New World Stages
A five-theater Off-Broadway performing-arts complex beneath Worldwide Plaza in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
New World Stages is a five-theater Off-Broadway performing-arts complex in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. The venue occupies a large underground space beneath the plaza of Worldwide Plaza, between West 49th and West 50th Streets near Eighth Avenue. Rather than being a single auditorium, it is a purpose-built multi-venue campus that accommodates commercial theater, concerts, readings, workshops, corporate functions, receptions and other events. The complex began life as a multiplex cinema rather than as a theater center. Built on the site associated with the third Madison Square Garden, the cinema opened at Worldwide Plaza in June 1989 under the name Worldwide Cinemas. It was initially operated by Cineplex Odeon and later associated with Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The cinema closed in early 2001 after its operator entered bankruptcy proceedings. Later that year, portions of the former cinema were temporarily used as office space by Deloitte after the firm's offices were destroyed in the September 11 attacks. In 2002, Dodger Stage Holding Theatricals leased the property and developed plans to convert the six-screen cinema into five Off-Broadway stages. The conversion required extensive renovation and reconfiguration. Beyer Blinder Belle served as architect, Sachs Morgan handled theater design, and Klara Zieglerova was responsible for interior design. The renovated venue opened in 2004 as Dodger Stages. On March 16, 2006, it adopted the New World Stages name when Stage Entertainment assumed sole ownership of the complex. The Shubert Organization became the venue's owner and operator on November 17, 2014. Its five auditoriums have listed maximum capacities of 499 seats for Stages 1 and 3, 350 seats for Stages 2 and 4, and 199 seats for Stage 5. These capacities place the venues within the Off-Broadway classification: each auditorium has more than 100 but fewer than 500 seats. Taken together, the complex extends for approximately 61,300 square feet underground, roughly the length of a full city block. At full theoretical utilization, with five productions each presenting eight performances weekly, the venue's combined weekly capacity is approximately 15,176 admissions. New World Stages has hosted a broad range of commercial productions, including musicals, plays, magic and illusion shows, puppet and family entertainment, solo performances and concerts. It has also provided a landing place for productions that originated on Broadway, including Avenue Q, The 39 Steps, Million Dollar Quartet, Peter and the Starcatcher, Jersey Boys and The Play That Goes Wrong. Such transfers can allow commercially viable shows to continue after a Broadway engagement while operating with the economics of an Off-Broadway venue. The complex is also associated with a shared-resource or piggybacking model. Multiple productions may use related schedules, scenery, technical staff or venue infrastructure, reducing the costs of maintaining an open-ended Off-Broadway run. This flexibility, combined with multiple room sizes, enables New World Stages to present both long-running productions and limited engagements. Its downstairs Green Room provides a bar and lounge environment where patrons may purchase drinks for consumption in the theaters. Overall, the brand functions as a major privately operated infrastructure platform for New York's commercial Off-Broadway sector rather than as a producing company identified with only one artistic style.
History
New World Stages developed through the conversion of a former cinema complex into a multi-venue Off-Broadway theater center. The site is beneath Worldwide Plaza in Manhattan, between West 49th and West 50th Streets, in the Hell's Kitchen area. It was built on land associated with the third Madison Square Garden and initially served a very different purpose from its present theatrical role. The original facility opened in June 1989 as Worldwide Cinemas, a multiplex operated initially by Cineplex Odeon. It later operated under the Loews Cineplex structure. The cinema closed in early 2001 after its operator went bankrupt. The vacant facility acquired a temporary public-service and office role later in 2001, when Deloitte used it as office space after its own offices were destroyed in the September 11 attacks. A major change began in 2002, when Dodger Stage Holding Theatricals leased the complex. The company proposed converting the six-screen multiplex into five Off-Broadway stages. This plan required substantial architectural, technical and interior work. Beyer Blinder Belle was the architect, Sachs Morgan provided theater design, and Klara Zieglerova designed the interiors. The completed conversion opened in 2004 under the name Dodger Stages. The five-stage configuration gave the venue a distinctive operating model. Stages 1 and 3 can accommodate up to 499 people, Stages 2 and 4 up to 350, and Stage 5 up to 199. The rooms therefore fit the standard Off-Broadway capacity range while offering different scales for musicals, plays, concerts, solo shows and specialty entertainment. The complete underground complex covers approximately 61,300 square feet and runs roughly the length of a city block. On March 16, 2006, Dodger Stages was renamed New World Stages when Stage Entertainment assumed sole ownership. The new identity marked the venue's transition into a continuing Off-Broadway complex rather than a one-time redevelopment project. Since opening, it has hosted numerous commercial productions and limited engagements, along with readings, workshops, concerts and private events. The