20 Best Performing Arts in New York City, New York

The latest iteration of this cutting-edge theater (originally established in Brooklyn Heights in 1980) occupies a stunningly refurbished tobacco warehouse from 1860 that sits beneath the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The 24,000-square-foot space features original brick walls and archways, and has hosted Tony Award–winning productions. They also host weekly outdoor music concerts in the summer. Check their calendar for all upcoming performances.

Fresh, exciting theater keeps people talking about the Public Theater, which was founded in 1954 but has most recently seen such hits as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s current Broadway sensation Hamilton, and David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's "poperetta" Here Lies Love, about Imelda Marcos. Many more noted productions that began here (Hair, A Chorus Line) went on to Broadway and beyond. Tickets for the constantly changing roster of shows are available through the website; some "rush" tickets (day-of) are available on a first-come-first-served basis. This is also the company that puts on Shakespeare in the Park in Central Park in summer. On the mezzanine of the theater, The Library restaurant and bar is an elegant spot for a meal or a drink, whether or not you're attending a show.

At the CSC's cozy 199-seat theater, you can see work by Shakespeare as well as excellent revivals—such as dramas by Tennessee Williams or Eugene O'Neill and Sondheim musicals—often with a modern spin, reigning theatrical stars, and new scores.

Founded in the 1980s, this small nonprofit theater continues to host worthy, and frequently unconventional and hilarious, performances of theater, music, dance, and more, with a focus on new works. Its popular HOT! Festival of Queer Performance, held in July, is the longest-running LGBTQ+ festival in the world. Whatever you're seeing—of the some 1,000 shows held here each year—the Lounge, Dixon Place's cheerful bar, is a great place to meet up before the show and connect with artists after.

Celebrating all manner of contemporary, genre-bending productions, the original home of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues and Basil Twist's Symphonie Fantastique also hosts art exhibitions and puppet shows, and has a lounge in which to hang out before or after the show.

The late Ellen Stewart founded La MaMa E.T.C. in 1961 in a small Manhattan basement. Since that time, the Experimental Theatre Club has grown continuously, all the while taking risks on unknown works that cross cultures and performance disciplines. (Blue Man Group, for instance, got its start here.) In an effort to keep theater accessible, ticket prices start at $15–$25 across the theater's several venues. In addition to theater performances, there's a continuing program of dance, puppetry, and poetry readings.

This charming, intimate, 391-seat, off-Broadway venue—located on a narrow street between bustling 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street—has offered excellent performances over the years, including those by some A-list actors.

In 1997, Disney refurbished the elaborate 1903 art nouveau New Amsterdam Theatre, where Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Fred Astaire, and the Ziegfeld Follies once drew crowds. The Lion King ruled here for the first nine years of its run, followed by Mary Poppins. These days the theater is home to long-running Aladdin.

At this dynamic theatrical complex you can attend new and familiar plays, musicals, and other live performances on five different off-Broadway stages. New World Stages has served as the home of Tony Award–winning, Guinness Record–setting, and Pulitzer Prize–earning shows, and hosts sharp productions with high-caliber talent. Arrive early for a cocktail in the lobby (which you can bring into the theaters) and to view its art gallery. The complex is fully accessible and modern, with generous legroom in each theater.

Works by new and established playwrights anchor this theater's repertoire. Jonathan Larson's Rent got its start here before going to Broadway, and works by Tony Kushner (Homebody/Kabul), Caryl Churchill, Amy Herzog, and Paul Rudnick have also been staged here. Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me also ran here, as did an early version of Anaïs Mitchell's Hadestown.

Founded in 1980 inside a 19th-century public school building, Performance Space 122 has helped launch the careers of many downtown musicians and artists, both on the fringe and otherwise. Familiar names that graced the marquee over the years include Spalding Gray, John Leguizamo, and Young Jean Lee. After a renovation, it reopened in 2018 with two new theaters and a modernized interior. Expect a schedule of interdisciplinary works that blend performance with installations and readings by different artists with varied visions.

Known for its support of new work by American playwrights, this off-Broadway theater was the first home for eventual Broadway hits such as Grey Gardens and Wendy Wasserstein's Heidi Chronicles.

The nonprofit theatrical company is known for its excellent revivals of classic musicals and plays. Its main stage, the American Airlines Theatre, is the former Selwyn—the venerable home to the works of Noël Coward, George S. Kaufman, and Cole Porter in their heyday. The Roundabout's other Broadway venues are Studio 54 and the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. The two off-Broadway stages at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre on West 46th Street show a mix of classics and works from up-and-coming playwrights.

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the company's Pershing Square Signature Center houses three theater spaces. The Tony Award–winning, not-for-profit theater company provides a platform for both New York and world premieres, as well as revivals. Tickets tend to be affordable here, as low as $35 for some shows. A central space with a café is open before and after shows and during intermission; there's also a bookstore with limited hours.

Vibrant original musicals for family audiences are performed by a cast of talented kids (ages 8–18). Most shows are on weekends, and children's tickets start at reasonable prices.