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{{Short description|Monthly theatre magazine published in the United States}}
{{About|the theater magazine|a program|Programme (booklet)|the typeface|Playbill (typeface)|aerobatic team|Paybills}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}{{Use American English|date=May 2021}}

{{Infobox magazine
| title = Playbill
| image_file = Playbill logo.svg
| image_caption = 
| editor_title = 
| editor = Diep Tran
| staff_writer = 
| frequency = Monthly
| total_circulation = 4,073,680
| circulation_year = 2012
| category = [[Theatre]]
| company = TotalTheater
| firstdate = 1884; New Series 1982
| country = [[United States]]
| based = [[New York City]]
| language = English
| website = {{Official URL}}
| issn = 0551-0678
| oclc = 1264051597
}}

'''''Playbill''''' is an American monthly magazine for [[Audience|theatergoers]]. Although there is a subscription issue available for [[home delivery]], most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's [[Programme (booklet)|program]].

''Playbill'' was first printed in 1884 for a single theater on 21st Street{{which|date=May 2019}} in New York City. The magazine is now used at nearly every [[Broadway theatre]] as well as many [[Off-Broadway]] productions. Outside New York City, ''Playbill'' is used at theaters throughout the United States. {{As of|September 2012|post=,}} its [[Magazine circulation|circulation]] was 4,073,680.<ref name="rate">{{cite web |title=National Rate Card |url=http://cloud.playbill.com/pdf/pb2013magrate.pdf |website=Playbill |access-date=November 14, 2013 |date=January 2013}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:The Playbill 1939 cover.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Cover of ''The Playbill'' for a 1939 production of ''[[No Time for Comedy]]'' starring [[Katharine Cornell]] ]]

What is known today as ''Playbill'' started in 1884, when Frank Vance Strauss founded the New York Theatre Program Corporation<ref>{{cite news |date=1939 |title=Inside description of ownership |work=The Playbill}}</ref> specializing in printing theater programs. Strauss reimagined the concept of a theater program, making advertisements a standard feature and thus transforming what was then a leaflet into a fully designed magazine.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=2020-07-13 |title=The fascinating history of theater program |url=https://thesmithcenter.com/explore/smith-center-blog/the-fascinating-history-of-theater-programs/ |access-date=2021-04-29 |website=The Smith Center}}</ref> The new format proved popular with theatergoers, who started to collect playbills as souvenirs;<ref name=":0" /> however, the name ''(The)'' ''Playbill'' did not appear until the 1930s;  earlier programs published by the company simply bore the name of the venue.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Culwell-Block |first=Logan |date=2018-08-24 |title=The Evolution of the Playbill Design From 1885–2018 |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/the-evolution-of-the-playbill-design-from-18852018 |access-date=2021-04-29 |website=Playbill |language=en}}</ref>

In 1918, Frank Vance Strauss sold the company to his nephew, Richard M. Huber. From 1918 onward, the company started printing playbills for all of Broadway and, by 1924, was printing 16,000,000 programs for over 60 theaters.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=The Magazine Theatre Program |url=https://www.doaks.org/research/library-archives/dumbarton-oaks-archives/collections/ephemera/names/the-magazine-theatre-program |access-date=2021-04-29 |website=Dumbarton Oaks}}</ref> The 1920s also saw attempts to introduce consistency in the design with the covers of the magazines featuring artwork representing the theater, which would stay the same from show to show.<ref name=":1" /> In 1934–35, the name ''The Playbill'' made its first appearance on the cover<ref name=":2" /> although there was still no standard logo in that period. The design underwent a series of transformations with show titles occasionally switching places with ''The Playbill'' logo in various places on the cover until the magazine's logo found its permanent place at the top of the front cover.<ref name=":1" />  The magazine was purchased by [[Roger L. Stevens]] in 1956.  The publication as it is known today became ''Playbill'' in 1957, under then-owner [[Gilman Kraft]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=1999-07-05 |title=Gilman Kraft, 73, Performing Arts Publisher |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/05/arts/gilman-kraft-73-performing-arts-publisher.html |access-date=2022-06-10 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The publication has been owned by the Arthur T. Birsh family since 1973. Production and printing of the magazine takes place in [[Woodside, Queens]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-20 |title=Take a tour of the Queens printing plant where all of Broadway's Playbills are made |url=https://abc7ny.com/playbill-broadway-theater-arts-alex-birsh/13945419/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=ABC7 New York |language=en}}</ref>

