Director Oren Jacoby Examines the Last 50 Years of Broadway in New Documentary

After earning great acclaim for producing the documentary on U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Oren Jacoby will share "On Broadway," his new film that follows the evolution of Broadway and Times Square over the past five decades.

According to Forbes, the documentary will in Manhattan at the IFC Center on Monday, Nov. 11.

"It starts during the 1970's with the depression in New York City, and looks at the innovations of theater owners and producers in the ways that they approached developing shows and picking the shows that they produced," explained Jacoby to Forbes.

The film dives into how the Shubert Organization tried to fill seats in the theater with the thousands of crimes occuring on 42nd Street between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue. Efforts like starting evening performances earlier and the Broadway community collaborating with local government officials are explained in Jacoby's piece.

This rise of Disney, the image of today's 42nd Street and the growth of Times Square are also explored. The final piece of the film discusses the current state of Broadway, with shows like "Hamilton" and "Harry Potter," as well as the role of non-profit theaters.

"On Broadway" will feature interviews with Broadway producers like Jeffrey Seller, actors like Hugh Jackman and veterans in the industry like the head waiter of the historic restaurant Sardi's, Forbes reports.

Jacoby has produced and directed several films, including "Shadowman," "My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes" and "Lafayette: The Lost Hero." He has also directed productions at Theater for the New City, the Williamstown Theater Festival, Ensemble Studio Theater, the West Bank Cafe and various regional theaters.

This story was originally reported by Marc Hershberg for Forbes and can be read here.

Photo Credit: Hamptons International Film Festival