New World Stages, originally Dodger Stages, is a 5 theater Off-Broadway venue. It was the second most expensive complex of its kind to build, with a cost of approximately 23 million dollars. It was constructed with large dressing rooms, 3 bars, state-of-the art climate control, and "more women's restrooms than you'll find in any space like this"^[1]. The architects were Beyer, Blinder, Belle, the theatre designers were Sachs Morgan, and the interior designer was Klara Zieglerova ^[2]. It is currently home to 7 shows: Altar Boyz, The Gazillion Bubble Show, My First Time, Naked Boys Singing, The Castle, What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling and Rock of Ages.^[3] It is becoming the main location for the new piggybacking model Off-Broadway, whereby multiple shows adjust their playing times and share the same theater, set, and tech personnel to lower the costs of keeping an open-ended Off-Broadway show running^[4]. With the assistance of this model, two of New World Stages' tenants have recently recouped their initial investment (My First Time and Altar Boyz)^[5]. In July of 2006 Time Out New York Magazine became the media sponsor for the Time Out New York Lounge, the primary bar at New World Stages^[3].

New World Stages General Information

A Brief History

From 1994 to 2001, New World Stages was the Loews Cineplex Entertainment Worldwide Plaza, a movie theater complex known for its inexpensive tickets. The complex was closed from 2001 until 2004, when, following substantial renovations, it re-opened as Dodger Stages. At that time, the main bar was referred to as Bar 39, a non-alcoholic bar^[6], which changed to the Downstage Lounge, and then later, joined media partner Time Out New York to become the Time Out New York Lounge^[3]. Dodger Stages became New World Stages on March 16th, 2006, after Dodger Stage Holding separated into Dodger Theatricals and Stage Entertainment. Stage Entertainment took over ownership of New World Stages. The theater complex has housed 27 different shows^[7], as well as numerous events, readings and auditions.

Statistics

It holds 5 theaters, which, at full capacity, hold 1,917 patrons^[6]. Stages 1 and 3 have a maximum of 499 seats each, Stages 2 and 4 have a maximum of 360 seats each, and Stage 5 has a maximum of 199 seats. The complete square footage of the complex is 61,300 square feet, and it reaches underground the length of a full city block, from 49th street to 50th street^[8].

With 8 shows running concurrently, spread out amongst the 5 available theaters, New World Stages currently has a maximum weekly attendance, for shows alone, of 16,073 people^[9] (this estimate taken by multiplying stage capacities by performances per week).

New World Stages is an Off-Broadway complex because none of its theaters have more than 499 seats, and none of its theaters has fewer than 100 seats. Theaters with fewer than 100 seats are Off-Off-Broadway. Theaters with 500 or more seats and are in the theater district fall into the Broadway level^[10].

Stage Entertainment

New World Stages is owned by a Dutch company, Stage Entertainment, founded by Joop van den Ende. The company owns 26 theaters in 8 different countries (USA, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Russia) and produces numerous shows in all of those countries, as well as Belgium^[11].

Stage Entertainment does more ice shows in Europe than any other similar production company^[12].

Shows and Show History

The following information is taken from the Internet Off-Broadway Database^[13]. New World Stages has been home to 27 Off-Broadway shows in its brief history, ranging in theme from a water based puppet show to a zombie musical.

STAGE 1

The Great American Trailer Park Musical

Opened September 27th, 2005. Closed December 4th, 2005 Cast: Marya Grandy, Linda Hart, Shuler Hensley, Kaitlin Hopkins, Leslie Kritzer, Orfeh, Wayne Wilcox, Tracy Jai Edwards, Anthony Holds, Cathy Trien.

Evil Dead the Musical

Opened November 1st, 2006. Closed February 17th, 2007. Cast: Jennifer Byrne, Jenna Coker, Renee Klapmeyer, Amy Shute, Tom Walker, Ryan Ward, Brandon Wardell, Ryan Williams, Darryl Winslow, Amy Shute.

Elvis People

Opened June 21st, 2007. Closed June 23rd, 2007. Cast: Jordan Gelber, Jenny Maguire, David McCann, Nick Newell, Nell Page, Ed Sala, Kristen Bedard, Ned Noyes.

Die, Mommie, Die!

Opened October 21st, 2007. Closed January 13th, 2008. Cast: Bob Ari, Charles Busch, Van Hansis, Chris Hoch, Ashley Morris, Kristine Nielsen, Melinda Helfrich.

Jackie Mason: The Ultimate Jew

Opened March 18th, 2008. Closed July 20th, 2008. Cast: Jackie Mason

Rock of Ages (musical)

Opened October 1st, 2008. Rock of Ages will close at New World Stages on January 4th, 2009 and transfer to Broadway in March 2009.