==Format==
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2021}}
Each issue features articles focusing on actors, new [[play (theatre)|plays]], [[Musical theater|musical]]s, and special [[tourist attraction|attraction]]s.  This "wraparound" section is the same for all ''Playbill''s at all venues each month. Within this wraparound, the ''Playbill'' contains listings, photos, and biographies of the [[Cast member|cast]]; biographies of authors, composers, and production staff; a list of [[Scene (fiction)|scenes]], as songs and their performers (for musicals); and a brief description of the setting for the particular show. It also lists the number of intermissions and "At This Theatre", a column with historical information on the theater housing the production.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Walsh |first1=Kevin |title=Playbill's the Thing in Woodside |url=https://www.brownstoner.com/history/playbills-the-thing-in-woodside/ |website=Brownstoner |access-date=12 February 2024 |date=23 May 2014}}</ref> The ''Playbill'' distributed on opening night of a Broadway show is stamped with a seal on the cover and the date appears on the [[title page]] within the magazine. This is, however, not the case for every opening night playbill: there are many in circulation that do not feature the date.

In lieu of the cast and show information, the subscription edition of ''Playbill'' contains listings of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions and news from [[West End theatre|London productions]] and North American touring companies.

The ''Playbill'' banner is yellow with black writing. Each June since 2014, the yellow banner has been replaced with a rainbow banner for [[LGBT Pride Month]].

The Playbill banner has changed the yellow to another color on rare occasions in its history:
* October 2008 – green for the fifth anniversary of ''[[Wicked (musical)|Wicked]]'' 
* October 2011 – royal blue for the tenth anniversary of ''[[Mamma Mia! (musical)|Mamma Mia!]]'' 
* October 2013 – green for the tenth anniversary of ''Wicked''<ref name="wicked">{{cite web |url=http://m.playbill.com/news/article/182676-A-COVER-STORY-Wicked-Playbill-Will-Be-Greenified-for-10th-Anniversary-on-Broadway-Cover-Revealed |website=Playbill |title=Wicked Playbill Will Be Greenified for 10th Anniversary on Broadway |date=30 September 2013 |access-date=November 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192752/http://m.playbill.com/news/article/182676-A-COVER-STORY-Wicked-Playbill-Will-Be-Greenified-for-10th-Anniversary-on-Broadway-Cover-Revealed |archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref>
* April 2018 &ndash; white and red for the fifth anniversary of ''[[Kinky Boots (musical)|Kinky Boots]]''
* November 2021 – black for the 25th anniversary of ''[[Chicago (musical)|Chicago]]''

==Other media==
{{anchor|Playbill Online}}
''Playbill'' launched '''Playbill Online''' in January 1994. The free website offers news about the theater industry, focusing on New York shows but including [[Regional theater in the United States|regional theater]], touring, and international stage happenings. It is read by show fans and theater practitioners, and is updated regularly. It also offers discounts on tickets and dining for its members.

In 2000, ''Playbill'' added www.playbillstore.com, an [[online shopping]] store offering official ''Playbill'' merchandise and merchandise from most current Broadway and touring productions.

In 2006, ''Playbill'' released its first records on [[Playbill Records]], an imprint of [[SonyBMG]]. Releases included [[Brian Stokes Mitchell]]'s eponymous solo album and two [[compilation album|compilation]]s of show tunes entitled ''Scene Stealers, The Men'' and ''Scene Stealers, The Women.''

''Playbill Radio'', a 24-hour Broadway-themed [[internet radio]] station featuring news, [[podcast]]s, and a musical library of over 20,000 titles, premiered in 2007.

