Cheap theater: Where to enjoy affordable shows in NYC

The civic-minded Oskar Eustis is artistic director of this local institution dedicated to the work of new American playwrights but also known for its Shakespeare productions (Shakespeare in the Park). The building, an Astor Place landmark, has five stages, plays host to the annual Under the Radar festival, nurtures productions in its Lab series and is also home to the Joe’s Pub music venue.

The adventurous theatergoer’s alternative to BAM, St. Ann’s Warehouse offers an eclectic lineup of theater and music; recent shows have included high-level work by the Wooster Group and National Theatre of Scotland. In 2015 it moved to the impressive Tobacco Warehouse, built in the 1870s as an inspection center for tobacco and newly renovated for theatrical use.

RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions Visitors may think they know this venerable theater from TV’s Showtime at the Apollo. But as the saying goes, the small screen adds ten pounds: The city’s home of R&B and soul is actually quite cozy. Known for launching the careers of Ella Fitzgerald, Lauryn Hill and D’Angelo, among others at its legendary Amateur Night competition, the Apollo continues to mix veteran talents like Dianne Reeves with younger artists such as the Roots and Lykke Li. 

The grandest of the Lincoln Center buildings, the Met is a spectacular place to experience opera and ballet. The space hosts the Metropolitan Opera from September to May, with major visiting companies appearing in summer. The majestic theater also showcases works from a range of international dance companies, from the Paris Opéra Ballet to the Kirov Ballet. In spring, the Met is home to American Ballet Theatre, which presents full-length classic story ballets, works by contemporary choreographers and special performances and workshops for children. RECOMMENDED: 101 best things do in NYC

Imported to the U.S. from Sweden in 1876, this venue is the coziest in all of NYC. Employing handmade marionettes and beautiful sets, the resident company mounts citified versions of well-known stories.

Steps on Broadway offers classes in many styles with some of the finest teachers in New York.

This chic, state-of-the-art venue, which comprises an Off Broadway space and two smaller theaters, is home to a lot of worthy programming, such as the annual Brits Off Broadway festival, which imports some of the U.K.’s best work for brief summer runs. The venue boasts three separate playing spaces. Theater A, on the ground floor, seats 196 people; upstairs are the 98-seat Theater B and a 70-seat black-box space, Theater C.

After losing the lease on his Soho space in 2010, after nearly three decades there, Robert Lyons moved to the landmarked Archive building in teh West Village. The new space, home to the summer Ice Factory Festival and much more, remains an indispensable theatrical crucible.

The perfect size for a playhouse (with 804 seats), the John Golden was home to the naughty puppet musical Avenue Q for several years. Generally, though, it's a good place to see serious drama, such as Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? and John Logan's Mark Rothko bioplay, Red. In 1956, Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot had its American premiere at the Golden.

After a recent refurbishment, this downtown stalwart is now one of the most comfortable experimental spaces, what with its cozy lobby café (1 Dominick) and relatively impressive multimedia capacity. The upstairs space—long, wide and low—has played host to recent smashes like Taylor Mac’s epic The Lily’s Revenge, while the downstairs 70-seat black box sees new works by everyone from Karinne Keithley to Tina Satter. HERE’s strength lies in its come-one-come-all attitude, its absurdly generous grant and commissioning programs, and a genuine warmth that is largely thanks to the venue’s doyenne and founder, Kristin Marting, and the community of artists who call HERE a second home.

Built in 1923 by the Shuberts, the Imperial seats 1,443 and has been the venue for many a historic musical, including Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver! and Pippin. The Imperial’s recessed ceiling and wall panels feature floral and geometric motifs. It is currently home to the Russian-themed Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.

This 30-year-old community arts center, deep in the heart of the East Village, is known for its long history of raucous poetry slams, jam sessions and anything-goes open mikes.

This homey 60-seat black box (up some seriously steep stairs) is a mere block and a half from the subway, and only 15 minutes on the L train from Union Square. The space has become one of the best curated spots in the city; it supports up-and-coming stage talent like William Burke and avant-garde veterans such as Target Margin Theater and Cynthia Hopkins, as well as a variety of performance art and multimedia performances.

Founded in 1996, this cozy, well-appointed black-box venue has presented avant-garde experimentation and politically provocative satires. After 20 years on White Street, the Flea relocated in 2017 to a new complex a few block south in Tribeca. Artistic director Niegel Smith and producing director Carol Ostrow oversee three new playing spaces: the Sam, mamed for theater agent Sam Cohn, which seats 120; the Peter, named for the late playwright A.R. Gurney, which seats 72; and the Siggy, named for actor and Flea cofounder Sigourney Weaver, which seats 44. The company is also home to the Bats, a youthful training company that performs in many of its productions. 

