New World Stages in New York – History, Seating Chart & Tickets

An Off-Broadway performing arts complex in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, featuring five theaters under one roof.

Address, opening, capacity
Seating chart
Directions to the theater
Map, location
Hotels near the thater
History
About the organization
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Address, opening, capacity of New World Stages

Basic Information about the New World Stages in NYC

Address:	340 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019（ Map ） Located on 50 Street, between 8th Avenue and 9th Avenue
Opened:	2004
Capacity:	Stage 1: 499 seats Stage 2: 350 seats Stage 3: 499 seats Stage 4: 350 seats Stage 5: 199 seats

Seating Chart of New World Stages

The New World Stages has 5 stages.

*Click to view larger image

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Stage 5

Directions to New World Stages

Access to New World Stages are most commonly by taking the New York City Subway (MTA).

The area around the theatre becomes very crowded close to showtime, so whether you are arriving by subway or taxi, please allow extra time to reach the venue.

Nearest Subway Station:

Lines, 50 Ststation (About a 5-minute walk)

Map, location of New World Stages

Here is the map of the New World Stages.

Best hotels near the New World Stages

Discover the best hotels near the New World Stages. Stay within walking distance of Broadway and enjoy easy access to shows, restaurants, and attractions.

The list of recommended hotels near the theater:

History of New World Stages

New World Stages first opened as a movie theater

New World Stages opened as a movie theater

New World Stages first opened in 1994 inside the luxury complex Worldwide Plaza as the Loews Cineplex Entertainment movie theater.

It was built in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side (at the time still known for crime, drugs, and prostitution), but after seven years of operation as a cinema it closed in 2001 and remained unused until 2004.

In 2004 the venue was reborn as a commercial theater for stage productions, corporate events, and concerts under the new name Dodgers Stages. The extensive renovation of the long-vacant building was led by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP, who had restored interiors of the Empire State Building and Grand Central Terminal. Additional design work was done by Sachs Morgan for the theater layout and Klara Zieglerova for the interiors.

Since 2000, only two new theater complexes have been built in the Broadway district: Theatre Row (2000) and New World Stages, making it one of the youngest venues in Broadway’s history.

On March 16, 2006, the Dutch company Stage Entertainment acquired Dodgers Stages and renamed it New World Stages. The venue hosted shows such as the Gazillion Bubble Show and Avenue Q. On November 14, 2014, the Shubert Organization, Broadway’s largest theater owner and operator, purchased the complex and continues to run it today.

Learn more about the history of Broadway >>

A home for Tony Award-winning revivals

New World Stages is known not only for producing original Off-Broadway works but also for presenting successful Broadway shows after their main runs.

Here are some of the most notable Tony Award-winning productions that have been staged here:

Rent
Winner of 4 Tony Awards including Best Musical at the 50th Tonys (1996)
Avenue Q
Winner of 3 Tony Awards including Best Musical at the 58th Tonys (2004)
Jersey Boys
Winner of 4 Tony Awards including Best Musical at the 60th Tonys (2006)
Million Dollar Quartet
Winner of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical at the 64th Tonys (2010)
Peter and the Starcatcher
Winner of 4 Tony Awards including Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play at the 66th Tonys (2012)

No other Off-Broadway venue has hosted as many revivals of Tony Award-winning productions. For more details, visit the link below for a full history of Tony Award winners.

Learn more about the Tony Awards >>

Management of New World Stages

A commercially operated venue run by the Shubert Organization

New World Stages is managed with a commercial focus, programming proven hits and award-winning shows that are likely to be profitable. With 499 seats, Stage 3 is the largest Off-Broadway theater, making the venue well-suited for transferring Broadway productions.

As the name suggests, New World Stages contains five separate theaters under one roof, allowing multiple productions to run simultaneously and enabling shows to switch theaters depending on ticket demand.

Even smaller Off-Broadway productions with limited budgets can sustain long runs here by sharing stage equipment, sets, and facilities, while adjusting performance schedules. This model has made New World Stages an important part of keeping the Broadway industry healthy and accessible.

For example, the Gazillion Bubble Show opened in February 2007 in Stage 3 (499 seats), but when it struggled to fill the house it moved in September 2009 to the smaller Stage 2 (350 seats). Avenue Q, meanwhile, transferred into Stage 3 in October 2009, where it ran for nearly a decade.

The Shubert Organization, which owns New World Stages, has been the largest theater operator on Broadway since the early 1900s. Its success lies not only in decades of experience but also in its smart, efficient management style, as exemplified by its operation of this venue.