How Broadway Became a New York Symbol PDF

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FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

From the Stage to the City Sandhya Singh New York Institute of Technology Dr. Britta Wheeler

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

Every year, thousands of tourists flock to New York City and one of the most popular tourist activities that they participate in is attending a show on Broadway. Broadway Shows are typically performances that are held in one of the 40 theatres that house 500 or more people in the Theatre District of Manhattan, which runs from West 40th to 57th Street between eighth and sixth avenue. Having a performance in one of these theatres is regarded as a distinction for commercial theatre. The Theatre District is one of the most popular locations in New York City as a result of these Broadway Shows. In fact Martin Shefter, a historian, states that Broadway musicals have become an influential form of American pop-culture therefore making New York City the cultural capital of the Western Hemisphere. This paper will discuss the social factors that allowed for the development, the audience, as well as the type of culture for shows on Broadway. The intent of this paper is to answer the question, “How did Broadway Become a New York Symbol” with the aid of the factors mentioned in the previous paragraph since they are key components in the understanding of the social context. While this paper took a predominantly qualitative approach, there are some aspects that required quantitative methods. For instance, statistical information. It was selected because statistical information would be the most relevant for the analysis of a few of the factors of the social context. Moreover, since the majority of the paper relies on contextual information, the Qualitative Methods were more essential. Research focusing on ethnography, values, meaning, and underlying-causes were the primary methods used to conduct the sociological analysis. Examples of these can be identified in the following

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

paragraphs regarding previous literature, observations, and preconceived information about Broadway Shows and New York City. Starting off with the Quantitative Methods, Statista has provided me with a plethora of information as well as charts to go with the numbers. In addition, Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business has an online database dedicated to statistics on New York City culture. The topics range from demographics to economic contribution that Broadway has on the city. However, it is important to mention that some of the Broadway sections on the Baruch’s database have numbers that are specific to past years and may not be an accurate representation of the Broadway industry today. For the Qualitative Methods, the sources I used were scholarly articles. Topics such as the history of Broadway in New York City, trends and the impact of the shows among others. In addition, Sociology Dictionary has been used and cited for the definitions of some sociological terms. Being someone who has an appreciation for the world of theatre, I have a first hand account of what it is like being in the audience, at the stage-door, as well as backstage in the form of a fan and as a guest. The observations that I have gathered from being in these essential locations have provided me with information that can be applied to my research in understanding the social context of shows on Broadway as it relates to the city. These observations were from shows that I have attended within the 2015 to 2019 time frame. During that time, I have seen 9 shows on Broadway of multiple genres under different circumstances. A potential downfall with

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

this is that there is a chance that there are some gaps in my observations since I attended some of the shows a few years ago. Aside from scholarly sources and the observations, there are some Broadway facts that I am aware of and this is a result of my presence on social media platforms and living in New York City. One of the most important ones is that these theatrical shows became known as ‘Broadway Shows’ b ecause of their location: the iconic Broadway road. In the past, when one heard the phrase ‘direct from Broadway’  they knew that the show would be top tier since it was known that all the best theatres were located if not on but in close proximity to Broadway. Nonetheless, social media provides more information regarding the presence of Broadway in pop culture. Stereotypically, Broadway was for ‘theatre-dorks’. However, with the creation of musical versions of iconic pop culture movies such as ‘Legally Blonde’  or ‘Heathers’ a nd with shows like ‘Glee’ , it was made clear that the stereotype did not make sense anymore and so Broadway musicals started to become more mainstream. Now that the methodology has been mentioned, the following paragraphs are going to describe the social context of the shows on Broadway. In other words, these paragraphs will present the findings of the research methods. The social context covers the factors that led to the birth of this cultural form as well as the development of it. Such factors include the innovators, audience, institutional context, the conditions that led to the development, and the societal impact of Broadway Shows.

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

While the Greeks are credited with the creation of theatre, it was Walter Murray and Thomas Keane who brought theatre to New York City in the mid 1700s. At the time, the United States was still a colony of the British. In England and the rest of Europe, attending the theatre was a popular activity so Murray and Keane decided to profit off of this opening in the market and bring it to the colonies since drama was a ‘sustainable industry’ (White, 53). At first, it started as plays of Addison Cato being performed and it wasn’t until the mid-nineteenth century that theatre began to diversify in New York City. The Revolutionary War had caused productions to shut down and after the war, the population grew to be over a half million and as for performances, New York was reopened with six theatres. These theatres began diversifying with performances of opera in multiple languages, song recitals, chamber music, and even secular oratorios. New York had now become the ‘most influential cultural center in the United States’ (Shefter, 10). In the past, attending the theatre was an upper class activity but as time went on, it became a mass culture type of activity. According to the Sociology Dictionary, ‘mass culture ’ can be defined as culture that is dispersed through the mass media therefore influencing one to become more interested in an idea than they actually are. Since Broadway Shows are a tourist attraction in New York City, it can be said that these shows are a mass cultural form. According to the Demographics of the NYC Broadway Audience of the 2013-2014 Season, it was found that 21% of all tickets sold were to international tourists, 49% was to domestic tourists, whereas the remaining 30% was to New York City residents. Although it is a mass culture form, there are