This theater looks like what it once was: a 19th-century school auditorium. Painted a lovely Russian blue and still echoing slightly with teenagers past, the 99-seat Connelly has a pretty proscenium and pressed-tin ceiling—a surprising jewel box well off the beaten track. Productions that have made a stir there include Anne Washburn’s ghost-infested Apparition and Lucy Thurber’s Monstrosity, which made full use of the balcony and the seemingly limitless space.

Broadway's smallest house was named after the beloved leading lady Helen Hayes in 1983 (after her namesake venue was demolished, along with the Morosco and Bijou, to construct the New York Marriott Marquis). The 597-seat space is perfect for chamber musicals or straight drama, and with a house this cozy, you can be assured of excellent sightlines. The nonprofit company Second Stage Theater recently assumed control of the venue; after extensive renovations, overseen by designer David Rockwell, the venue reopened in 2018.

The Broadway home of Manhattan Theatre Club since 2001, the Friedman is one of the increasing number of venues run by nonprofit organizations (others include the Roundabout Theatre Company and Lincoln Center Theater). This cozy 903-seat space has a relaxing basement lounge and ample aisles, making entrances and exits relatively easy. Originally named the Biltmore, it was rechristened in 2008 for the pioneering publicist Samuel J. Friedman. Since it is run by MTC, you can expect subscriber crowds to be there, checking out new plays and revivals. Historic pre-MTC productions include My Sister Eileen (1940), Barefoot in the Park (1963) and Deathtrap (1982).

This eco-conscious 90-seat rental and production space is a standout, with its stunning wood-and-concrete construction (oozing with green technologies), sweet art gallery and even—when do you rhapsodize about this downtown?—a wonderful bathroom. Since openig in 2007, it has hosted several notable works, including Samuel D. Hunter's A Bright New Boise and the musical 33 to Nothing.

Lincoln Center Theater's newest space is a 131-seat venue that will showcase new plays by rising talent under the LCT3 umbrella. The Tow is also the centerpiece of a 23,000-square-foot rooftop complex, designed by noted architect Hugh Hardy of H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, located on top of the Vivian Beaumont. The two-story structure (costing $41 million) also houses rehearsal and office space and includes an outdoor terrace overlooking the Lincoln Center Plaza.

Called the New York Improv when it opened in 1963, this club showcased legends such as Bill Cosby, Andy Kaufman and Robin Williams during its first stint. After being closed for years, former collaborators opened this basement joint a few blocks from the original, and they showcase TV faces and other regulars from the club circuit. 

This jewel in the Shubert Organization's crown was built in 1913 by Lee and J.J. Shubert for their brother, Sam, who died in a freak railroad accident when he was just 29 years old. The space (currently seating 1,460) has seen it all: the Lunts, five Rodgers & Hart musicals, Barbra Streisand in I Can Get It for You Wholesale and the world premiere of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Most famously, it was home to the Public Theater's A Chorus Line for 15 years, until 1990.

Not to be confused with 3 Legged Dog (the multimedia production group that founded this space), 3LD is a giant, low-ceilinged room with a space-age, tubular white entrance and a curating penchant for technologically adventurous, video-prone work. Since the venue can be stripped back to concrete walls (and heavy gray curtains), shows can construct entire rooms-within-the-room, as did the odd-duck musical show The Curse of the Mystic Renaldo The and the gorgeous French production L'Effet de Serge.

This dance center offers classes in ballet, modern dance, contemporary, jazz, theater, hip-hop, house, tap, salsa, flamenco, African, tai chi, sword fighting and yoga.

Formerly the Virginia Theatre (and before that the Guild Theatre), this 1,228-seat space was renamed after the late, great African-American playwright in 2005. The current occupant is the long-running Jersey Boys, but in previous decades, the site was home to Eugene O’Neill’s mammoth Mourning Becomes Electra (1931), Clifford Odets’s Golden Boy (1952) and the musical City of Angeles (1989).

There aren’t many entertainment options along Tenth Avenue, but one is worth the trek: A jewel box of a theater with a heady, well-selected repertory of comedy, cabaret and music shows in an environment that’s focused more on the performance than on the cash register at the bar. The monthly variety show Showgasm is an excellent sampler pack of rising talents.