Cast: Constantine Maroulis, Kelli Barrett, Nova Bergeron, Adam Dannheisser, Mitchell Jarvis, Michele Mais, Lauren Molina, Brian Munn, Angel Reed, Paul Schoeffler, Wesley Taylor, Savannah Wise, Will Swenson, Jackie Burns, Lara Janine, Tad Wilson, Jeremy Woodard

STAGE 2

Pieces (of Ass)

Opened December 10th, 2004. Closed March 27th, 2005. Cast: Diahnna Nicole Baxter, Christie D'Amore, Sara Rae Gore, Rachel Hollon, Danielle James, Tami Mansfield, Cassie Pappas, Rachael Robbins, Lindsay Zir.

Drumstruck

Opened May 12th, 2005. Closed November 12th, 2006. Cast: Ayanda, Richard Carter, Nicholas Africa Djanie, Nomcula Gerashe, Themba Kubheka, Enock Bafana Mahlangu, Ronald Thabo, Medupe, Molutsi Mogami, Molebedi Sponch Mogapi, Sebone Dzwanyudzwanyu Rangata, Tiny.

Bill W. and Dr. Bob

Opened March 5th, 2007. Closed June 10th, 2007. Cast: Marc Carver, Kathleen Doyle, Deanna Dunmyer, Rachel Harker, Patrick Husted, Robert Krakovski, Katherine Leask, Paul Niebanck, Ted Pejovich, Kay Walbye.

Celia

Opened September 26th, 2007. Closed May 25th, 2008. Cast: Pedro Capo, Sunilda Caraballo, Grizel Del Valle, Anissa Gathers, Modesto Lacen, Xiomara Laugart, Selenis Leyva, Sekou McMiller, Wilson Mendieta, Elvis Nolasco.

Flamingo Court

Opened July 31st, 2008. Closed September 28th, 2008. Cast: Jamie Farr, Anita Gillette.

STAGE 3

Mandy Patinkin in Concert

Opened September 20th, 2004. Closed October 28th, 2004. Cast: Mandy Patinkin

Modern Orthodox

Opened December 6th, 2004. Closed May 8th, 2005. Cast: Craig Bierko, Jason Biggs, Jenn Harris, Molly Ringwald, Sandy Rustin, Peter Smith.

A Mother a Daughter and a Gun

Opened November 1st, 2005. Closed November 25th, 2007. Cast: David Bishins, Mario Campanaro, Veanne Cox, Olympia Dukakis, Matthew Greer, Laura Heisler, George S. Irving, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Daniel Pearce, Katrina Ferguson, Neal Lerner, Marilyn Pasekoff.

Burleigh Grime$

Opened June 13th, 2006. Closed June 16th, 2006. Cast: Nancy Anderson, Jason Antoon, James Badge Dale, John Lavelle, Wendie Malick, Mark Moses, Ashley Williams, Kelly Sullivan, Doug Wert.

Mimi LeDuck

Opened November 6th, 2006. Closed December 3rd, 2006. Cast: Tom Aldredge, Candy Buckley, Robert DuSold, Allen Fitzpatrick, Annie Golden, Ken Jennings, Eartha Kitt, Marcus Neville, Ron Bagden, Wayne Schroder, Kay Walbye.

The Gazillion Bubble Show

Opened February 15th, 2007. Cast: Fan Yang, Ana Yang or Yano Yang depending on performance.

STAGE 4

The Immigrant

Opened November 4th, 2004. Closed November 28th, 2004. Cast: Jacqueline Antaramian, Walter Charles, Adam Heller, Cass Morgan.

Altar Boyz

Opened March 1st, 2005. Cast (Actors): Ryan Duncan, David Josefsberg, Andy Karl, Tyler Maynard, Scott Porter, Shadoe Stevens, Kevin Kern, Daniel Torres. Cast (Replacements): Clyde Alves, Landon Beard, Corey Boardman, Matthew Buckner, Andrew C. Call, Danny Calvert, Jason Celaya, Chad Doreck, James Royce Edwards, Jay Garcia, Zach Hanna, Kyle Dean Massey, Dennis Moench, Ryan J. Ratliff, Nick Sanchez, Eric Schneider, Ryan Strand, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Jim Daly, Carlos L. Encinias, Joey Khoury, Jesse JP Johnson, Austin Lesch, Neil Haskell, Michael Kadin Craig, Mauricio Perez, Ravi Roth.

Naked Boys Singing

Opened at NWS October 16th, 2005. Cast (Actors): Current Cast Records unavailable.

STAGE 5

Symphonie Fantastique

Opened September 16th, 2004. Closed January 2, 2005. Cast: Matthew Acheson, Oliver Dalzell, Sophia Michahelles, Lake Simons, Kevin Taylor, Basil Twist.

Musical of Musicals, the Musical

Opened February 10th, 2005. Closed November 13th, 2005. Cast: Joanne Bogart, Craig Fols, Lovette George, Eric Rockwell, Matt Castle, Anna Winthrop.

Christine Jorgensen Reveals

Opened December 29th, 2005. Closed January 18th, 2006. Cast: Christine Jorgensen.

Sidd: A New Musical

Opened March 15th, 2006. Closed March 26th, 2006. Cast: Marie-France Arcilla, Dann Fink, Pamela Jordan, Nicole Lewis, Neil Maffin, Arthur Marks, Gerry McIntyre, Caryl Hughes, John-Andrew Morrison.

