15. Helen Hayes Theatre
Helen Hayes Theatre, also known as “The Little Theatre,” was built by producer Winthrop Ames in 1912 in rebellion against commercial theaters at the time and held only 299 seats. In the 1950s, it was used as a recording studio for TV and radio. In 1983, it was renamed for American actress Helen Hayes after another theater by the same name was demolished. The former theater was one of five that met the wrecking ball, replaced by the Marriott Marquis hotel.
In April 2015, the theater was bought by Second Stage Theatre, which made it only one of four not-for-profit theaters on Broadway. However, the purchase was hard earned since the company had to fight for ownership but ultimately prevailed. Today, the Helen Hayes Theatre has 597 seats, retaining its title for the smallest on Broadway. It recently housed productions of The Humans and What the Constitution Means to Me. It will reopen on November 3, 2021 with performances of Clyde’s, starring Uzo Uduba and Ron Cephas Jones.\