Browse through our slide show for an overview of the things we love about theater in New York. Here, you’ll find the actors, playwrights, directors, companies and venues that are the cream of the crop on Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway. We’ve also included our picks for future legends—the artists we’ll be talking about decades from now. Think we left anything out?
Tweet us at @TimeOutTheater to weigh in.
RECOMMENDED: 50 reasons to love theater in New York
Photograph: Ben Arons Ars Nova
Asian-American theater companies
Avant-garde downtown legacy
Photograph: Noffar Gat Annie Baker
Photograph: Noffar Gat Jess Barbagallo
Photograph: Whitney Cox/The Shubert Archive The Belasco Theatre
Photograph: Camille A Fernandez Edwin Booth’s bedroom at the Players Club
Photograph: Noffar Gat Steven Boyer
Hanna Cheek
Photograph: Joan Marcus Tracee Chimo
Photograph: Francis Dzikowski The Claire Tow Theater terrace
Critics
Photograph: Ves Pitts Machine Dazzle
Photograph: Joan Marcus Encores! at City Center
Photograph: Aislinn Weidele Oskar Eustis
Photograph: Jon Wasserman David Greenspan
Kimberly Grigsby
Photograph: James Leynse Jenn Harris
Photograph: Noffar Gat Rebecca Naomi Jones
Photograph: Joan Marcus Ron Cephas Jones
Photograph: Shevett Studios Daniel Kluger
Tony Kushner
Photograph: Melissa Sinclair La MaMa reborn
Photograph: Noffar Gat Young Jean Lee
Living legends (who keep working)
Photograph: Ves Pitts Taylor Mac
Photograph: Photograph: Loren Wo Dave Malloy
Photograph: Noffar Gat Cristin Milioti
Photograph: Noffar Gat Lin-Manuel Miranda
Photograph: Joe Marzullo Scott Morfee
Photograph: Krista Schlueter Jessie Mueller
Musical-theater chorus folk
New Victory Theater
The New York International Fringe Festival
Off-Off troupes that break through
Photograph: Andrew Nicholas Outer-borough venues
Photograph: Noffar Gat Pasek & Paul
Photograph: Melissa Sinclair Playwright portraits at the Signature Center
Photograph: Noffar Gat Noah Robbins
Photograph: Courtesy Shakespeare in the Park Shakespeare in the Park, parking lot and everywhere else
Photograph: Joseph Moran Wallace Shawn and André Gregory
Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records
Stars!
Super troupers
Theater superfans
Photograph: Joseph Moran Alex Timbers
Photograph: Shevett Studios Seven reasons to love the annual Tony Awards telecast
Photograph: Genevieve Rafter Keddy Unstaged readings
Photograph: Timothy Keating Mac Wellman
Photograph: Noffar Gat Stephen Tyrone Williams
Theater in New York: 50 reasons to love NYC theater (slide show)
Check out the best of theater in New York, from Broadway stars to underground legends, in our handy slide show.
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