{{anchor|Playbill Vault}}
In 2011, ''Playbill'' launched Playbill Vault, a comprehensive online database of Broadway history. Playbill Vault provides records of Broadway productions from 1930 to the present.<ref name="dries">{{cite news |last=Dries |first=Kate |title=Daily Rehearsal: Theater nerds rejoice over Playbill Vault |url=http://www.wbez.org/blog/onstagebackstage/2011-12-02/daily-rehearsal-theater-nerds-rejoice-over-playbill-vault-94547 |work=[[WBEZ]] Onstage/Backstage |access-date=2 December 2011 |archive-date=December 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205032025/http://www.wbez.org/blog/onstagebackstage/2011-12-02/daily-rehearsal-theater-nerds-rejoice-over-playbill-vault-94547 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Information on the website includes original and current casts, actor [[head shot]]s, production credits, Playbill cover images, scanned Playbill Who's Who pages, production photos, and videos.

In 2012, ''Playbill'' launched Playbill Memory Bank, a website that allowed theater-goers to track their memories of their theater attendances by entering dates they attended a show, along with information like ticket scans.  The site provided information about cast members, including which performer had each particular role, for roles that may have had several replacements over the life of the show.  Playbill Memory Bank shut down December 31, 2016.<ref name="pmbfb">{{cite web |title=Playbill Memory Vault 2012 - 2016 |url=https://www.facebook.com/PlaybillMB |date=6 December 2016 |website=facebook.com |access-date=November 2, 2019}}</ref>

{{anchor|Playbill Passport}}
''Playbill'' launched its first app, called Playbill Passport, on January 4, 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/playbill-passport-app-launches-the-first-ever-mobile-companion-to-broadway-programs-com-377359 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306095818/http://www.playbill.com/article/playbill-passport-app-launches-the-first-ever-mobile-companion-to-broadway-programs-com-377359 |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 March 2016 |title=Playbill Passport App Launches: The First-Ever Mobile Companion to Broadway Programs |date=6 March 2016 |work=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2016}}</ref>

In 2021, ''Playbill'' added a "post-the-pay" rule to their job site after a campaign by On Our Team and Costume Professionals for Wage Equity called for an increased pay transparency and equity in the theater industry.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/show-them-the-money/Content?oid=87858182 |title=Show them the money |first=Kerry |last=Reid |newspaper=[[Chicago Reader]] |date=9 April 2021 |access-date=2021-07-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |journal=OnStage Blog |url=https://www.onstageblog.com/editorials/2021/4/26/pay-transparency-on-playbill-and-broadwayworlds-job-postings |title=Looking at the activism that led to pay transparency on Playbill and BroadwayWorld's job postings |first=Irene |last=Martinko |date=26 April 2021 |access-date=2021-07-09}}</ref>

==Competition with ''Stagebill''==
For decades, ''Playbill'' concentrated on Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters, while ''[[Stagebill]]'' focused on concerts, opera, and dance in [[music venue|venue]]s such as [[Lincoln Center]] and [[Carnegie Hall]].<ref name="showbill"/> However, by the late 1990s, ''Playbill'' was highly profitable; ''Stagebill'' was not, losing millions of dollars annually by 1998.<ref name="jones">{{cite news |first=Chris |last=Jones |title=Stagebill is sold to rival Playbill |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/06/10/stagebill-is-sold-to-rival-playbill/ |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=10 June 2002 |access-date=November 14, 2013}}</ref> To increase revenue, ''Stagebill'' entered ''Playbill''{{'}}s turf. The truce was first breached in 1995, when [[The Public Theater]] quietly defected to ''Stagebill,'' and more noisily in 1997, when [[Disney]] contracted ''Stagebill'' for its musical ''[[The Lion King (musical)|The Lion King]]'' at its newly reopened [[New Amsterdam Theatre]].<ref name="variety1">{{cite news |first1=Claude |last1=Brodesser |first2=Oliver |last2=Jones |url=https://variety.com/1999/legit/news/melodrama-at-met-1117492046/ |title=Melodrama at Met |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=9 March 1999 |access-date=November 14, 2013}}</ref> The main point of contention in the latter case was control over advertising content: ''Playbill'' is distributed free to theaters, relying on advertising revenue that is completely under its authority, whereas Disney, per company policy, required a program without cigarette or liquor ads.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |first=Jonathan |last=Mandell |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06EED71E3DF936A1575BC0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=3 |title=Theater's memory bank expands |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=25 August 2002 |access-date=November 14, 2013}}</ref>

