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Thursday, February 05, 2026
'Go See A Show' Offers Discounted Tickets to Participating Pittsburgh-Area Theaters
onstagepittsburgh.com: Go See a Show, a regional initiative currently involving nearly 20 producing theater companies, is underway, offering discounts to performances and aiming to “reenergize local audiences and celebrate the enduring impact of live theater.”
5 comments:
Max A
said...
This is really great news for me! I love living in a city with such a vibrant theatre scene, but a big hurdle for me is having to pick and choose what I want due to price. I’m seeing Enemy of the People tomorrow at Pittsburgh Public because of the college discount night. I’m definitely going to pin this website and use it to check for affordable theatre nearby. On the actual website, there’s a whole host of discounts - $5, $10 off, 20% discounts, etc. This is also something that could help me plan for the future by offering very specific discount dates months in the future, which is helpful because saying “I want to go see a show” can sometimes be harder with an overwhelming amount of options. Organizing everything by discount date and price makes the overall process of selection easier, and planning something so far in advance also makes me more likely to go see shows in the first place.
I remember Susan Tsu telling us, “the best way to support the theater is to go see a show”, and this go see a show initiative is just what we need. Back in Shanghai, local theaters for Chinese musicals are usually for young audiences. Tour shows are for a larger audience. Here in Pittsburgh, I have only been to the SoD production, the City Theater production, and some tours in the Benedum. I realized a similar trend: seniors enjoy smaller productions more, and only famous and classical shows on tour will attract a larger audience. The tickets are not that expensive for a small production in most of the theaters in Pittsburgh, but young people do not seem that interested in these productions. This has become a problem for most theaters since the box office needs more revenue to support the lives of people still making these small productions. This initiative is so beneficial to the theater community here in Pittsburgh and should be able to attract more audiences to support live performances.
Great, I never understood why tickets were so expensive in the first place. I think I made a comment on a similar move that they were taking in New York. This is the type of discount that gets people going again. The greatest form of publicity isn't advertising it's really just people. The more people that go. The higher the chance that one of them will really like it, and tell some of their friends to go. And then suddenly their friends want to go as well. It's exponential. Again the steep prices of tickets for these shows is really what's keeping most people away from them. Theatre isn't a thing for rich people anymore It's a thing for everyone, and these prices continue to push people away from this industry that we all love so much. In the end lower prices = more people going, so the trade off isn't even that ridiculous. You make the same amount of money regardless.
It is programs like these that truly save lives. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but the positive impact that exposure to art, especially theatre, can have on young minds is profound. Similar to a movement happening in New York, it should be the goal of society to make art more accessible for everyone. In addition to being great publicity for local theatre groups, it also helps bring together a sense of community. This past summer, I was lucky enough to go with my friends to see The Great Gatsby on Broadway. The lighting was beyond astounding, the set was breathtaking, and the acting was phenomenal. The audience cheered with great fervor at the end of the show to the point of standing ovation. This production was far better than anything my public middle school could have ever imagined, but when we all bowed after our last performance of Seussical Jr., I have never heard a crowd cheer louder. The point is, showing up for your community and caring about what other people are passionate about is what will bring people together and expose them to new perspectives and possibilities.
I think its promotions like these that will get a lot more people going out to see shows again, it's a great idea to give discounted prices for a select few shows done by a variety of theatres in the area. I've been seeing a trend since around 2021 of theatres across the country rolling out programs/promotions towards getting more people to see shows at a more affordable cost especially since tickets nowadays are really pricy and are often times arent 100% justifiable even for people who do have the money. While Pittsburgh tickets aren't the most expensive ones I've seen(other states in the country have much higher prices on average for sure) depending on the show and the venue they can still be pretty pricey and i can see how someone would be hesitant to spend that much money on one ticket( i would even say that most people are hesitant about the shows they see for that exact reason)
5 comments:
This is really great news for me! I love living in a city with such a vibrant theatre scene, but a big hurdle for me is having to pick and choose what I want due to price. I’m seeing Enemy of the People tomorrow at Pittsburgh Public because of the college discount night. I’m definitely going to pin this website and use it to check for affordable theatre nearby. On the actual website, there’s a whole host of discounts - $5, $10 off, 20% discounts, etc. This is also something that could help me plan for the future by offering very specific discount dates months in the future, which is helpful because saying “I want to go see a show” can sometimes be harder with an overwhelming amount of options. Organizing everything by discount date and price makes the overall process of selection easier, and planning something so far in advance also makes me more likely to go see shows in the first place.
I remember Susan Tsu telling us, “the best way to support the theater is to go see a show”, and this go see a show initiative is just what we need. Back in Shanghai, local theaters for Chinese musicals are usually for young audiences. Tour shows are for a larger audience. Here in Pittsburgh, I have only been to the SoD production, the City Theater production, and some tours in the Benedum. I realized a similar trend: seniors enjoy smaller productions more, and only famous and classical shows on tour will attract a larger audience. The tickets are not that expensive for a small production in most of the theaters in Pittsburgh, but young people do not seem that interested in these productions. This has become a problem for most theaters since the box office needs more revenue to support the lives of people still making these small productions. This initiative is so beneficial to the theater community here in Pittsburgh and should be able to attract more audiences to support live performances.
Great, I never understood why tickets were so expensive in the first place. I think I made a comment on a similar move that they were taking in New York. This is the type of discount that gets people going again. The greatest form of publicity isn't advertising it's really just people. The more people that go. The higher the chance that one of them will really like it, and tell some of their friends to go. And then suddenly their friends want to go as well. It's exponential. Again the steep prices of tickets for these shows is really what's keeping most people away from them. Theatre isn't a thing for rich people anymore It's a thing for everyone, and these prices continue to push people away from this industry that we all love so much. In the end lower prices = more people going, so the trade off isn't even that ridiculous. You make the same amount of money regardless.
It is programs like these that truly save lives. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but the positive impact that exposure to art, especially theatre, can have on young minds is profound. Similar to a movement happening in New York, it should be the goal of society to make art more accessible for everyone. In addition to being great publicity for local theatre groups, it also helps bring together a sense of community. This past summer, I was lucky enough to go with my friends to see The Great Gatsby on Broadway. The lighting was beyond astounding, the set was breathtaking, and the acting was phenomenal. The audience cheered with great fervor at the end of the show to the point of standing ovation. This production was far better than anything my public middle school could have ever imagined, but when we all bowed after our last performance of Seussical Jr., I have never heard a crowd cheer louder. The point is, showing up for your community and caring about what other people are passionate about is what will bring people together and expose them to new perspectives and possibilities.
I think its promotions like these that will get a lot more people going out to see shows again, it's a great idea to give discounted prices for a select few shows done by a variety of theatres in the area. I've been seeing a trend since around 2021 of theatres across the country rolling out programs/promotions towards getting more people to see shows at a more affordable cost especially since tickets nowadays are really pricy and are often times arent 100% justifiable even for people who do have the money. While Pittsburgh tickets aren't the most expensive ones I've seen(other states in the country have much higher prices on average for sure) depending on the show and the venue they can still be pretty pricey and i can see how someone would be hesitant to spend that much money on one ticket( i would even say that most people are hesitant about the shows they see for that exact reason)
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