Broadway

Broadway . The street running north‐south the length of Manhattan Island, it has given its name as a synonym for American theatre or at least for New York theatre. A “Playhouse on Broadway” was shown on a map as early as about 1735. Over the years many important legitimate theatres have, indeed, actually stood on Broadway, the newer ones being built farther north as the city moved upward. Today the theatre district lies largely between Times Square and 53rd Street, with most theatres on Broadway itself film houses, while the legitimate theatres generally are clustered on side streets. When electric lights became prevalent, the area became known as “The Great White Way,” another expression that remained popular for decades. Since World War II the expression Off Broadway has been used to describe many small, often experimental theatres, most of which are situated away from the major playhouses and which some unions have allowed special lower pay scales. And later Off Off Broadway was devised to denote shoestring operations of an even more experimental nature than Off Broadway.