Hey guys! It’s Mallory with jskstories.com and I’m here to help you see the stories in history. I teach you about historical moments so you can write about them in a way that’s fun and engaging, helping all of us to explore history at a deeper level, and discover and tell untold stories!
Today we are going to be talking about the history of Broadway.
What better thing to write theatre about than theatre itself?
There are about 40 professional theatres in New York that we call “Broadway.”
Theatre first became popular here in about 1750 and has grown since then.
Both actors and managers, Thomas Keane and Walter Murry started the first significant theatre in 1750. It was a small theatre where they performed different Shakespeare plays and operas.
When the revolutionary war hit in the 1770s, Broadway was halted for many years and opened back up in 1798.
Throughout the 1800s there were many theatres popping up all over Broadway, they performed Shakespeare because it was by far the most popular at the time and what everyone wanted to see.
But, as theatre grew and evolved, we saw even more musical theatre. While straight plays still existed, musical theatre was more popular among the public.
In the early 1900s when movies started to take off, it was a competition for Broadway. People could watch shows and movies in the comfort of their own home! Many critics wondered if they would replace Broadway, but it’s still going strong even today. People decided there was something special, and different about both. One was live, while one was recorded. Both are magical in different ways.
There was a “golden age” of theatre, starting in 1943, where classic, good-natured musicals really took the stage and increased attendance and a love for theatre. Oklahoma!, a classic Golden Age style show, ran for over 2000 shows.
If you want to know even more about this, check out Beyond the Score, a weekly newsletter written by one of our own, Carlee Baldwin, where she dives deep into the Golden Age of Musical Theatre. I’ll put her link in the description below.
Theatre only grew from there.
One of the first shows to run for an extremely long time was The Phantom of the Opera, the first musical to ever pass 10,000 performances.
Today, there are many hits on Broadway, like Hamilton, Hadestown, Dear Evan Hansen, and Come from Away. Unfortunately, since the pandemic hit, Broadway shut down entirely, but they plan to resume this fall.
The history of Broadway, and even current Broadway, has many stories inside of it. Actors who dream to be on Broadway, writers working in their flat trying to get their show produced, losing work due to the pandemic or even the revolutionary war.
So, what characters do we have here?
We have any actors who performed while Broadway was still being built, whether they be researched actors or created fictional ones.
Directors, producers, builders.
There are also audience members.
Citizens of New York City.
Theatre Critics.
The list goes on and on! What interests you? A story about a critic who leaves a harsh review, only to find out they might be wrong? A director who has no funding? An actress who is ready to make her debut?
Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box with this one, tell some untold stories! What about the tech crew? How did they think of how to rig the curtains, the lights, the sound?
There are so many directions to go with a story, and I really encourage you to write about what interests YOU.
But in case you are stumped, let me give you a writing prompt.
It’s 1945. Your parents tell you that you are going on a long road trip to “Broadway” to see Oklahoma!. What does the trip look like? What is the show like? What does it make you think of Broadway?
Alright guys, thank you so much for watching. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our new content, and be sure to check out our Web Series, there’s a new episode each week. Talk to you soon! See you later!