Following controversy, Broadway to dim marquee lights quarterly

Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News on Mar 14, 2025

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NEW YORK — Broadway’s long-standing tradition of dimming marquee lights to memorialize the deaths of theater greats is getting a revamp following recent backlash.

The newly formed Broadway In Memoriam Committee announced Friday that departed theater members will now be honored quarterly as a group, while solo dimmings will continue for select individuals.

The new directive comes on the heels of the Broadway League stepping away from its involvement in announcing the dimming of marquees ahead of a designated show time. It’s the New York theater district’s equivalent of flying a flag at half-staff.

Last October, controversy erupted with a public outcry surrounding the selective and supposedly secretive process of choosing which theater members will receive the honor. The Broadway League came under fire when it announced that only some theaters would dim their lights for Tony Award winners Hinton Battle, Gavin Creel and stage veteran Adrian Bailey.

A public petition forced the League to reverse that decision.

A similar firestorm broke out on social media in 2014, leading the group to change its previous decision not to dim Broadway’s lights in honor of comedian Joan Rivers.

With the new mission to be more inclusive, the first quarterly dimming will be held at all 41 Broadway theatres on June 10, two days after this year’s Tony Awards. Going forward, it will happen on the second Tuesday of every September, December, March and June.

The website BroadwayMarqueeInMemoriam.org has been launched for users to submit an industry member for inclusion in the group ceremonies.

However, citing the deaths of such legends as Stephen Sondheim and Chita Rivera, the committee said it will still choose to honor single individuals with their own ceremony should they be deemed to have had “a profoundly significant and lasting impact on Broadway.”