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Mr. Parker, a young actor who said he wouldn’t be able to afford a regularly priced ticket, lucked out at a recent lottery drawing for 21 front-row seats ($10) and eight standing-room spots ($40) to “Hamilton,” a hip-hop musical about the founding fathers and one of the most elusive tickets. He was among some 350 people who entered the lottery, held under the marquee at the Richard Rodgers Theater.
8 comments:
This article is pretty funny, but also true. Most of winning these lotteries, just like the real lottery, is pure luck. I know someone who has entered the Hamilton lottery over 40 times and hasn't won. As an audience member, my favorite types of lotteries are digital. In our busy lives, especially for theatre people, it can be really tough to get down to attend a lottery in person in New York at 5:30pm each day. Entering online gives the opportunity for someone to enter multiple lotteries, and doesn't inconvenience them. With that said, I think in person lotteries are beginning to combat this style with the perk of lottery performances. Hamilton has had countless great lottery performances, and Spring Awakening has had sign language lessons before their lotteries. As an arts manager, I think in person lotteries create more of a buzz, but they also take more investment. In person lotteries mean you 1. need someone to actually run the lottery (Hamilton has also had to hire security for their lotteries due to the number of people that attend.) 2. create some sort of incentive for people to show up when the chances are so low. I definitely don't think in person lotteries are right for every show out there. If every show has pre-show lotteries, most of the shows may end up losing money on what they are spending to operate the in person lotteries themselves.
P.s. A great student ticket website is https://www.tix4students.com/. You pay $5/year and as long as you have a valid student ID, you get to pay student rush prices for tickets online and way in advance. Totally worth it.
Another week another article about hamilton I feel like I have made that joke every week I feel like a broken record trapped by Lin Manuel Miranda in a neverending downward spiral a sinking dream the likes of which I will never wake up from until I have actually become Alexander Hamilton himself through either my actions through time travel or through my starting of a new revolution or founding of a new country because a founding father doesn't need to found america they just need to found a country and I feel like founding a country would be like winning the lottery which is what this article deals with because nothing says winning the lottery like getting to see hamilton because if you see hamilton an integral part of you that you think is broken beyond repair will be immediately healed by the fantastical rapping and stylistic cohesion of a show the likes of which the world has never seen vomitoriums will be called hamiltoriums from here on out because the show has not just changed the lives of every single person on earth but it has changed what we view as theatre no play ever written has ever been a play just a book we read out loud when compared to hamilton and regardless of how many seats there are for the lottery we know that every seat in the house will be full because an empty seat at hamilton is the equivalent of putting down a newborn puppy on christmas you monster I think that we are currently living in a hamiltastic reality one that has diverged from the actually prime timeline in which hamilton was never written we now live in a beta timeline in which hamilton has influenced each world leader to sign backdoor treaties to stop all wars and focus on getting hamilton into the handsilton of everyone of the planet hamiltearth because hamilton is just that important ethnic folk playing folk that were white is something so revolutionary that nothing has been that revolutionary since the revolution honestly I am glad I came to CMU and have to comment on articles because it has opened my eyes body and mind to the world of hamilton I was blind but now I see
I think that part of the fun with going to see commercial theater is getting affordable tickets that also put you at a good seat in the house. Seeing that Broadway is part of the commercial theater world they are going to make as much money as they possibly can on every single ticket in the house. Half the time people will just give in and pay the ridiculous price of the ticket because they are too lazy to hunt out the cheap good tickets, or they are ok with it because they think the show is going to be life changing and it has famous people in it. I actually am guilty of this as I just paid a lot more than I would normally would pay to see a show on a Hamilton ticket. However, I don’t mind paying for the cheap seats and sitting in them because if the storytelling is good than it shouldn’t matter where I sat to see the show.
