<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Broadway is the most mainstream and successful theater district in the United States.

There is a Broadway street in New York City, but Broadway is generally considered to encompass approximately 40 theaters with 500 seats or more in that area. Many of the best-known shows play in theaters on streets between 42nd and 52nd street (inclusive).

For American actors, a stage performer headlining a Broadway show has reached the top of his or her profession. While not the commercial force that television and movies are, millions of dollars may ride on a single production.

Broadway actors are also respected in the community. Some shows may feature movie or television actors, but actors who have risen through stage work to appear on Broadway are generally considered to have paid their dues and learned their craft.

The awards for Broadway are the Antoinette Perry Awards, better known as the Tonys. Tony Award winning scifilebrities include John Lithgow and Terrence Mann. Where the movies' Oscars have traditionally tended to be reluctant to reward fantasy productions, that is not the case on Broadway, where fantasies like Damn Yankees, Cats, and Monty Python's Spamalot have all won best musical.

Typically, less lucrative but more experimental shows have been performed either Off-Broadway (100 to 499 seat houses) or Off-Off Broadway (generally less than 100 seat houses). These terms are actually defined by the unions, and can affect compensation.

The West End is roughly the British equivalent of Broadway, and is also highly respected.

Related Terms and Articles

• Theatre
• Tony Awards category