Off-Broadway is great theatre. It is theatre created year-round, all over the isle of Manhattan, in theatres with seating between 100 and 499 seats. Off-Broadway is innovative musicals and prize-winning plays; it is one-person shows and spectacular events; it is record-breaking, familiar shows and not-to-be-missed limited runs. 

The original cast of LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE: Tyne Daly, Rosie O'Donnell, Samantha Bee, Katie Finneran, Natasha Lyonne.

10. THE COOL FACTOR    
For a night on the town that blows your mind, makes you think and keeps you saying “WOW” there’s nothing cooler than Off-Broadway.

9. THE STARS  
From Sam Shepard to Cynthia Nixon, Frances MacDormand to Ethan Hawke, Mary Louise Parker to Philip Seymour Hoffman, it’s where our finest actors come out and play.

8. THE INTIMACY    
The smaller the theater, the fewer the people to bother you with crinkling candy wrappers or annoying cell phone calls! Plus, shorter lines to the bathroom, and a shorter distance between you and the stellar actors on stage!

7. THE LOCATION  
Broadway theaters are in New York’s most happening neighborhoods, just steps from the hottest restaurants, bars and other hotspots!

6. THE AFFORDABILITY    
Prices are so low, you’ll have enough cash left over for a great dinner, drinks, AND a babysitter. So, make a night of it!

5. THE SURPRISES   
More men painted blue. More astonishing juggling tricks. More puppets (foul-mouthed or cute-and-cuddly... take your pick). More searing drama. More interactive theatre. In short, more of what you can’t get anywhere else in New York.

Benjamin Walker and the cast of BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON. Photo by Joan Marcus.

4. THE HITS   
With LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE, FUERZA BRUTA, THE FANTASTICKS, PERFECT CRIME, BLUE MAN GROUP, NAKED BOYS SINGING, THE AWESOME 80s PROM and STOMP -- not to mention the Off-Broadway transfers of hits like AVENUE Q and THE 39 STEPS, we've got even more long-running smash-hit shows than Broadway!

3. THE VARIETY    
From Pulitzer Prize-winning dramas to fun family fare, from laugh-till-you-cry comedies to foot-stomping extravaganzas, there’s something for everyone Off-Broadway.

2. THE BREAKTHROUGHS    
Current and upcoming Broadway shows IN THE HEIGHTS, NEXT TO NORMAL, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, FELA!, COLIN QUINN: LONG STORY SHORT and THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS all got their start Off-Broadway. What’ll be this year’s next big Broadway hit?

And the #1 reason to Go to Off-Broadway... EVERYBODY’S DOING IT!

The League of Off Broadway Theatres was founded in 1959 for the purpose of promoting and fostering theatrical productions produced in Off-Broadway theatres, to assist in the voluntary exchange of information among its members, and to serve as the collective voice of its membership in pursuit of these purposes.

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS choreographer Susan Stroman and her 2010 Lortel Award.

The League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers instituted the Lucille Lortel Awards to recognize excellence in the Off-Broadway arena and to honor Lucille Lortel's devotion to Off-Broadway. Awarded annually since 1986, the Lortel Awards are produced by the League in association with the Lucille Lortel Foundation. Additional support is provided by Theatre Development Fund.

Twenty-five years after the first recipient was honored, the Awards have grown to fifteen competitive categories including Outstanding Musical and Play and include more than 100 eligible Off-Broadway productions per year. The Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Achievement has become Off-Broadway’s most prestigious award and the Awards ceremony has become a highlight of the spring awards season.

Past recipients of Lortel Awards include: Edward Albee, Jane Alexander, Alan Bates, Charles Durning, Uta Hagen, Ed Harris, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Eileen Heckart, Cherry Jones, Tony Kushner, Nathan Lane, John Leguizamo, Julianna Margulies, Arthur Miller, Mary Louise Parker, Parker Posey, Gloria Reuben, Anika Noni Rose, Jason Robards, Mark Ruffalo, Anna Devere Smith, Susan Stroman, Eli Wallach, and Mare Winningham.

The Lucille Lortel Awards nominating/voting committee includes representatives of the Off-Broadway League, the Lortel Foundation, Actors' Equity Association, Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers, journalists, educators, and other artistic contributors to Off-Broadway.

OffBroadway.com is brought to you by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers. Additional support is provided by the Theatre Development Fund. For more information, visit The League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers online.