renovating the theater had increased to $58 million from $35 million. In response, Markinson said he would sell the theater at the agreed price of $24.7 million if Second Stage could get the money. The dispute was resolved in April 2015, when the sale of the Hayes to Second Stage was finalized. With the sale, Second Stage became one of four nonprofit theater companies to own and operate Broadway theaters. Before a planned renovation, the Hayes hosted short runs of the off-Broadway hit Dames at Sea in 2015 and then The Humans in 2016. Renovation and reopening The Humans relocated to another theater in July 2016 to make way for Second Stage's renovation. Second Stage ultimately spent $64 million, including $28 million for the actual purchase, $22 million for renovation, and $14 million for programming. Jordan Roth of Jujamcyn Theaters, which operated the neighboring St. James Theatre, approached Second Stage about the possibility of simultaneously renovating both theaters. Second Stage sold the alley between the theaters to Jujamcyn, which helped Second Stage fund the cost of renovating the Hayes. The Rockwell Group was hired as the architect. The project added an elevator, restrooms, and mechanical systems. In addition, the dressing rooms were relocated from the basement to the third floor. Second Stage planned to host works by living American playwrights, particularly from female and minority writers, at the Hayes Theater. This was a contrast to other Broadway theaters, which often hosted revivals by dead playwrights as well as foreign works. Second Stage's first production at the Hayes was Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero, which opened in March 2018. This was followed the same year by Young Jean Lee's Straight White Men and a revival of Torch Song Trilogy. Subsequently, in 2019, the Hayes hosted Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me and Tracy Letts's Linda Vista. After Linda Vista, the Hayes was to present two plays in early 2020: Bess Wohl's Grand Horizons and a revival of Richard Greenberg's 2002 play Take Me Out. Grand Horizons was staged from January to March 2020. All Broadway theaters were shut down on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and previews of Take Me Out were delayed. The Hayes reopened on November 3, 2021, with previews of Clyde's by Lynn Nottage. Take Me Out opened in April 2022, two years after it was first supposed to premiere. This was followed by