About the venue

Theatre
August Wilson Theatre
Address
245 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019
Neighborhood
Theater District
Capacity
1,228 seats
Operator
Jujamcyn Theaters

Hosted Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club 2024-2025; currently Dog Day Afternoon.

The short version

The August Wilson opened in 1925 as the Guild Theatre, designed by C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim with a fifteenth-century Tuscan-villa inspiration that sets it apart from the neoclassical Broadway norm — the building has carried four names (Guild, ANTA, Virginia, August Wilson) since the Theatre Guild built it for serious drama. Jujamcyn took it over in 1981 and renamed it for Wilson in 2005, the first Broadway house named for a Black playwright. The room has been returned to a conventional orchestra-plus-mezzanine layout after the Cabaret in-the-round residency that ended September 2025; centre orchestra is premium for proximity to the tension-driven performances, and front mezzanine is the consensus best-value tier.

Section by section

Sections are ordered roughly cheapest-to-most-expensive within the house's seating tiers — but the best value isn't always the cheapest. Watch for the sweet spot.

  • Orchestra

    Centre orchestra (rows D–M) is premium for proximity to Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach. Side rows can clip the staging on the corners.

  • Front Mezzanine

    The single best value at the August Wilson — full picture of the standoff staging, no neck angle, cheaper than premium orchestra.

  • Rear Mezzanine

    Furthest seats. Real distance from the stage; full coverage. Cheapest legitimate option.

New to Broadway seating? Here's a 5-minute guide to reading any Broadway seating chart.

Next steps