venue became especially important as a destination for Broadway-originated transfers. Productions associated with the complex have included Avenue Q, The 39 Steps, Million Dollar Quartet, Peter and the Starcatcher, Jersey Boys and The Play That Goes Wrong. Moving a production from Broadway to an Off-Broadway stage can extend its commercial life at a lower cost structure, while retaining an established title and audience. New World Stages' multiple rooms also support a piggybacking approach in which shows share theater resources, scenery or technical personnel and adjust their schedules to improve the economics of long-running engagements. The Shubert Organization assumed ownership and operation on November 17, 2014. Under Shubert stewardship, the complex continued to function as a home for commercial Off-Broadway productions across multiple genres. Its programming record includes established musicals, new plays, family shows, puppet and bubble entertainment, magic, cabaret, concerts, solo biographies and limited theatrical runs. The venue has also supported event rentals, including conferences, receptions, readings and workshops. The downstairs Green Room adds a hospitality component to the theater campus. It operates as a bar and lounge, and drinks purchased there may be taken into the auditoriums. From 2016 until the interruption of performances in March 2020, it hosted The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking. The broader programming history shows the complex's role as adaptable theatrical infrastructure: it can accommodate long-running productions such as Avenue Q, Altar Boyz, Puffs and The Play That Goes Wrong, while also making room for short engagements and seasonal offerings. New World Stages is therefore best understood as a venue brand and operating platform, not as a single producing entity or a conventional consumer product brand. Its principal value lies in the combination of location, multiple auditorium sizes, technical capacity, hospitality facilities and an established place in New York's commercial Off-Broadway ecosystem.
- 2016
The Green Room begins hosting The Imbible
[1]The downstairs Green Room becomes the home of The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking, which runs there through March 2020.
- 2014
Shubert Organization assumes ownership and operation
[1]The Shubert Organization takes over the venue on November 17, 2014.
- 2006
New World Stages name adopted
[1]The complex is renamed New World Stages on March 16, 2006.
- 2004
Dodger Stages opens
[1]The renovated complex opens as Dodger Stages with five Off-Broadway auditoriums.
- 2002
Off-Broadway conversion is planned
[1]Dodger Stage Holding Theatricals leases the former cinema and plans a five-stage conversion.
- 2001
Cinema closes and space is temporarily repurposed
[1]The multiplex closes after its operator's bankruptcy and is subsequently used temporarily as Deloitte office space.
- 1989
Worldwide Cinemas opens
[1]The multiplex at Worldwide Plaza opens in June 1989, initially operated by Cineplex Odeon.
Products and positioning
A flexible, high-capacity Off-Broadway venue campus that supports commercial productions, transfers from Broadway, long-running shows and special events in five differently sized theaters.
Off-Broadway auditoriums · 2004
Stages 1 and 3
The two largest rooms in the complex, each with a maximum listed capacity of 499 seats. They have accommodated substantial musicals, plays, concerts and transfers, including Avenue Q, Rock of Ages, Rent, Peter and the Starcatcher, Jersey Boys and The 39 Steps.
Off-Broadway auditoriums · 2004
Stages 2 and 4
Medium-sized auditoriums with maximum listed capacities of 350 seats each. Their programming has included long-running musicals, comedies, family entertainment, specialty shows and plays, including Altar Boyz, Million Dollar Quartet, iLuminate and The Play That Goes Wrong.
Off-Broadway auditorium · 2004
Stage 5
The smallest theater in the complex, with a maximum listed capacity of 199 seats. It has been used for intimate plays, solo performances, concerts, cabaret, family productions and limited engagements such as Freud's Last Session, Puffs, The Woodsman and The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers.
Bar and lounge
The Green Room
A downstairs bar and lounge serving the theater complex. Patrons may take drinks purchased at The Green Room into the auditoriums. The space has also hosted performance programming, including The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking.
Brand decisions
2014
Ownership transfers to The Shubert OrganizationM&ABackground
The complex had operated under Stage Entertainment ownership since the 2006 rebranding.
Action taken
The Shubert Organization assumed ownership and operation of New World Stages on November 17, 2014.
Aftermath
The venue continued operating as a multi-stage commercial Off-Broadway center under Shubert management.
2006
Rebrand as New World StagesStrategyBackground
Stage Entertainment assumed sole ownership of the complex.
Action taken
The venue changed its public identity from Dodger Stages to New World Stages.
Aftermath
The new name became the continuing identity of the five-theater Off-Broadway complex.
2002
Convert a multiplex into an Off-Broadway complexStrategyBackground
The former Worldwide Plaza cinema had closed, leaving a large underground facility available for redevelopment.
Action taken
Dodger Stage Holding Theatricals leased the site and pursued a conversion from six cinema screens into five differently sized theatrical stages.
Aftermath
The renovated facility opened as Dodger Stages in 2004 and became the basis of the New World Stages venue brand.
Sources2 sources
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