Subway Circuit is a term that was created before 1914 to define a group of legitimate

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

theaters featuring shows passing out from

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

and usually prefacing their "going on tour" or used to get a try-out of a show before being sent to Broadway for a verdict. The theater also had to be reachable by

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

History

Unlike

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

managers, who cut salaries of actors when they took the "small time", or entered houses of lesser importance, there were no cuts made in the salaries of the legitimate actors playing the "Subway Circuit". To the actors, four weeks of some subway before or after going on the road was a boon, for the theaters were all within 30 minutes of Broadway and after a performance, they were within easy reach of the theatrical clubs in the

theater district A theater district (also spelled theatre district) is a common name for a neighborhood containing a city's theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences ...

Theaters

The number of theaters part of the Subway Circuit has changed over time. This is a non-exhaustive list.

1918

* the Montauk Theatre in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

* the Teller's Shubert Theatre in

* the Shubert Majestic Theatre in

* the Bronx Opera House * the Loew's Seventh Avenue Theater * the Standard Theatre

1921

* the Montauk Theatre in

* the Teller's Shubert Theatre in

* the Shubert Majestic Theatre in

* the Bronx Opera House * the Shubert Crescent in

* the Riviera Theatre at Broadway and 97th Street

1923

* the Montauk Theatre in

* the Teller's Shubert Theatre in

* the Shubert Majestic Theatre in

* the Bronx Opera House * the Broad Street Theatre in Newark * the Riviera Theatre at Broadway and 97th Street

References

{{reflist Theatres in New York City 20th century in New York City Roaring Twenties