May 2025
An Off-Broadway Renaissance
May 2025
Last month, I wrote about the resilience of Broadway as live theater continues to recover from the massive upheaval of the pandemic. This month, I want to turn our attention slightly downtown, to Off-Broadway, where another kind of remarkable story is unfolding.
An article from TheatreMania recently captured something I had yet to notice: commercial Off-Broadway productions are experiencing a major resurgence. Shows like Little Shop of Horrors, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, and Titanique have proven that audiences are eager for inventive, creativity-focused productions, and are willing to show up consistently when the right material is onstage. Enough so that some are recognizing 2025 as the beginning of the Off-Broadway Renaissance!
“Commercial off-Broadway is experiencing a renaissance, but that is only because recent decades have looked like the Dark Ages.” - Zachary Stewart, for TheatreMania
For years, commercial Off-Broadway was considered a difficult space to succeed in, squeezed between the blockbuster nature of Broadway and the mission-driven fundraising efforts of nonprofits. Today, though, a new generation of producers and artists is carving out opportunities to build sustainable productions that prioritize both artistic vision and financial viability.
The commercial sector’s new momentum offers a reminder that theatergoers are still hungry for bold, engaging stories told in intimate settings. Meanwhile, Broadway still faces funding challenges unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising union demands mean rising ticket prices, as Stewart puts it, there is “a higher likelihood that a show with limited appeal, or one that just doesn’t find its audience in time, will lose its entire investment — if the show makes it to Broadway at all.”
At Flipping The Script Productions, this moment feels especially meaningful. Our work is built on the belief that smaller spaces and new ideas can produce some of the most powerful theatrical experiences. We are energized by the possibilities that this “Renaissance” represents and hopeful that it will lead to more opportunities for diverse voices and innovative storytelling to thrive.
Our ongoing project, Someone Close to You by Melissa Borgerding, continues to move forward with this spirit at heart. We remain committed to nurturing the kind of storytelling that defines this exciting new chapter for Off-Broadway.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts. Have you noticed this shift in the Off-Broadway landscape? Which recent productions have inspired you?
Thank you for being part of our community and for continuing to believe in the power of live theater.
Warm regards,
Stephen Rourke | Founder, Flipping The Script Productions
