off Broadway

or Off Broadway

noun

1. professional drama produced in New York City in small theaters often away from the Broadway area and characterized by experimental productions.

off-Broadway

adjective

1. designating the kind of experimental, low-budget, or noncommercial productions associated with theatre outside the Broadway area in New York
2. (of theatres) not located on Broadway

off-Broadway

1. A descriptive term for part of the theatrical community of New York City that presents small-scale, often experimental dramas. The costs of off-Broadway productions are generally much lower than those of Broadway (see also Broadway ) plays.

Other Words From

• off-Broadway adjective adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of off Broadway¹

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55

Example Sentences

She began performing in off-Broadway musicals and attended LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts.

From The Daily Beast

This Is Our Youth received two off-Broadway productions in 1996 and 1998, both featuring Mark Ruffalo and Missy Yager.

From The Daily Beast

Result: searing performance art to rival anything off-off-Broadway.

From The Daily Beast

Now a new off-Broadway play seeks to humanize Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

From The Daily Beast

But this off-Broadway show reverberated with insights that felt painfully real.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• arena
• scene
• set
• spotlight
• theater