August Wilson Theatre

Best seats at a glance

At the August Wilson Theatre, the seats to target are the center orchestra from about row E to the middle of the section and the first several rows of the center mezzanine. The rear orchestra under the overhang and the outermost seats on either level are the ones to discount. Because the house has no boxes and only one upper level, there are fewer awkward seats here than in most older Broadway theaters.

ATG Entertainment operates the house, at 245 West 52nd Street, on the block between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. As of October 2026 the tenant is Paranormal Activity, a stage thriller drawn from the film series, with a script by Levi Holloway and staging by Felix Barrett. It started previews on August 14 and opened August 25, 2026, and its fixed run ends January 3, 2027. Engagements like this sometimes extend or close sooner, so check the dates in the listings here.

Two levels and nothing on the side walls

Orchestra

The ground floor sits on a rake, meaning the floor drops gradually toward the stage and every row sits a little higher than the row in front. The Vault Bar opens off this level.

Mezzanine

The only upper level. By ATG's count you climb 15 steps from the orchestra or 25 from the main lobby, and there is no elevator. Jujamcyn's earlier guide described two halves, West and East, with separate stairs of 19 and 22 steps.

No boxes

The 1925 design left out box seats deliberately to keep the room intimate. You will not find the steeply angled side boxes common in other houses of that era.

Different references put capacity anywhere between 1,215 and 1,228; call it roughly 1,225. A verified count for each level was not available. Since there is no second balcony, even the last mezzanine row sits nearer the stage than the highest seats in a three-tier house.

Matching the seat to Paranormal Activity

This production leans on sudden blackouts, loud sound cues and stage illusions. Effects like these are designed to be seen from the front and heard from the middle of the room, so a centered seat beats a close one.

• Middle of the orchestra, from row E back toward the center: the most reliable view of the effects and the sound mix as designed.
• Front center mezzanine: the whole stage picture at once, a good choice for illusions that depend on what you can and cannot see.
• Rear mezzanine, near center: the value seat, distant but complete.

Producers set the age guidance at 15 and older, citing intense suspense, profanity, loud sound, abrupt blackouts, horror themes and graphic violence. Factor that in before bringing a younger teen.

Seats that cost you something

• The first few orchestra rows: close and intense, but you look up at the stage and lose the depth of the set.
• Rear orchestra: beneath the overhang, the upper level's underside, which can crop the top of the set and deaden the sound a little.
• Outer seats on both levels: an angled view, and set pieces near the sides of the stage can hide part of the action. For an illusion-driven show, that angle can also reveal or obscure a trick.

Timing a limited run

A fixed closing date compresses demand. A scary show peaks in late October, and the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year's is the busiest on Broadway regardless of genre. Weekend evenings sell out ahead of midweek ones. The fall 2026 schedule has no Monday shows.

Expect the middle of the orchestra and the front of the mezzanine to go first. On the resale market, prices often shift after opening reviews and again in the final weeks, when late buyers compete for what remains. Each order through Reserved Seat carries a 100% guarantee.

Access, screening and the walk to 52nd Street

Accessibility

Choose the orchestra if you need step-free seating. According to ATG, a 500-pound-capacity stair lift carries you from the street-side entrance to orchestra level; the other accessible entrance involves six steps.

• All wheelchair spaces, companion seats and transfer seats (with movable armrests) are downstairs.
• Row D of the orchestra is set aside for patrons who are blind, have low vision or are hard of hearing.
• The accessible restroom, a single all-gender stall, is also downstairs.
• Listening aids are free: infrared headsets, neck loops, Auracast Bluetooth audio and cochlear-implant-friendly headphones.

As of 2026, ATG says metal detectors are used at every entrance. Policies can change; read ATG's accessibility page for the theater before you go.

Transit

The 50th Street stops on the C, E and 1 are two short blocks south. By bus, the M20 and M104 pull up at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 52nd. Other Broadway houses share these blocks, so sidewalks crowd up just before and after curtain.

Four names in a century on 52nd Street

Built for the Theatre Guild by architects C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim, the Guild Theatre opened April 13, 1925. Its stucco front and open loggia borrow from a Tuscan villa of the 1400s, and the first auditorium held only about 914 to 934 people. The building became the ANTA Playhouse in 1950 (soon shortened to the ANTA Theatre), the Virginia in 1981, and took August Wilson's name on October 16, 2005. The city landmarked the facade in 1985.

The current name honors August Wilson, whose ten-play American Century Cycle follows Black American life decade by decade through the 1900s; no Black theater artist had been honored with a Broadway house name before him. Jersey Boys christened the renamed house in November 2005 and stayed until January 2017, playing 4,642 performances and winning four Tonys, including Best Musical. Mean Girls followed (April 2018 to March 2020), then the Funny Girl revival (April 2022 to September 2023). Earlier, as the Virginia, it housed City of Angels and Smokey Joe's Cafe, the latter lasting 2,036 performances.

Sources

• Wikipedia – August Wilson Theatre
• ATG Tickets – August Wilson Theatre access
• Jujamcyn – Theatres at a glance
• New York Theatre Guide – August Wilson Theatre
• BroadwayWorld – Paranormal Activity arrives on Broadway
• Broadway Direct – Paranormal Activity
• IBDB – Paranormal Activity
• Wikipedia – August Wilson
• Wikipedia – Jersey Boys
• Wikipedia – Mean Girls (musical)
• Wikipedia – Funny Girl (musical)