Detailed Information

The theatre first opened as the Theatre Republic, commonly referred to as the Republic Theatre, in late September 1900 with the play “Sag Harbor”. The theatre was the brainchild of Oscar Hammerstein I. Seating capacity was somewhere between 930 and 1,100.

Two years after the theatre’s opening, David Belasco leased the theatre and rebuilt the entire interior and renamed it in his own name. Belasco restored the "Republic" name in 1910 and operated the theatre until 1914.

American theatre producer Albert H. Woods leased the theatre from 1914 to 1922, when Oliver D. Bailey took over and “Abe’s Irish Rose” played for five years.

In 1931, due to a lack of theatrical productions, Billy Minsky took on the theatre and converted it into a burlesque house called Minsky’s Burlesque, a role it maintained for 11 years until 1942.

In 1942 the theatre switched to a movies-only policy and the name was changed to the Victory Theater. It became an adult movie theatre in 1972.

In 1990 the theatre was purchased by New 42nd St (now known as New 42 ), a nonprofit formed to oversee the redevelopment of seven neglected theatres in 42nd St between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. New 42 launched the transformation of the block by undertaking the renovation of the Victory Theater and reinventing it as a theatre for kids and families.

Following the renovation led by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates , the New Victory Theater opened its doors on 11th December 1995, and New York City’s oldest operating theatre became a new destination for families and a harbinger of the change to come.

Despite its Broadway-adjacent location, the New Victory Theater is not considered a Broadway Theatre due to its seating capacity of 499 (Broadway theatres are classed as those with 500 or more seats).

The 1995 renovation restored the brownstone stoop which rose from street level to mezzanine level but was removed in 1910.

Increasing lobby space as part of the 1995 renovation reduced the size of the original seating areas at main floor and mezzanine levels. As such the auditorium is now a cube measuring around 50ft (15m) on each side.

In 2009, as part of the New Victory Scottish Festival, a production of “Hansel and Gretel” transferred to the theatre from the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh, Scotland. The production, presented by Catherine Wheels Theatre Company in association with the Brunton Theatre, presented a promenade performance that involved patrons walking around many areas of the theatre.

Scottish artist John Byrne painted parts of the theatre to suit the production, including large portraits backstage. In 2013 Byrne would go on to design and paint the auditorium dome in the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh.