Broadway is synonymous with American theater, but the 41 venues that encompass New York City’s legendary theater district are far from the only renowned theaters in the United States. Some, including the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, serve as Broadway incubators in that some of their productions eventually move on to New York.
The Alliance Theatre, a winner of the Regional Theatre Tony Award for its continued excellence in theater education, programming, and community engagement, is the premier theater in the Southeast US. Since its inception in 1968, it has debuted more than 100 original plays and musicals, including Broadway-bound, Tony Award winners such as The Color Purple, Aida, and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Other premieres include Bring It On: The Musical, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, and Sister Act: The Musical.
The Alliance Theatre reaches more than 165,000 people each year, including 80,000 students who participate in drama camps, acting classes, and in-school programming in addition to attending age-appropriate professional performances. At its Kathy and Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young, the Alliance offers interactive theater experiences for toddlers and infants.
The following is a look at five other prominent regional theaters in the US.
1. American Repertory Theater (Massachusetts)
The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University is another notable Broadway incubator and, like the Alliance, is a winner of the Regional Theatre Tony Award. A.R.T. debuted All the Way, which won the 2014 Tony for Best New Play, and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, which earned the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical in 2012. A.R.T.’s reputation for staging critically acclaimed new American works and revivals dates back to the early 1980s.
Not long after it opened in 1980, A.R.T. premiered Grown Ups, ‘night, Mother, and a 1984 revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten, all of which were later shown on Broadway. A.R.T.’s other pre-Broadway productions include The Glass Menagerie, Finding Neverland, and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.
It also has a second stage, OBERON, that showcases other performance artists, including tap dancers, aerialists, and stand-up comedians.
2. La Jolla Playhouse (California)
Founded by American actors Mel Ferrer, Gregory Peck, and Dorothy McGuire in 1947, the La Jolla Playhouse in California was a popular theater for more than a decade before it went unused for almost 25 years. During its infancy, the theater housed productions with several stars of Hollywood’s golden age, including Charlton Heston, Robert Alda, and Vivian Vance. Director Des McAnuff revived the theater in 1983, and it has since garnered a reputation as one of the best testing grounds for Broadway plays and musicals.
Also a Regional Theatre Tony Award winner, La Jolla has premiered eventual Broadway productions such as Jersey Boys, The Who’s Tommy, Escape to Margaritaville, Come From Away, and the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Its Broadway-bound productions have won a combined 35 Tony Awards.
3. Arena Stage (District of Columbia)
Arena Stage in Washington, DC, has achieved many firsts for regional theaters. When it opened in 1950, it was one of the first nonprofit theaters in the US. In 1976 it won the first Regional Theatre Tony Award. Arena Stage was also the first regional theater to send a production to Broadway. The Great White Hope debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in 1968 and starred James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander, both of whom won Tony Awards for their roles.
Now located at the Mead Center for American Theater, Arena Stage has occupied several venues, including a movie house and the gymnasium in the Old Heurich Brewery. It produces a mix of original and classic works while emphasizing diversity.
4. Guthrie Theater (Minnesota)
The winner of the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 1982, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, opened in 1963 as an alternative to Broadway, which founder Sir Tyrone Guthrie felt had become too commercial. It originally housed a resident acting company that performed classic plays and musicals but has changed dramatically over the years.
Artistic director Joe Dowling, who spent 20 years in the role before leaving in 2015, oversaw many of those changes, including the creation of actor training programs and an expansion of the venue. The Guthrie also tours one show per year throughout the US and brings in companies from other countries to highlight renowned international works.
5. Goodman Theatre (Illinois)
One of several prominent regional theaters in Chicago, the Goodman Theatre is the city’s oldest nonprofit theater. Launched in 1925, the Goodman has premiered Broadway-bound productions like The Light in the Piazza, War Paint, and August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, a ten-play series that includes the Tony Award-winning Fences. The Goodman won the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 1992.
The Goodman also engages with thousands of community members each year. It hosts a series of free matinee performances for Chicago-area public high school students and runs a six-week intensive drama camp for 14- to 19-year-olds in the summer.