A new way to find great theater in your neighborhood

On a typical evening, there are 168 shows running in New York City, but less than 20% of them are on Broadway. That leaves 137 shows running in smaller theaters throughout every neighborhood. The challenge is knowing about them -- they are typically not listed on major theater sites, which focus on Broadway and well-known Off-Broadway venues. “'Beyond Broadway' is the hidden treasure of the NYC theater scene,” said Tom Melcher, Founder and CEO of Show-Score, a free website that lists all NYC theatrical productions that have seven performances or more. “Beyond Broadway productions typically employ the same talent that Broadway shows do, which means that many Beyond Broadway shows wow audiences as much as Broadway blockbusters do. In addition, Beyond Broadway shows are typically more affordable, and sometimes closer to your home.” To help spread the word about these hidden gems, Show-Score teamed up with Straus Media, hyperlocal publisher of Manhattan's neighborhood newspapers Our Town Eastsider, The West Side Spirit, Our Town Downtown, and Chelsea News. The papers, known for their local news reporting, recently launched a mobile events platform for Manhattan's neighborhoods: NYCnow. The mobile event calendar features intimate musical performances, free wine tastings, lectures, boutique fitness classes, and everything in-between. Thanks to this partnership, Show-Score information about local theater will be running in each print edition, and also as part of NYCnow. “We're devoted to providing readers with great neighborhood news that matters to them,” says Jeanne Straus, President of Straus Media. “With NYCnow, we do the legwork of curating the neighborhood events that readers can't find information about anywhere else. We're excited to add Show-Score's incredible theater content to NYCnow's rich local offerings.” “We want to get more people visiting theaters all over the city,” adds Melcher. “That's why this partnership with Straus Media is so exciting. New Yorkers now have an easy way to find great theater that's nearby, high-quality, and affordable.”