Lincoln Center Theater is part of the massive Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex, virtually hidden behind the plaza and past the Met. LCT consists of two stages, the 299-seat Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater and the much larger Vivian Beaumont Theater, which has the distinction of being the only legitimate Broadway theater outside of the Times Square area.

LCT is the classiest (or snobbiest, depending on your point of view) of the non-profits, catering to a wealthier audience and producing a mix of handsome revivals, shows by prestigious writers like Tom Stoppard and Adam Guettel, and new plays by dramatists with whom the theater has established relationships.

Each year usually sees a full and varied season of plays and musicals, but occasionally a break-out hit like Contact or the South Pacific revival will settle into long runs at the Beaumont. A new initiative, called LCT3, is Lincoln Center Theater’s effort to produce more work by emerging artists—and to do it for an affordable price (all tickets $20). Eventually LCT3 is to have its own 99-seat theater space near the Lincoln Center complex, but for now the program will use off-site venues.