Why So Many New Broadway Shows? The 2024 Spring Season By the Numbers

Another openin', another show- words to take literally this spring. If you've been following this Broadway season and have been getting a sneaking suspicion that the spring calendar (see below) is looking a little bit crazy, you're not wrong...

Between January 1 and the end of this Broadway season, 21 new plays and musicals will have opened on Broadway. 19 of them celebrate their opening nights in the months of March and April, and 14 of them open in the two-week span of April 11- 25, 2024.

Is this barrage of spring openings uncommon? Not really. Last year, 17 new productions opened on Broadway in the months of March and April; in 2022, 19 new productions. This trend isn't unique to the post-Covid theatre world either. In 2017 for example, a whopping 20 shows opened in the same period. 

When compared to the rest of this year, which included 39 total shows, 49% of this season's production's will open in this two month period. Why all the love for the spring? The short answer: the Tony Awards. 

The eligibility cut-off for the 2024 Tony Awards is April 25; meaning that only shows which have opened between April 28, 2023 and April 25, 2024 will be considered for nominations. Some in the industry believe that productions that open close to the cut-off will be fresh in the Nominating Commitee's mind and therefore, might be more likely to earn a nomination(s) on April 30. This practice isn't totally unlike the the film industry for example, for which there is usually an influx of "awards-worthy" releases in the months leading up to the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, etc.

Earning Tony nominations (or even winning Tony Awards) of course does not guarantee a production's success, but it does usually grant bragging rights, keep the show in conversation through awards season, and hopfully, sell more tickets to ensure a longer run. 

The bottom line: spring is always Broadway's busiest season. Buckle up for what's to come and check out a full breakdown of the 2023/24 season below! 

Summer (May-August) Opening Nights:

Grey House: June 6, 2023
Once Upon a One More Time: June 22, 2023
Just For Us: June 26, 2023
Here Lies Love: July 20, 2023
The Cottage: July 24, 2023
Back to the Future: The Musical: August 3, 2023
The Shark Is Broken: August 10, 2023
El Mago Pop: August 20, 2023

Fall (September- December) Opening Nights:

Purlie Victorious: September 27, 2023
Melissa Etheridge: My Window: September 28, 2023
Jaja's African Hair Braiding: October 3, 2023
Merrily We Roll Along: October 10, 2023
Gutenberg! The Musical!: October 12, 2023
I Need That: November 2, 2023
Harmony: November 13, 2023
Spamalot: November 16, 2023
How to Dance in Ohio: December 10, 2023
Appropriate: December 18, 2023

Winter (January- February) Opening Nights:

Prayer for the French Republic: January 9, 2024
Days of Wine and Roses: January 28, 2024

Spring (March-April) Opening Nights:

Doubt: March 7, 2024
The Notebook: March 14, 2024
An Enemy of the People: March 18, 2024
Water for Elephants: March 21, 2024
The Who's Tommy: March 28, 2024
The Outsiders: April 11, 2024
Lempicka: April 14, 2024
The Wiz: April 17, 2024
Suffs: April 18, 2024
Stereophonic: April 19, 2024
Hell's Kitchen: April 20, 2024
Cabaret: April 21, 2024
The Heart of Rock and Roll: April 22, 2024
Patriots: April 22, 2024
Mary Jane: April 23, 2024
Uncle Vanya: April 24, 2024
Illinoise: April 24, 2024
Mother Play: April 25, 2024
The Great Gatsby: April 25, 2024