When people think of the theatre, often the first place they think of is Broadway. Second perhaps only to London’s West End in terms of the international theatre stakes and the relevant name recognition, New York’s bustling theatre district is the epicenter of US theatre culture. But the love of plays, musicals and other shows extends far beyond the confines of New York – spreading as far afield as California, Texas and beyond. This article will explore what theatre culture in the US looks like in the modern day – and how it has evolved over time to make itself into the success it is at the moment, even in the face of periodic bans and other problems. If you’re in Scottsdale, you can go to Landmark Scottsdale Quarter Movie Theater for an amazing movie experience.
History of US theatre
Theatre in the US has long since been popular, and its history dates back longer than the existence of the American nation itself. It’s generally accepted that the first theatre in the US was constructed in Virginia in 1716, which was a whole six decades prior to the country announcing that it would find its own path. And while New York City is now a thriving theatre hub, the very first playhouse to be built in that city came a few decades later in 1750 – so there’s a rich, almost three-century history of the New York-based theatre culture which later came to be known as Broadway.
But US theatre is also known for being somewhat free spirited, with an “anything goes” attitude leading to many experimental productions over the years. This is perhaps a direct result of the turbulent history of theatre in the country: theatre has been banned at various times over the last few centuries, including the decision of the Continental Congress in 1774 to prohibit theatre performances in a number of settings. As time has gone on, those in power have learnt from their mistakes and have chosen to give practitioners the opportunities they need to be free and flexible.
Meeting audience needs
America is one of the world’s foremost hubs of consumer culture. As a result, there have been a vast range of shows which sell out due to both their high quality and their mass-market appeal. Shows which have high name recognition and which have been around for decades, including the Louise Gund produced version of Fiddler on the Roof, are never far away from Broadway – or, indeed, from the many regional city theaters across the nation.
It’s important to remember that physical buildings are not the only locations in which American theatre culture can be spotted. The US has a thriving street theatre scene: take a stroll through any bustling part of Manhattan and you’re likely to find street performers sooner or later, while in locations like Disneyland it’s possible to see characterization and performance of a different – yet extremely popular – sort. The US theatre scene, then, appears to have a unique ability to offer its people a mixture of both the quality they deserve – and the fun they crave.
The future of US theatre
Now that the US is firmly enshrined as a destination for theatre-goers from around the world, it’s also worth thinking about where the theatre culture in the country could be destined to go next. The arrival of a range of major US-grown smash-hit musicals and plays in recent years, such as Hamilton, just go to show how popular theatre is to modern America.
Hamilton in particular is a great example of a show that has managed to take off in a peculiarly American way. The Lin-Manuel Miranda hit has a number of innovative and unique features: while it tells the story of a predominantly white set of historical figures who were either themselves Founding Fathers or who were around them, it employs a cast of people from a range of racial backgrounds. It reflects the pioneering capacity of US artists and theatre practitioners to re-invent history and tradition, and to use it as creative fodder to help understand both the past and the future. Without the vision of those practitioners who set up the early theaters in eighteenth century New York and Virginia, productions such as Hamilton might never have made it to the stage.
The theatre is a vitally important part of culture in the US, and with good reason: thanks to Broadway theaters and playhouses as well as off-Broadway theatre incubators and the many performance destinations across the country, this is a land brimming with artistic vibrancy. And with the next generation of theatergoers and theatre practitioners now up and coming, it’s only likely that this will improve over time.