When it opened in 1912, located at 240 West 44th Street, the Little Theatre (as it was then known) had only 300 seats and was built as an intimate house to present new playwrights and experimental dramas that were deemed too risky to stage in large Broadway theatres. In 1987, it was designated as a Landmark Site by the City of New York’s Landmarks Preservation.

Second Stage Theatre purchased the historic Helen Hayes Theatre in 2015. The new theatre will become Second Stage’s third venue in New York. The venue remains the smallest house on Broadway Commission.

Playbill: Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre Renovation Gets Underway