The Broadway League: An Overview

The Broadway League is an association to Broadway theatre and has been around since 1930, with the original objective of theatrical operators to meet with unions and guilds to negotiate agreements. It then became a place to serve the needs of producers and Broadway shows that were on Broadway or touring nationally. Now however, the trade association completely dedicated to creating interest in Broadway and helping to create successful productions. The company really caters to anyone who is at all involved in making the success of Broadway. The members include: theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers of Broadway and Touring Broadway productions, as well as theatrical suppliers, restauranteurs, shipping and freight companies, booking agents, travel agents, designers, ticketing agents, and hotel managers. It really also strives to increase interest in commercial theatre in America and help to convey Broadway as a great entertainment medium.

On the site you are able to navigate to several different areas. I have realized there is a ton of information out there and you can spend hours on the website. There is the typical “About” section, which gives you the history, board of directors, etc. Then there is the “Programs and Services” which includes links to buying Broadway tickets, a Broadway fan club, and a link to where you can order Broadway stars for corporate entertainment! There “Research and Education” section is great. They have the current grosses of each of the productions and have seasonal in-depth statistical studies for both the productions and the audience demographics.

The “Professional Development” section had a community open to the public called, “New Producers Alliance” that has several events throughout the year. The community is aimed at giving a home to new producers, allowing them to network, seek advice, and discuss areas of mutual interest. They have several panel discussions with successful producers about how to be successful when starting up. Some of their recent panel discussions were: Presenting Readings and Workshops and Getting Exposure: The Relationships between Producers, Press Representatives and Members of the Press. I thought this was such a cool thing, being free to the public. I know there are lots of producers out there willing to give workshops, but they usually ask for a pretty high price. It is great to know that there are people that truly want to help others succeed, whether the people they are helping out are seasoned professionals or have little to no experience!