How Can We Make Broadway Cheaper Without Making It Worse? Part 2: Let’s Talk About Tax Incentives
by Chris Peterson
Broadway is expensive. That is not new. But in recent years, the sticker shock has become almost surreal. $200 for a midweek orchestra seat, $800 premiums for buzzy musicals, and a rush ticket system that feels more like a lottery than a legitimate access point. For many theatre lovers, the dream of seeing a Broadway show has started to feel out of reach.
And yet, for all the conversations about how costly Broadway has become, what is often missing are solutions. We hear a lot of frustration, a lot of finger-pointing, and a lot of defeatist thinking. The debate tends to land in one of two extremes. Either it is "that is showbiz, if you cannot afford it, too bad," or "just cut everything and throw a bare-bones version on a folding chair." Neither is helpful, and neither is sustainable.
What I am interested in is the middle ground. I want to explore how we can make it more affordable to see a Broadway show without making it worse with AI-designed sets and musician-less musicals. The ideas I will be presenting in this multi-part series, released over the course of this week, are not revolutionary. In fact, I am sure I am not the first person to suggest them. But they are practical, achievable changes that could lower costs, improve working conditions, and expand access, all while preserving the artistic integrity that makes Broadway worth caring about in the first place.
Click on the links below to check out the earlier installments of this series.
Part 1: Rethinking the Schedule
Part 2: Let’s Talk About Tax Incentives
When tax incentives come up in the theatre world, they almost always go to producers. The thinking is simple. Incentivize the people who build the shows. Boost tourism. Fill hotel rooms. Drive economic activity. It’s a model cities love to promote.
But we’re ignoring a big part of the equation.
What about the landlords?
Most Broadway theatres are owned by just a few organizations. Shubert. Nederlander. Jujamcyn. These landlords lease their spaces to shows for a weekly fee. That fee doesn’t fluctuate based on ticket sales. It doesn’t drop if the show tanks. Whether the seats are full or not, the landlord gets paid.
So what if the tax breaks didn’t stop with producers? What if theatre owners were eligible for incentives too—but only if they helped make Broadway more affordable?
Imagine this. A company like Shubert gets a credit for keeping rent increases in check. Or for offering a few weeks of capped ticket prices. Or for agreeing to house one show a season with a reduced ticket tier. These are small gestures with big potential.
And before anyone says it—yes, landlords do take on risk. Theatres don’t fill themselves. Sometimes venues sit empty. But let’s be honest. On Broadway, dark houses are the exception, not the rule. Demand for space is sky-high. And compared to producers, landlords have it much easier. They aren’t juggling weekly grosses or praying for Tony nominations to stay open. They collect the check either way. A little give from them isn’t unfair. It’s overdue.
There’s also the argument that this kind of plan might scare off investors. If landlords are expected to play nice, will fewer people want to own theatres in the first place?
Maybe. But Broadway isn’t just an investment portfolio. It’s a shared ecosystem. Theatres are cultural landmarks. They anchor entire neighborhoods. And just like developers in other industries get incentives for building affordable housing, theatre landlords can be rewarded for helping more people access the arts.
This isn’t about punishing anyone. It’s about finding a new way forward. One where affordability isn’t just the producer’s problem or the audience’s burden. One where landlords have a role to play in keeping Broadway alive and accessible.
Let’s zoom out for a second. Most shows on Broadway don’t turn a profit. Many don’t recoup. And when they close, it’s often not because the show was bad(Swept Away, Dead Outlaw) or the cast wasn’t good enough(Boop!, Real Women Have Curves). It’s because the math stopped working. Rent stays high. Marketing costs climb. Audiences slow down. A few more weeks in the black could mean the difference between a show finding its legs or folding too early.
Now think about what a little flexibility could do. If a theatre offered even a modest rent break in exchange for a tax credit, that could keep a show running longer. That could mean more jobs, more performances, more chances for audiences to connect. The benefit wouldn’t stop at the box office. It would ripple through the entire economy surrounding the theatre district—restaurants, bars, hotels, taxis, shops.
And here's something else. Audiences want to believe that Broadway is for them. They want to feel like they’re part of something. Right now, many feel shut out. The ticket prices are too high. The premium seats are roped off. The discounts are limited or gone in a flash. Offering more accessible pricing (even for just a few performances a week) helps rebuild trust. It says we care. It says we want you here.
Landlords don’t control the art. They control the access point. That matters. That’s power. And if public money is going to be part of this conversation, then the full picture needs to be on the table.
If we want the theatre industry to thrive, not just survive, we can’t keep looking at the same old levers. We have to be willing to rethink the structure. That means looking beyond the show itself. It means asking more from the people who own the stage.