Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "As we slide into yet another winter of fiscal discontent, zipped wallets, tightened belts and dust-covered credit cards continue to be fashionable.
That doesn't mean you need to deny yourself the occasional treat of seeing live theater.
There's plenty of ways to score tickets to plays on your must-see list while staying within your budget."
11 comments:
Its a sad fact that as the economy keeps going down hill, people will be less likely to buy tickets to shows. its good to see an article showing the public that it is possible to maintain a connection to theater arts even with a small budget. Its interesting that ticket sales are going downhill even though one always hears that in hard times entertainment always survives.
While it's a little disturbing that we've all come to adjust to the degrading economy, I'm not sure how much help the article's tips towards cheaper seating really are. As far as I can tell, all the practices they were pitching were existent long before this nice economic downturn we've found ourselves in, and in some cases, were the deaths of some theaters even during a stable economy. My feeling is that the flex-plans are probably the most effective since you do not find yourself locked into more then you want just to make the deal feel actually utilized. I guess I went into the article thinking that possibly there were some new methods that the theater industry was planning to utilize, so I'm a little disappointed in the re-hashing of old practices.
Another little-known discount that many theatres are starting to do "young professional" nights. These performances are especially for theatre professionals and sometimes happen on Monday nights so that people doing other shows have the opportunity. They are great ways to network with other professionals in the area and the tickets are frequently discounted. Most LORT theatres also have AEA discounts for non-touring shows.
@Brian: Do you know of any companies in town that do that? I'd be really curious to go to an event like that.
What a great way to entice people who may not be regular theatre goers. We, as theatre folk, tend to know how to get ticket discounts but the average person may not. I think it's great that this article draws attention to the fact that, even if you don't have an excess of money, there is theatre available to you in the city of Pittsburgh.
Ushering is definitely a great way to see shows for free. Some cities, New York and London for example, have half price or less tickets the day of performances if you are flexible and willing to wait in line. Also, Chicago has the website Hot tix which offers online, half price tickets to all kinds of theatre.
When I was in high school there was a class that I took and loved. Every week the teacher got a bunch of tickets anywhere from 8 to 25 dollars and we'd go see the show and write a review. Broadway musicals and plays, ballet, operas for incredibly cheap prices. If you want to see a show and don't want to pay the general price there's always a way around it.
My other favorite is to get a standing room ticket for musicals. The better to dance with.
As stated previously, it is a shame that when economic problems arise the first thing to be cut from people's budgets are the entertainment. I feel that during this time of economic uncertainty the people across the nation need to still remain faithful to thier local theater. And it is the theater's job to ensure that the people can resonably afford thir tickets. As the economic troubles increase, the theater should do everything to get people into their seats. All the strategies mentioned are greatideas, we can only hope thery continue to work.
I love finding cheaper ways to get tickets... if anyone is in New York at all, a great, but sometimes annoying thing to do is stand in line and get rush tickets, but this is definitely not for the faint of heart. You need to stand on line for many hours, but I think it's worth it. I wonder if they have any rush tickets in Pittsburgh. Another great thing in New York is the TKTS booth, it isn't as cheap as rush tickets, but you can still get tickets for half the price.
I think it's interesting that this article is geared towards audiences seeking cheaper tickets. I would think that the people who try this hard to get affordable tickets love theatre enough to spring for them regardless of the price. Not to put the responsibility on the theatre but there should be way for the every day layman who maybe-kinda-sorta-enjoys theatre and would go if the tickets were cheap and available, need to work out some sort of working relationship. I don't know exactly what this would involve but this article seems rather "useless." Again the people who try this hard would go anyway.
I think this article really covered all the ways the save money when going to the theatre. Although I agree with Slvianne that it seems as the economy continues to suck people will be harder and harder pressed to pay for theatre tickets, mostly on principle - get rid of all the "frivilous" activities in your life in order to save money.
These are great tips for anyone looking to save money. I usually use some of these tips, such as being a student and going during the week instead of the weekend. I love sitting in the balcony, which can save money too. The one I never think to do is volunteer as an usher. This seems like it would be a fun way to learn a theatre space and see a show for free. Maybe I'll try to usher somewhere in Pittsburgh.
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