The holidays are make or break for Broadway theater. As tourists pour into New York City, the major houses try to pull in their dollars.

So far this season, Broadway’s been financially split in half. On one side of the divide are the megahits and family musicals like “Billy Elliot: The Musical” and “The Lion King” that continue to play to sold-out audiences. Over Thanksgiving, “Wicked” grossed over $2 million, a one-week record.

On the other are lesser-known musicals like “Memphis” and plays like the recent revival of David Mamet’s “Oleanna” that have had less luck. “Oleanna” recently closed four weeks early. “Finian’s Rainbow,” a new musical, sold only half its available seats over Thanksgiving.

This trend is understandable. In a tight economy, families on vacation want to be sure they’re getting the full bang for their hard-earned bucks. They’d rather pay more-up to $300 a seat in some cases-to see tested hits than take a chance on a show they don’t know much about.

It’s also unfortunate. A lot of Broadway’s best work goes on in shows with less fanfare. And some of New York’s most exciting, innovative theater isn’t even on Broadway; it’s happening off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway, and even, sometimes, off-off-off-off-off-off-Broadway.

Good theater isn’t restricted to New York, either. Regional theaters around the country are putting up some really cool stuff. The Williamstown Theater Festival in Williamstown, MA, the Guthrie in Minneapolis, MN, and the Goodman in Chicago, IL are just three examples of the amazing companies bringing the highest quality art to communities throughout the United States. “August: Osage County,” the most heralded American play in decades, got its start at Steppenwolf in Chicago.

We at SMU are incredibly blessed to be in the middle of a thriving regional theater center. Companies like Kitchen Dog, Undermain, and WaterTower are affordable and easily accessible. And the arts district is now home to the new Dallas Theater Center, whose inaugural production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was fabulous.

I’m not trying to talk you out of seeing big musicals; I saw “Hairspray” twice. Shows with lots of spectacle are fun.

But I do hope you’ll branch out. Go see “The Lion King” and then go see a Chekhov revival. Don’t wait for the national tour of “Jersey Boys” to come to town, go to pay-what-you-can night at Kitchen Dog. Take advantage now of student tickets and the fabulous art Dallas has to offer.

Take a chance on something you don’t know anything about. Odds are you won’t be disappointed.