Hayes Theater, New York
Seating Chart

At 597 seats, the Hayes Theater is officially the smallest on Broadway, which explains why it was originally called the Little Theatre when it opened in 1912. The goal of the Little Theatre was to present smaller-scale productions, rather than the large, elaborate musicals that would come to dominate Broadway.

Harry Creighton Ingalls, of Ingalls & Hoffman, was the architect behind the original design, which seated only 300. It was first redesigned in the 1920s by Herbert J. Krapp, increasing capacity to 590. After being sold to the New York Times for use as a conference hall in 1931, then being bought by Martin Markinson and Donald Tick in 1979, the smaller-scale was renamed the Helen Hayes Theater in 1983, to honour the legendary film and stage actress of the same name.

In 2015 the Helen Hayes Theater was officially sold to Second Stage Theater Company, one of only four non-profit theatre companies operating on Broadway. The theatre was renamed The Hayes Theater in 2018. The first production under Second Stage was 2018’s Lobby Hero written by Kenneth Lonergan (screenwriter of Gangs of New York), featuring movie stars Michael Cera and Chris Evans.

Recently renovated and modernised, the Hayes Theater is a charming, intimate theatre that now focuses on an output of contemporary plays by living American playwrights.

Seating

The Hayes Theater has a total capacity of 597 seats split over two levels; 379 seats in the Orchestra and 218 seats in the Mezzanine.

Tips

- The Hayes Theater does not offer a coat check service. Be aware of this when you visit
- Due to the small size of the theatre, almost every seat offers a very good view
- The auditorium is more long than wide, so seats at the rear can feel quite distant

Good value seats

In the middle section of the Orchestra, Rows F to M, seats are available that are below the top price bracket but offer excellent views. Rows D and F in the even and odd-numbered sections of the Mezzanine have some more affordable seats with very good views.

Premium seats

Rows B to H in the middle section of the Orchestra offer a truly intimate experience, with excellent views close to the stage. The front row (A) in the middle section of the Mezzanine offers a superb view of the stage from an elevated position.