I only found out about lotteries and rush tickets a few years ago. It was so great to know that there was a way for me to try see more of the shows that I only ever thought of as a once a year/birthday present thing. It is so helpful for people trying to see shows on a budget, but there is also a certain learning curve that only comes with experience. Now that I've gone up to NYC a couple times with the plan of seeing a couple times with rush and lottery tickets, but it is also mostly up to luck whether or not you win a lottery, and so always go up with a back-up plan for your afternoon or evening. Especially if you are hosting people who have never done a lottery before, it can be really disappointing if you lose and you have to know how to increase your chances and plan your time so it's not completely contingent on seeing the show. One of the nice things about digital lotteries is that it makes it even more flexible and easier for people who get maybe one or two chances a year to see shows in NYC and cannot afford full-price tickets.
Although I've never been to an in-person lottery myself, I've always thought that they're a great idea. It's always nice to know that Broadway is giving back to people who might not be able to afford to see shows in any other way. I never really considered that this might be a deliberate attempt to appeal to young people, but it makes sense. Filling the first two roles with people who are so passionate about seeing the show that they're willing to risk wasting their time basically guarantees a standing ovation. I know that if I won $10 tickets to Hamilton I'd be posting it all over social media, and I'd be the first person to jump up at the end of the show. This new trend of having some kind of entertainment during the wait is something that's new to me, but I think it's a great idea. Teaching people sign language outside of Spring Awakening lets them both learn something and get a taste of the show. Lotteries are a great way to engage the young theatre community, and even if they don't end up winning they can now still have a fun experience. In the future if I live in New York I'm going to try my best to go to these events, as they're a great way to see shows for cheap and meet other people who love theatre.
I love the idea that a person can put their name in a bucket and get front row seats to an amazing production. However, I think that there is something to be said of the in person pre-shows. I know that the Ham4Ham before showings of Hamilton are evolving into little shows themselves, with hit broadway actors and actresses sometimes making an appearance. The tips and tricks for entering the lottery were quite interesting. I didn't know that there was so much superstition like actions in regards to the ticket lottery. I am sure that the so-called “ Lottery Masters” have ways to stop some of the tricks mentioned. When I next make a trip to New York, I will try some of the tips anyway and see if my luck will hold. It is definitely worth the pre show and, if I win, the cheap tickets to an amazing broadway show.
Totally unrelated: Jacob Wesson's comment above had me out of breath just from reading it in my head.
More related: Finding cheap Broadway tickets is one of my absolute favorite games to play. I lived in New York over this past summer where I saw 8 shows, 6 Broadway and 2 off-Broadway, for about $140 total. Am I a wizard? Maybe. Are there tons of amazing ways to score cheap tickets? Absolutely. When I tweeted that I almost felt bad about my $44 ticket to Fun Home, I received handfuls of outraged replies, but the fact is: you just have to know where to look. Of the following shows: Fun Home, Wicked, Curious Incident, It Shoulda Been You, Amazing Grace, Mamma Mia, The Fantasticks, and The Exhibition, the most expensive was Fun Home at $44. So I'd say I did pretty well on tickets. One of my favorite methods is the student rush, which I have had great experiences with. One of my favorite student rush moments was getting two tickets in the middle of row G for Gentleman's Guide at $35 each. And then the lotteries are great too. The only time I've ever won a lottery was an in-person Wicked lottery. I had gone the two days prior and lost, but won on a weekend matinee. I've also entered countless digital lotteries and lost every single time (notably: Something Rotten and Hamilton).
And Jess is right, Tix4Students is a great investment (that's where I got the Fun Home tickets!)
Bless ticket lotteries! I think it is such a great concept. The idea that you could have your name/number called out and that's it, you get a discounted or even free ticket to an amazing show. I found out about lotteries when I was about 15 years old and always try to participate if I get the chance just because of the rush of seeing if you get called or not and a lot of times you can have so much fun. Lotteries are also people pullers. Pulling in the audience with treats like "free/discount tickets" to some of the most expensive shows. This is also so comendable for the company as they're letting someone who wouldn't be ale to afford the full price of a ticket, watch the show.
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