Show Finder
Vivian Beaumont Theater
Website:
www.lincolncenter.org
Address
150 West 65th Street
New York City, NY 10023
Public Transport
Accessibility
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Box Office
From Plaza level and main entrance of Beaumont Theater- 21 steps. From Concourse- Three doors (each 43") followed by 12 steps. Wheelchair access to the Box Office is available from the street-level entrance on 65th Street. Enter through the glass doors in front of the large curved mural & use the wheelchair lift on the left. The doorbell next to the lift will call a security guard to assist you. The Beaumont lobby and orchestra level is accessible via ramp located to the right of the box office. -
Restroom
Womens: Theater level. Door 33.75". Stall door 34.5". Commode 15.25" Mens: Theater level. Door 48". Commode 19" Urinal 15.5". Single-use, accessible restroom located on the Orchestra level across from the ladies’ room. -
Elevator/Escalator
Wheelchair lift available -
Entrance
Enter past David Geffen Hall and Hearst Plaza. Double doors (each 39") at level entrance, followed by 14 steps to main lobby. Additional 7 steps down to box office. Alternate entrance: street level (65th St.) 12 steps up to Box Office lobby and 7 additional steps up to main lobby. Wheelchair lift from street level to Box Office level. Use street level lobby entrance at 65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam -
Water Fountain
The water fountain is located on the theater level near the restrooms. -
Assisted Listening System
The Beaumont is now equipped with an Induction Hearing Loop for state-of-the-art assistive listening. If your hearing aid does not have a T-coil, headphones are also available from the concessions bar in the lobby on a first-come, first-served basis. No reservations are necessary. Driver's license or ID with printed address required. -
Wheelchair Info
Wheelchair access is available from the street-level entrance via a wheelchair lift located to the left of the entrance. Orchestra entrance is behind Row O which is the only row accessible to people using wheelchairs. Accessible tickets at all price points may be purchased at the box office, online or by phone. -
Passenger Loading Zone
West 64th Street and Amsterdam Avenue near glass doors that lead to the lower lobby. Exiting at West 62nd between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues
Theater Description
The Vivian Beaumont Theatre is a theatre located in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The structure was designed by Finnish Americanarchitect Eero Saarinen, and Jo Mielziner was responsible for the design of the stage and interior.The Vivian Beaumont differs from traditional Broadway theatres because of its use of stadium seating and its thrust stage configuration. With 1,080 seats, it is considered a fairly large theater for dramatic plays and a medium-size theater for musicals. It is New York City's only Broadway-class theater (thus making its productions eligible for Tony Awards) that is not located in the theatre district near Times Square.
The theater is named after Vivian Beaumont Allen, a former actress and heiress to the May Department Stores fortune, who donated $3 million for a building to house a permanent dramatic repertory company at Lincoln Center in 1958. Mrs. Allen died in 1962, and after several delays and estimated construction costs of $9.6 million, the Vivian Beaumont opened on October 21, 1965 with a revival of the 1835 play Danton's Death by Georg Büchner. The cast included James Earl Jones and Stacy Keach.
From 1965-66, the theater was operated by the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center, under the direction of Jules Irving and Herbert Blau; Blau, who directed Danton's Death, resigned that first year, while Irving remained as sole director through 1972. From 1973 until 1977, it was managed by the New York Shakespeare Festival, under the direction of Joseph Papp. Following a three-year period of inactivity, it reopened in 1980 under the auspices of the Lincoln Center Theater Company, directed by Richmond Crinkley.
Since 1985, the Vivian Beaumont has been operated by Lincoln Center Theater (now under the direction of André Bishop and Bernard Gersten). It has been renovated to improve its acoustics and technical facilities several times over the years.
On occasion the theater is rented to commercial producers, such as Alexander H. Cohen and Hildy Parks, who presented Peter Brook's production of La Tragedie de Carmen in 1983.
