New World Stages


New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue.
WWW newworldstages.com

History

Constructed on the site of the third Madison Square Garden, New World Stages was originally built as a Loews Cineplex Entertainment multiplex cinema at Worldwide Plaza. The Worldwide Cinemas multiplex opened in June 1989 and was originally operated by the Cineplex Odeon Corporation. The Loews Cineplex at Worldwide Plaza closed in early 2001 after its operator went bankrupt. The former multiplex temporarily served as office space for accounting firm Deloitte later that year after that firm's offices were destroyed in the September 11 attacks.
Dodger Stage Holding Theatricals leased the complex in 2002 with plans to convert the former six-screen multiplex into five Off-Broadway stages. The movie theater complex reopened as Dodger Stages in 2004 following substantial renovations. The architects were Beyer Blinder Belle, the theatre designers were Sachs Morgan, and the interior designer was Klara Zieglerova. Since that time, the theater complex has housed many commercial theatrical productions, as well as numerous corporate events, readings, and concerts. Dodger Stages was renamed New World Stages on March 16, 2006, concurrent with Stage Entertainment’s assuming sole ownership of the complex. Since November 17, 2014, the venue has been owned and operated by The Shubert Organization.
In addition to new Off-Broadway productions, New World Stages has become a home to shows that were previously on Broadway, including Avenue Q, The 39 Steps, Million Dollar Quartet, Peter and the Starcatcher, Jersey Boys, and The Play That Goes Wrong. This producing tactic has been utilized to encourage the extension of a show's commercial run. The venue has also become a location for the piggybacking model, whereby multiple shows adjust their playing times and share the same theater, set, and tech personnel to lower the costs of keeping an open-ended Off-Broadway show running. The theatres and lobby are also available for special events, including conferences, readings, workshops and receptions.

Statistics

New World Stages houses five theaters. Stages 1 and 3 have a maximum of 499 seats each, Stages 2 and 4 have a maximum of 350 seats each, and Stage 5 has a maximum of 199 seats. These capacities, greater than 100, fewer than 500, define New World Stages as an Off-Broadway complex. The maximum weekly capacity, assuming five shows running concurrently in the five theaters, each for eight performances per week, is 15,176 people.
The complete square footage of the underground complex is 61,300 square feet, and it reaches underground the length of a full city block, from 49th Street to 50th Street.

Show history

The following information is taken from the Internet Off-Broadway Database. New World Stages has been home to a variety of Off-Broadway shows in its brief history, ranging in theme from a water based puppet show to a zombie musical. Current productions are in bold.

Stage 1

499 SeatsThe Great American Trailer Park Musical, August 20, 2005 – December 4, 2005Evil Dead the Musical, October 2, 2006 – February 17, 2007Elvis People, June 6, 2007 – June 23, 2007Die, Mommie, Die!, October 9, 2007 – January 13, 2008Jackie Mason: The Ultimate Jew, March 18, 2008 – July 20, 2008Rock of Ages, October 1, 2008 – January 4, 2009The Toxic Avenger, March 18, 2009 – January 3, 2010The 39 Steps, March 25, 2010 – January 16, 2011Between Worlds , March 4, 2011 – April 24, 2011Rent, July 14, 2011 – September 9, 2012Peter and the Starcatcher, March 18, 2013 – January 12, 2014Heathers: The Musical, March 17, 2014 – August 4, 2014Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe, January 14, 2015 – March 29, 2015Tappin' Thru Life, December 23, 2015 – February 21, 2016iLuminate, November 22, 2016 – January 8, 2017Building the Wall, May 12, 2017 - June 4, 2017Jersey Boys, November 22, 2017 – May 22, 2022Melissa Etheridge My Window - A Journey Through Life, October 13, 2022 - October 29, 2022Fidler Afn Dakh, November 13, 2022 – January 1, 2023iLuminate, November 17, 2023 – January 21, 2024A Sign of the Times, February 8, 2024 – June 2, 2024

Stage 2

350 Seats
  • Pieces , December 7, 2004 – March 27, 2005
  • Drumstruck, May 12, 2005 – November 12, 2006
  • Bill W. and Dr. Bob, February 16, 2007 – June 10, 2007
  • Celia, August 28, 2007 – May 25, 2008
  • Flamingo Court, July 17, 2008 – September 28, 2008
  • Rooms – A Rock Romance, February 27, 2009 – May 10, 2009
  • Gazillion Bubble Show, September 2009 – Present'
  • Voca People, February 16, 2012 – September 2, 2012
  • Jackie Hoffman's A Chanukah Carol, December 8, 2012 - December 29, 2012
  • Greed: A Musical for Our Times, March 19, 2014 - April 19, 2014
  • Blank! The Musical, November 1, 2014 - November 30, 2014
  • Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus LIVE!, October 22, 2015 – November 29, 2015
  • One Funny Mother, March 31, 2016 – January 7, 2017
  • Katsura Sunshine's Rakugo'', September 19, 2019 – Present'''

Stage 3

499 Seats
  • Mandy Patinkin in Concert, September 20, 2004 – October 28, 2004
  • Modern Orthodox, November 11, 2004 – May 8, 2005
  • A Mother, A Daughter, and A Gun, October 14, 2005 – November 27, 2007
  • Burleigh Grime$, May 23, 2006 – July 16, 2006
  • Mimi le Duck, November 6, 2006 – December 3, 2006
  • Gazillion Bubble Show, January 17, 2007 – September 2009
  • Avenue Q, October 9, 2009 – May 26, 2019
  • Rock of Ages, June 19, 2019 – March 11, 2020
  • A Sherlock Carol, November 11, 2021 – January 2, 2022
  • ¡Americano!, March 31, 2022 – June 19, 2022
  • A Sherlock Carol, November 21, 2022 – January 1, 2023
  • Dog Man: The Musical, March 4, 2023 - April 30, 2023
  • Rock and Roll Man, June 3, 2023 – September 1, 2023
  • Mind Mangler: A Night of Tragic Illusion, November 10, 2023 – January 28, 2024
  • Stalker, March 18, 2024 – September 1, 2024Drag: The Musical, September 30, 2024 – April 27, 2025Rolling Thunder, July 10, 2025 – September 7, 2025'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'', November 7, 2025 – Present'''

Stage 4

350 Seats

Stage 5

199 Seats

The Green Room

The Green Room is a bar and lounge area located downstairs at New World Stages. Drinks bought from The Green Room are allowed to be brought into the theaters.
From October 14, 2016 through March 11, 2020, The Green Room was home to The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking.