Broadway Isn’t a Place, It’s an Experience

Last month, I found myself sitting in the Orpheum Theater in my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, seeing the National Tour of WICKED. It certainly was not my first time seeing the show (on Broadway or on tour) —but this performance felt different. Looking around the theater, I wasn’t surrounded by industry colleagues or tourists making a pilgrimage to Broadway. I was surrounded by families, students, lifelong subscribers, first-time theatergoers, and people who simply wanted to experience something extraordinary together. It was a powerful reminder that Broadway doesn’t only belong to New York. Some of its most meaningful moments happen hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

Touring Broadway has always been about more than moving productions from one city to another. It brings world-class storytelling to communities that may never have the opportunity to visit Broadway itself. Along the way, it strengthens local arts organizations, supports restaurants, hotels, parking garages, and small businesses, and creates lasting economic impact in downtown districts across the country. According to The Broadway League, touring productions generated more than $5 billion in economic impact in the 23/24 season alone, while Broadway tours continue to reach audiences in more than 200 cities across North America every year. Those numbers are impressive, but they only tell part of the story. The real impact is measured in the young person who discovers a lifelong passion for theater, the family creating a shared memory, or the community reminded that the arts are not a luxury—they are an essential part of civic life.

As marketers, producers, presenters, and advocates for live entertainment, it’s easy to focus on ticket sales, campaign performance, and opening nights. Those things matter, but experiences like this remind me why the work matters in the first place. Every tour stop represents an opportunity to inspire someone who may be seeing Broadway for the very first time. Sitting in Omaha, watching the audience leap to its feet as the final curtain fell, I was reminded that the magic of Broadway isn’t defined by a zip code. It’s defined by its ability to connect people through stories—and that magic is just as powerful when the curtain rises far beyond Times Square.