Denzel Washington, Hugh Jackman, Blair Underwood, Julia Roberts, Al Pacino, and Nicole Kidman. These are just a few of the names that have made the leap from the Silver Screen to the Great White Way, and done so very successfully. But what is the secret?

It’s a combination that works well for both sides. Broadway and the arts community receives some of the biggest names, which are the biggest draws to the theaters. Irene Gandy, who’s closely entwined in the theater industry on Broadway, told CNN, “I would say that we go after the names to get people in the seats and help the box office.”

She also says that the industry itself is changing, and that while audiences may have once shunned the idea of big-name stars tramping onto their prestigious Broadway stage, this is no longer the case. “Theater has changed,” she said. “Audiences like to go see people that they’ve never seen live before and that they are familiar with.”

The stars on the other hand are often tired of appearing in the same old Hollywood movies; and are happy to perform for a crowd that they can feed off of every night. Corbin Bleu has made the leap himself first playing in “High School Musical” and then filling the role of Jesus in the revival of the 70s Broadway hit Godspell. When talking about why it works so well on the actor’s side of things he said, “It’s very strengthening to be able to stand in front of the entire audience and get that automatic feedback and have that living, breathing thing in your hand. It’s a beautiful thing there.”

With Broadway recording profits in their books this year, and more Silver Screen stars taking the stage than ever before, it’s a formula that clearly works. And maybe audiences don’t even need to know why. They can just enjoy the show.