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

still some elite elements. Itt was found that Broadway theatre-goers were much more affluent as compared to the general United States population. In addition, of a group of theatre-goers who were over 25 years old, 78% had finished college and 39% had a Master’s Degree. Theatre-goers could be classified as being mostly white and female. An article in the New York Times said, “Broadway audience remains predominantly white (77%) and female (66%).” The average age was also found to be 44 years in the 2013/2014 season, but in 2018 it was reported to be 41.7 years old. By definition, Institutionalization is the act or process of establishing a new norm in a society (Sociology Dictionary). When Broadway shows started popularizing during the 20th century in New York City, it was targeted to the upper echelons of society. In an interview with the New York Times, theater historian Ashley Tepper and theater writer John Kenrick discussed the path on which Broadway musicals became regarded as an ‘institution’. A key point that was made was that there were different locations where each level of society would attend their Broadway shows. “Immigrant population would head to the Bowery for minstrel shows and revues, upper-class patrons preferred the more refined offerings focused around Broadway” (Williams, 2017). When the elite would attend the showings, they would most often be dressed up and it is because of these societal norms back then that people today still prefer to get slightly dressed up when attending shows and some theatres even have dress codes. Another way in which Broadway Shows maintain their aesthetic is by not preserving the shows on film. Even when movie recordings came on to the scene, Broadway did not jump on this bandwagon for

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

most contracts are for live performances only. There are some shows that are legally recorded but most prefer to keep with the original values and not having recordings. Murray and Keane were well aware of the public reception of theatre in Europe and since New York was still a colony, they decided to bring it to America so as to profit off of the untouched venture. In fact, the first documented musical performance in New York, which was John Gay’s The Beggars Opera, was accredited to them. Moreover, their venture was successful despite the turbulence of the Revolutionary War. Today there are reports that display the extreme economical effects that Broadway Shows have on New York City’s revenue. Statistics show that in the 2018/2019 period, these shows accounted for a bit over $1,750 billion in revenue and were attended by 11.66 million people (Statista). However it is not just in current times that Broadway has become profitable. A study by Mantech Inc. found that “commercial  theatre in New York City stimulates income and employment amounting to more than a quarter of a billion dollars annually”. These findings are based on information in the 1970s. The  theatre industry was reported to contribute $43 million to New York City’s economy and this is equivalent to $293 million given inflation rates. The revenue has increasingly grown since the 70’s and it is projected to continue growing as time progresses. Typically, Broadway shows often shed light on a number of issues that are not usually covered in other forms of media. Dear Evan Hansen  deals with mental illness and the effect it has on loved ones, Waitress  talks about abortion and domestic abuse, while The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime d iscusses what it is like for someone who is on the autism spectrum.

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

Although there is no data that presents the direct effects of Broadway musicals on New York society, it is evident through social media that these musicals have become an outlet for societal change and it is thanks to one particular show: Hamilton . Based on the life of one of America’s Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton, this musical became the catalyst for the reinvention of Broadway Musicals. In a society where diversity is still an issue, Lin Manuel Miranda created Hamilton with the intention of having a diverse cast because “the United States has more immigrants than any other country in the world” (Shishko, 70). Miranda grew up in Washington Heights and so he was familiar with being in a diverse environment. He wanted to implement this into his production since he knew that it would not take away from the essence of the show and it would also please minorities in seeing more diversification on Broadway. In addition, this show set the bar for a Broadway show’s social media presence. Usually shows would be promoted through marquees and the press but Miranda c hanged that by promoting it through social media and engagng with fans (Ault, 2016). Musical theatre is global. However, Broadway belongs to New York. While Broadway does exist in other parts of the world, it is not what it is. Terms such as Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway a re new ways to describe smaller shows being done in other parts of the world which are trying to make their On-Broadway debut in New York City. Similarly, many people aim to make it big in New York as per the American Dream. This principle can be applied here with the Broadway shows. The show always went on when it came to Broadway shows. They

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

kept their curtains open through different downfalls and fortified itself as the heart of the theater industry.

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

References Ault, N. (2016). Jazz Hands in the 21st Century (Master’s thesis). University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, United States of America Broadway Season Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.broadwayleague.com/research/statistics-broadway-nyc/

Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/nycdata/culture/broadway-demographics.htm

From the Theatre. (2019, July 29). Retrieved from http://www.spiritofbroadway.org/

Impact of Musicals on Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://standard.asl.org/10311/culture/impact-of-musicals-on-culture/

Kaiser, DJ, "The Evolution of Broadway Musical Entertainment, 1850-2009: Interlingual and Intermedial Interference" (2013). All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs). 1076. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd/1076

Lock, S. (2019, June 27). Gross revenue of New York Broadway shows 2006-2019. Retrieved https://www.statista.com/statistics/193006/broadway-shows-gross-revenue-since-2006/

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

Lundin, E., & Wharton, E. (2017, February 26). The History of Broadway. Retrieved from https://historythings.com/the-history-of-broadway/

Mathtech. (2019, May 15). The Impact of the Broadway Theatre on the Economy of New York City. Retrieved from https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/reports-and-data/legislation-policy/naappd/thei mpact-of-the-broadway-theatre-on-the-economy-of-new-york-city

Martin Shefter (1993). Capital of the American Century: The National and International Influence of New York City . Russell Sage Foundation. p. 10.

Miller, D. (2016). Average Broadway. Theatre Journal  68( 4), 529-553. doi:10.1353/tj.2016.0105. Paulson, M. (2018, January 10). New Yorkers Making Up Bigger Portion of Broadway Audience. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/10/theater/broadway-audience-more-new-yorkers.html

Shefter, M. (1993). Capital of the American century: the national and international influence of New York City.

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

Shishko, B. (2019). Lin-Manuel Miranda: Hamilton, a New Era of Broadway Musicals. Thesis. Vol. 8. Iss. 1. Pristina: AAB College. (69-83). White, V. P. (2013). Grants for the Arts . Springer.

Williams, K. (2017, October 26). How Broadway Became Broadway. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/nyregion/how-broadway-became-broadway.html

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

Appendix

FROM THE STAGE TO THE CITY: HOW BROADWAY BECAME A NEW YORK SYMBOL

Map showing the popular theaters in the Theater District...