How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes

Opened November 12th, 2006. Closed December 31st, 2006. Cast: Stephen Bienskie, Natalie Joy Johnson, Kevin Smith Kirkwood, Anika Larsen, Michael McEachran, Nicole Ruth Snelson, Courtney Balan, Chuck Ragsdale.

Sealed for Freshness

Opened February 25th, 2007. Closed April 29th, 2007. Cast: Patricia Dalen, Jennifer Dorr White, Brian Dykstra, Nancy Hornback, J.J. Van Name, Kate Vandervender, Cynthia Babak, Shawn Cullan, Elizabeth Meadows Rouse.

My First Time

Opened July 28th, 2007. Cast: Bill Dawes, Josh Heine, Kathy Searle, Cydnee Welburn, Jennifer Miller.

The All-American Sport of Bi-Partisan Bashing

Opened August 15th, 2007. Closed October 14th, 2007. Cast: Will Durst.

Make Me a Song

Opened November 12th, 2007. Closed December 30th, 2007. Cast: Sandy Binion, D.B. Bonds, Adam Heller, Sally Wilfert, Jason Dula, Alysha Umphress.

Pinkalicious, the Musical

Opened January 13th, 2008. Closed September 21st, 2008. Cast: Greg Barresi, Erin Wegner Brooks, Molly Gilman, Mathew Pelliccia, Meg Phillips.

Tim Minchin

Opened March 5th, 2008. Closed April 12th, 2008. Cast: Tim Minchin.

The Castle

Opened March 30th, 2008. Cast: Vilma Ortiz Donovan, Kenneth Harrigan, Angel Ramos, Casimiro Torres.

East 14th

Opened July 20th, 2008. Closed September 6th, 2008. Cast: Don Reed.

What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling

Opened November 1st, 2008. Closed December 28th, 2008. Cast: Peter Bartlett, David Pittu.

Events^[3]

New World Stages hosted the following events: The World Premiere of Sordid Lives: The Series, 2008. The Democracy Now Fundraising Dinner in 2008. Jay-Z's American Gangster listening party, 2008. Janet Jackson's Discipline listening party, 2008. Kanye West's Graduation listening party, 2007. The Webby Awards for Film and Video, 2007^[14]. Rosie O'Donnell's art gallery opening, 2007. The New York Television Festival in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Showcases and Readings for numerous theatrical productions and schools. Screenings and premieres for NBC, Sci-Fi, HGTV, Lifetime TV, and TV Azteca. Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century Election Day party , 2008.

The Time Out New York Lounge^[15]

The Time Out New York Lounge was created out of a media sponsorship deal between New World Stages and Time Out New York in July 2006. The current programming the lounge features includes:

• Open Mic Night on Mondays at 9:30PM.

• Karaoke on Thursdays at 10:00PM.

• Lush and Lively with DJ Dan Fortune on Sundays at 6:00PM.

• The Set NYC monthly on Wednesdays at 8:00PM.

• Julian Yeo bi-monthly on Thursdays at 7:00PM.

Celebrities

Kanye West hosted a listening party for his album Graduation at New World Stages on August 28th, 2007^[16].

The art of Rosie O'Donnell hung in the New World Stages art Gallery from October 9th to December 2nd, 2007^[17].

Madonna attended Celia at New World Stages on October 9th, 2007^[18].

Jason Biggs and Molly Ringwald starred in Modern Orthodox at New World Stages in Stage 3^[19]

Amy Goodman, Danny Glover, Jackson Browne, Susan Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, Willie Nelson, Juan Gonzalez, Sarah Jones, and Dick Gregory attended a Democracy Now gala at New World Stages on February 20th, 2008.

Francesco Scavullo created the art for the first art gallery presentation at New World Stages^[20].

Patrick McMullen also created art for gallery presentation at New World Stages^[21].

Mandy Patinkin, Will Durst, Tim Minchin, Jackie Mason, Jamie Farr, Anita Gillette, Eartha Kitt and Constantine Maroulis are or have been in shows at New World Stages (see above).

The TONY Lounge has hosted many stand-up comics who have also been featured on Comedy Central^[22]

Del Shores, Bonnie Bendelia, Beth Grant, Leslie Jordan, Rue McClanahan, Olivia Newton-John, Caroline Rhea, Rosemary Alexander, David Cowgill, Jason Dottley, Sarah Hunley, David Steen, and Ann Walker attended the World Premiere of Sordid Lives: The Series, A Once Upon A Time Films Production created by writer/director Del Shores.

New York Stages hat attracted many celebrities to watch their various shows: Tom Cruise and his daughter Suri, Al Pacino, Stephen Colbert and John Stewartenjoyed the Gazillion Bubble Show; Counting Crows' Adam Duritz, 30 Rock's Lonny Ross, Dee Snider, Kevin Cronin, Taye Diggs, Ryan Cabrera, model Chloe Sevigne and many more came to see Rock of Ages. ^[23] , ^[24]

References