 391-seat, off-Broadway venue—located on a narrow street between bustling 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street—has offered excellent performances over the years, including those by some A-list actors.

Monday Night Magic

Greenwich Village
Since 1997, Michael Chaut and three other magician producers have been running these weekly performances in and around Greenwich Village (they've been a permanent fixture at the Players Theatre since 2011). The acts, usually four per night, come from all over the world and often include performers you'd see in much bigger theaters and clubs on other nights. The mind reading and sleight of hand with birds, cards, balls, and handkerchiefs come at a fast pace. Although the acts are tailored to an adult audience, they're also suitable for younger viewers (aged 12 and older), particularly on special family nights.

New Amsterdam Theatre

Midtown West

In 1997, Disney refurbished the elaborate 1903 art nouveau New Amsterdam Theatre, where Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Fred Astaire, and the Ziegfeld Follies once drew crowds. The Lion King ruled here for the first nine years of its run, followed by Mary Poppins. These days the theater is home to long-running Aladdin.

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New World Stages

Midtown West

At this dynamic theatrical complex you can attend new and familiar plays, musicals, and other live performances on five different off-Broadway stages. New World Stages has served as the home of Tony Award–winning, Guinness Record–setting, and Pulitzer Prize–earning shows, and hosts sharp productions with high-caliber talent. Arrive early for a cocktail in the lobby (which you can bring into the theaters) and to view its art gallery. The complex is fully accessible and modern, with generous legroom in each theater.

New York Theatre Workshop

East Village

Works by new and established playwrights anchor this theater's repertoire. Jonathan Larson's Rent got its start here before going to Broadway, and works by Tony Kushner (Homebody/Kabul), Caryl Churchill, Amy Herzog, and Paul Rudnick have also been staged here. Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me also ran here, as did an early version of Anaïs Mitchell's Hadestown.

Performance Space 122 (PS122)

East Village

Founded in 1980 inside a 19th-century public school building, Performance Space 122 has helped launch the careers of many downtown musicians and artists, both on the fringe and otherwise. Familiar names that graced the marquee over the years include Spalding Gray, John Leguizamo, and Young Jean Lee. After a renovation, it reopened in 2018 with two new theaters and a modernized interior. Expect a schedule of interdisciplinary works that blend performance with installations and readings by different artists with varied visions.

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Playwrights Horizons

Midtown West

Known for its support of new work by American playwrights, this off-Broadway theater was the first home for eventual Broadway hits such as Grey Gardens and Wendy Wasserstein's Heidi Chronicles.

Roundabout Theatre Company

Midtown West

The nonprofit theatrical company is known for its excellent revivals of classic musicals and plays. Its main stage, the American Airlines Theatre, is the former Selwyn—the venerable home to the works of Noel Coward, George S. Kaufman, and Cole Porter in their heyday. The Roundabout's other Broadway venues are Studio 54 and the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. The two off-Broadway stages at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre on West 46th Street show a mix of classics and works from up-and-coming playwrights.

Signature Theatre Company

Midtown West

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the company's Pershing Square Signature Center houses three theater spaces. The Tony Award–winning, not-for-profit theater company provides a platform for both New York and world premieres, as well as revivals. Tickets tend to be affordable here, as low as $35 for some shows. A central space with a café is open before and after shows and during intermission; there's also a bookstore with limited hours.

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Chelsea

Vibrant original musicals for family audiences are performed by a cast of talented kids (ages 8–18). Most shows are on weekends, and children's tickets start at reasonable prices.

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TKTS Times Square

Midtown West

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