Hayes seating plan with real 3D views from every section
- Address
- 240 West 44th Street, New York, NY
- Capacity
- 597
- Opened
- 1912
- Run by
- Second Stage Theater
- Formerly
- Helen Hayes Theatre
At 597 seats this is the smallest theatre on Broadway by more than two hundred, and it was built that way: Winthrop Ames put it up in 1912 as the Little Theatre, an intimate house for serious plays, with no balcony and no boxes. It was the Helen Hayes Theatre from 1983 until 2018, when it became the Hayes Theater under Second Stage Theater, which owns and runs it as a non-profit.
Two levels and 597 seats in total, which means there is effectively no bad seat and no far seat — the back row of this house is closer to the stage than row K at some of its neighbours. What varies is angle rather than distance, and the room is narrow enough that the extreme sides look slightly across the stage rather than into it.
Frequently asked questions
- How can I see the view from my seat at the Hayes?
- Click any section on the interactive Hayes seating map above and a real panoramic 3D view from that part of the house opens instantly. Drag to look around in 360°, so you know what you will see before you buy.
- Where is the Hayes?
- 240 West 44th Street, New York, NY. It is in the Theater District in midtown Manhattan.
- How many seats does the Hayes have?
- 597 people. 597 is published by both The Broadway League and Playbill, which is rare enough on Broadway to count as settled. It makes this the smallest theatre on Broadway by more than two hundred seats.
- Who runs the Hayes?
- Second Stage Theater. The theatre opened in 1912 as the Helen Hayes Theatre.
- What are the best seats at the Hayes?
- Anywhere central. If you have a choice, the middle of the orchestra or the front of the upper level; the only seats worth checking on the map are the outer ends of each row.
What’s on at the Hayes
The Hayes Theater was dark as of 30 July 2026, with The Fantasticks, from 22 October 2026 booked next. The seating map above is the theatre rather than the production, so it is worth looking at before tickets go on sale rather than after.