In response to ''Stagebill's'' upstart incursion, ''Playbill'' began to produce ''Showbill'', a sister publication that conformed to Disney's advertising requirements for all publications distributed in its properties.<ref name="showbill">{{cite news |title=Ask Playbill |url=http://www.playbill.com/features/article/112023-ASK-PLAYBILLCOM-Playbill-and-Showbill |last=Pincus-Roth |first=Zachary |work=Playbill |date=18 October 2007 |access-date=November 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914160319/http://www.playbill.com/features/article/112023-ASK-PLAYBILLCOM-Playbill-and-Showbill |archive-date=14 September 2013}}</ref> Now with an alternative, Disney switched from ''Stagebill'' to ''Showbill'' for ''The Lion King'' late in its run at the New Amsterdam. (When the musical moved to the [[Minskoff Theatre]], which Disney does not own, it was obligated to use ''Playbill'', as are Disney productions at other theaters.<ref name="showbill"/>) The [[Lyric Theatre (1998 New York City)|Ford Center for the Performing Arts]] also commissioned ''Showbill'' for its inaugural production of ''[[Ragtime (musical)|Ragtime]]'', presumably to exclude other automakers' ads.<ref name="showbill"/> In a different circumstance, the producers of the Broadway [[Revival (play)|revival]] of ''[[Cabaret (musical)|Cabaret]]'' wished to maintain the atmosphere of a sleazy nightclub at its [[Studio 54]] venue, and insisted on handing out ''Playbill''s ''after'' the performance (instead of before). ''Playbill,'' sensing missed exposure for its advertisers, offered the show's producers "Showbill" instead.<ref name="rialto">{{cite web |title=Playbill? Showbill? Stagebill? |url=http://www.talkinbroadway.com/rialto/past/1998/3_19_98.html |date=19 March 1998 |website=Talkinbroadway.com |access-date=November 14, 2013}}</ref>

Additionally, ''Playbill'' responded further by producing publications for classic arts venues, aggressively courting many venues that were once ''Stagebill'' clients. In the spring of 2002, ''Playbill'' signed a contract with [[Carnegie Hall]]; this milestone was bookended by the earlier acquisition of the valuable [[Metropolitan Opera]] program and the ensuing contract with the [[New York Philharmonic]]—both tenants of ''Stagebill's'' erstwhile stronghold [[Lincoln Center]].<ref name="variety1"/>  With the acquisition of the programs for performing arts venues, ''Playbill'' broke from its typical format and began publishing completely customized programs in the vein of ''Stagebill.''<ref name="nytimes"/> This, coupled with continuing fiscal troubles, signaled the end of ''Stagebill'' as a publishing entity; later that year, ''Stagebill'' became [[insolvent]] after five years of head-to-head competition with ''Playbill,'' which acquired the ''Stagebill'' trademark.<ref name="hofler">{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Hofler |url=https://variety.com/2002/legit/markets-festivals/playbill-corners-legit-market-1117868231/ |title=Playbill corners legit market |newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=9 June 2002 |access-date=November 14, 2013}}</ref>

==Museum of Broadway==
''Playbill'' is a founding member of the [[Museum of Broadway]].<ref name="museum">{{Cite news |last=Rahmanan |first=Anna |title=EXCLUSIVE: The Museum of Broadway has an official opening date! |language=en-US |work=TimeOut |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/exclusive-the-museum-of-broadway-is-officially-opening-this-november-061422 |access-date=2022-06-17}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Playbill (magazine)|Playbill}}
* {{Official website}}

{{Special Tony Award}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Magazines established in 1884]]
[[Category:Magazines published in New York City]]
[[Category:Monthly magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:Special Tony Award recipients]]
[[Category:Theatre magazines published in the United States]]