An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer than 100.

The Dutch called it the Heeren Wegh or Heeren Straat, meaning "Gentlemen's Way" or "Gentlemen's Street" – echoing the name of a similar street in Amsterdam – or "High Street" or "the Highway"; it was renamed "Broadway" after the British took over the city, because of its unusual width.

Broadway shows have the strictest guidelines to earn their moniker. In addition to having 500 seats or greater, they must be located in the Theatre District (around Times Square in Midtown, Manhattan) and in venues certified by The Broadway League, the trade association for the Broadway industry.

Luckily, with streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, BroadwayHD, Disney+, HBO Max, and most recently Apple TV+, there is a wealth of theatrical resources available where you can find live recordings of original productions from Broadway and beyond.