Molly Poitevint
On Broadway
Photograph taken by Molly Poitevint. May 13, 2007. Molly Poitevint Personal Collection.
This photograph of Broadway in New York City depicts the excitement that surrounds Broadway plays. Broadway touches lives in one way or another throughout the country. Although Broadway today isn’t experiencing the success that it once did, it still serves as the American dream for many and as a very profitable business for the owners.
From songs written about Broadway to the countless times its plays have been reproduced in books and films, it would be hard to find many Americans who can’t recognize a single song that started on Broadway. Americans have always been interested in theater, and Broadway facilitates all types of performers. From musicians to dancers, actors to directors, lighting technicians to set and costume designers, there is a potential job opportunity for anyone interested in the production of theater on Broadway.
Since the 18th century, New York City has had a professional theater district. In the area roughly between 39th Street and 59th Street, and between 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue, Times Square has housed over 70 theaters, producing around 250 productions per year since the beginning of the 20th century. Broadway was able to have a national impact through touring. The audiences would come to the shows to escape the stress of the real world and to merely be entertained. Broadway plays became so successful that they even started to be produced overseas in countries such as France and England.
Besides being a central focus for actors and actresses to aspire to, Broadway is a thriving business. Americans take pride in the fact that they can go to Broadway shows, and the fact that they spend a significant amount of money for one ticket makes them have high expectations that they’re getting their money’s worth. According to Stanley Kauffmann, Broadway serves as “the only locus in the American theatre where American success is possible.” Therefore, actors and actresses of the highest caliber from across the country are attracted to working on Broadway. For the consumer who wants to see a good show and for the actor who wants to be the best in the business, Broadway can please both.
Although scholars disagree on whether the performances on Broadway are examples of high art, most Americans agree that seeing a show on Broadway is an experience that they will always remember. This American street exemplifies how theater and the attainment of what is considered to be the best place to perform in America has become a dream for so many people involved in the performing arts.
For more information, visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatre
Stanley Kauffmann, “Why We Need Broadway: Some Notes,” Performing Arts Journal 9 (1985): 193-198.
Arthur Laurents, _Original Story By: A Memoir of Broadway and Hollywood_ (New York: Applause, 2000), 178.
Brooks McNamara, “Broadway: A Theatre Historian’s Perspective,” TDR 45 (2001): 125-128.
On Broadway
Photograph taken by Molly Poitevint. May 13, 2007. Molly Poitevint Personal Collection.
This photograph of Broadway in New York City depicts the excitement that surrounds Broadway plays. Broadway touches lives in one way or another throughout the country. Although Broadway today isn’t experiencing the success that it once did, it still serves as the American dream for many and as a very profitable business for the owners.
From songs written about Broadway to the countless times its plays have been reproduced in books and films, it would be hard to find many Americans who can’t recognize a single song that started on Broadway. Americans have always been interested in theater, and Broadway facilitates all types of performers. From musicians to dancers, actors to directors, lighting technicians to set and costume designers, there is a potential job opportunity for anyone interested in the production of theater on Broadway.
Since the 18th century, New York City has had a professional theater district. In the area roughly between 39th Street and 59th Street, and between 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue, Times Square has housed over 70 theaters, producing around 250 productions per year since the beginning of the 20th century. Broadway was able to have a national impact through touring. The audiences would come to the shows to escape the stress of the real world and to merely be entertained. Broadway plays became so successful that they even started to be produced overseas in countries such as France and England.
Besides being a central focus for actors and actresses to aspire to, Broadway is a thriving business. Americans take pride in the fact that they can go to Broadway shows, and the fact that they spend a significant amount of money for one ticket makes them have high expectations that they’re getting their money’s worth. According to Stanley Kauffmann, Broadway serves as “the only locus in the American theatre where American success is possible.” Therefore, actors and actresses of the highest caliber from across the country are attracted to working on Broadway. For the consumer who wants to see a good show and for the actor who wants to be the best in the business, Broadway can please both.
Although scholars disagree on whether the performances on Broadway are examples of high art, most Americans agree that seeing a show on Broadway is an experience that they will always remember. This American street exemplifies how theater and the attainment of what is considered to be the best place to perform in America has become a dream for so many people involved in the performing arts.
For more information, visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatre
Stanley Kauffmann, “Why We Need Broadway: Some Notes,” Performing Arts Journal 9 (1985): 193-198.
Arthur Laurents, _Original Story By: A Memoir of Broadway and Hollywood_ (New York: Applause, 2000), 178.
Brooks McNamara, “Broadway: A Theatre Historian’s Perspective,” TDR 45 (2001): 125-128.