They thought the musical was bold and historic and urgently current. But perhaps one of the coolest things about the experience was the cost — $0.
Cory is one of millions taking advantage of a somewhat uncelebrated loyalty plan called Audience Rewards, a sort of frequent flyer program for theater fans.
10 comments:
As someone who lives a 2 - hour train ride away from Manhattan, I am fortunate to have incredible theatre close to home. However, being a broke high school student I have stood in the TKTS ticket lines many (many) times, trying to score insanely discounted tickets to the shows I have wanted to see. Unfortunately, a huge reason why people are going to the theatre less and less is that it is much cheaper to spend 3.99$ on an Amazon movie than upwards of hundreds of dollars on theatre tickets. (And then on top of that, travel expenses). Needless to say, the theatre is a luxury. However, this program through various ticket companies are attempting to break down that financial barrier and make theatre much more accessible. Programs such as this, like buy one get one free and student tickets will increase the number of people, and hopefully young people, to be inspired and make theatre a more sustainable industry. As a broke college student, I will definitely use this program when I am home!
This program is definitely a unique way of encouraging people to go to see show more often. Nevertheless, broadway tickets are still wildly expensive in comparison to many other forms of entertainment in New York and beyond. I do think the inclusion of off-broadway theaters does help in some regard, as they are often a more affordable option for a theatre enthusiast (and often just as meaningful and entertaining). I can personally say, though, the more and more theatre has become my career path, the less and less I find myself wanting to go to NY to see a broadway show. This isn't because they have become boring, but there are so many other ways to experience theatre outside of the commercial land of broadway. I do still love the weekend trip and am always blown away with what I happen to find tickets for, but even as an avid theatre fan I would have to take a much closer look to see if this program is really worth it.
This program seems like a neat way for people who have the means to enjoy many shows on Broadway a chance to really get a good bang for their buck. However, the story about this teacher using the rewards program for her students is the standout part of the article, in my opinion. Especially since he is from California, getting students all the way to New York so that they can enjoy shows and create memories that will last for the rest of their lives. The business aspect of the rewards program is also interesting, because people who want to see shows will do so if they have an extra incentive to see them during harsh weather conditions or other conditions that would not be entirely fun to go out in. I like the idea that it also helps get more people into the theatre. As someone who has yet to see a show on Broadway, I would love to take advantage of a program like this.
This is a really exciting initiative for the Broadway world to begin embarking on. I definitely feel as if there is this huge distance between the people that love Broadway, who is also ideally a target audience of Broadway shows, and the people actually able to afford a ticket often enough to see shows regularly. I think this frequent flyer-esque program is a great first step at bridging that gap between the two. I do wish there were just more flat out student rush prices for Broadway shows. It's fantastic that many off-Broadway shows have that ticket pricing, however if we want to see major change, it needs to start from Broadway's biggest shows. I am interested to see how this program begins to work out and how shows and audience members begin to develop more close relationships within this rewards programs. Ultimately, I do believe this program will help further and better the Broadway theatre community.
I am thrilled by this idea. I grew up in middle-of-nowhere Ohio. An eight hour drive to NYC and a 6-hour drive to Chicago. There was a huge lack of professional grade theatre anywhere near my home. I was surrounded by lovers of theatre who had never seen an equity show, let alone a Broadway show. And those who could afford the tickets to the shows, still did not want to hand out hundreds of dollars more for plane tickets, and a hotel, and food, etc. But improving the price of tickets, grants more motivation to make the trek. Anytime ticket prices can be lowered is a major win for the entire arts community. Because of this lack of accessibility in my area, I have seen more than a few arts programs cut from the budgets of local high schools. The most heartbreaking aspect of this, is that the kids living in these economically depressed areas are often the ones who need a healthy outlet for their emotions but are denied the arts as an option for that catharsis.
I absolutely love everything about this article. I think the Audience Rewards program in itself is a wonderful idea to encourage people to see shows for less as they earn points. I had never actually heard of this before, and wish I had known, because I could have started to rack up my own points! I really appreciate how all 41 Broadway theatre owners take part in this business—it really highlights the strong community values of Broadway. I’m really glad that the organization sees and acts upon the importance of theatre accessibility for the sake of exposure and education, because that, at the end of the day, is what this is all about—spreading messages and art to as many people as possible. I have so much respect for Donna Cory for giving back to her students in the form of arts education. It is especially significant for her to be sending kids to NYC, as she teaches all the way across the country in SoCal. It is special mentors like these that deserve recognition to inspire others.
This program is such a great way for theatre fans to be able to access broadway shows at an easier level. Lately, it has been very hard to score a cheap ticket to any broadway show due to the rising popularity of theatre in general and a lot of new and innovative technology becoming available. With access to a program like Audience Rewards, it gives patrons the opportunity to get more out of their purchase and experience theatre at a more attainable rate. I still do believe there is even more to be done to help diversify and broaden the traditional Broadway audience to a wide group of people. Different discounts could be offered for students or for families, incentivizing people to come experience theatre. Currently, it is geared to generally wealthy people. It is time that we start closing that stereotypical gap. The Audience Rewards program is a step in a positive direction as far as this issue goes.
Having a rewards program for Broadway has its up and downs. I understand the marketing value of having your show be apart of these types of programs, but I also think it’s a quick gimmick. However, having prizes such as walk on roles or getting to meet some of the stars is good for the show. I have used audience rewards and you have to spend a lot of money in order to get the good rewards. A smart reward created is giving out signed posters, this cost the production company very little in money and so many people love getting signed posters. This program is good for someone who doesn’t mind spending full price on tickets. This is not a program for college age students as there are not discounts for students and there are better and cheaper ways to see a show. I would recommend this to families who travel to New York every once and a while.
As soon as I finished this article I immediately made a note to sign up for Audience Rewards. This program seems like a beneficial way to get something back for the hundreds of dollars we often spend on Broadway tickets. Anything to save money is worth trying; however, I do admit I'm a bit skeptical. As it was mentioned in the article, VIP members are those who get over 10,000 points a year but one of the rewards cost 15,000 points as well as $50. For the average theatre goer that amount of points would probably take years to accrue as well as having that additional charge which makes me wonder if the points given are worthwhile compared to the rewards reaped. The concept itself sounds a little too good to be true but if it provides people like Donna Cory with a way to pay it forward to her students then all the power to them.
After reading this article, I looked up the Audience Rewards program, because it sounded interesting in terms of allowing people to have more access to theatre, but also felt like there was some sort of catch. I have to say it is a good marketing trick that they are able to do, as the article mentions, because while it allows for points to be built up to achieve cheaper tickets and high class rewards, the shows that are worth more points are the ones that are currently not bringing in as many ticket sales. The article talks about this being a more viable option for people who can’t afford tickets to see these shows, but it really isn’t because tickets still come at a pretty penny to see even the less expensive Broadway shows. What this program does do is offers financially stable people who have a slight interest in theater the opportunity to see more diverse shows with the idea that at the end they will be incentivized with celebrity meet and greets, master classes, or even walk-on roles in one of the shows they have seen previously.
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