THEATRE TICKETS FOR BARGAIN HUNTERS

By Joan McGrath, Professional Theatre Rep

 

  You're undoubtedly reading the ITA's eFollowspot newsletter because you love theatre. You've succumbed to the magic of live performance.  You readily agree "the play's the thing!"  Your heart beats a little faster and your eyes open wider in response to the undefinable energy of being on stage.

 

You're hooked.

 

Now your education begins. And what better way to learn about theatre than to attend theatre?  Lots of it!

 

(This is an aside: I'm fascinated when aspiring performers, especially young people, don't regularly go to theatre.  One of the finest ways to appreciate your craft, expand your understanding of character development, and acquire tools to enhance your technique is to see every production that's available to you.  Even being an audience for a mediocre or substandard performance - truly! - contributes to your education of what works on stage and why.)

 

You might argue that seeing the best theatre is an expensive education.  Ticket prices for professional productions, and increasingly for community theatre, can be steep.  Happily, there are a few ways to shave the financial burden.

 

VOLUNTEER. Theatre companies need many services and frequently compensate those who provide them with complimentary tickets.  Offer to distribute posters, participate on construction crews or to usher for performances.  You'll net a ticket and potentially a valuable insider contact.

 

SUBSCRIBE.  Significant savings on ticket prices are provided to season subscribers.  Furthermore, many theatres today are offering "Flex Passes," allowing you to choose to see a selected number of shows instead of paying for the entire season and also allowing you to change the dates of your ticket depending on your schedule.

 

CHOOSE PREVIEWS.  Selecting those performances between dress rehearsal and the official opening usually means enjoying a significant discount.  An added bonus is seeing a "work in progress" as a show solidifies for its main run.

                                                                                        

STUDENT DISCOUNTS.  Many theatres seek to encourage young people to attend by extending a substantially reduced rate.   Even if a student rate isn't advertised, ask if the theatre will provide one.

 

STAND BY.  Seats in a theatre are like rooms in a hotel: when they're empty, the potential revenue is lost forever.  Theatre operators often release unsold seats at the last minute - typically half an hour before performance - at bargain prices.  Check the policy in advance for the show you want to see.

 

HALF PRICED ON-LINE TICKETS.   Theatres frequently have an over-supply of unpurchased seats and make them available at huge savings through on-line sites.  In the Chicago area, for instance, Goldstar (www.goldstar.com) and Hot Tix (www.hottix.org), are two sources of reduced, usually half-price, tickets.  Be aware that there are additional "ticket handling" and "convenience fees" which may be hefty.

 

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS.  These come in many forms.  For example, the producers of the smash hit "Hamilton," the hottest ticket in Chicago, put aside a limited number of tickets for an in-person, day-of-show lottery.  If you're feeling lucky, find details at www.broadwayinchicago.com.

 

The League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, offers one seasonal promotion that not only saves you money but also might make you stretch the boundaries of your artistic experiences.  Now in its sixth year, Chicago Theatre Week features tickets for 120+ productions at major downtown theatres and storefront performance spaces, for either $15 or $30 (sometimes less).    The 2018 Chicago Theatre Week dates are February 8 - 18. Advance reservations are highly recommended.  Tickets go on sale January 9. (www.chicagoplays.com)

 

Go see a show.  Have a memorable theatrical adventure.  Learn!  Applaud!  Enjoy!

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 **This piece is part of a larger series of responses to TYA/USA's Call to Action: Responding to Hate with Art and Action, written by a range of leading voices in the TYA field. Read other pieces in this series here.**

 

This article was born of the invitation to write about art and hate, and how the former may in some small way work to challenge the latter. But in truth I'm reticent to make hate the antagonist here, being so oppositional and absolute as it is. Not because it's intimidating in its scope, but rather because it's too easy.

Hate is so clear and definitive an other that nearly all of us can distance ourselves from it. People may display innumerable small biases while proudly proclaiming themselves haters of hate. Indeed, so often its only vocal champions (hiding in pointed hoods or striding in Charlottesville streets) seem so marginalised and unwittingly self-mocking, so needy of acceptance, that one can't help but pity them.

When I think of true harm, though - of actions that palpably tear at the social fabric, that clearly work to build silos of us and them - I think not of the hate-spouting of a weak few, but of the everyday bigotries exhibited by an emboldened many.

Where Words Once Were by Finegan Kruckemeyer / Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences; Alina Collins Maldonado.  Photo by Yassine El Mansouri

And it must be said here that no one country is the authority on this - I understand the notion of glass houses and stones thrown. As a nation, mine condones government-run offshore detention centers for refugees, a span of water rendering these victims truly out of sight and mind. As an individual, I write of liberal notions while living in a largely mono-cultural suburb. And as an Australian citizen, I will this week receive a ballot slip asking whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.

The exercise, a $122 million non-binding plebiscite, will have no legal outcome but huge potential to marginalize. Because while I and many millions more are voting yes, in a way it feels as problematic as voting no. Either way, we're commenting on the LGBTQI community's love, when really it has nothing to do with us. It is gratuitous that we have a vote at all.

And if a citizen of my land were to proclaim their hatred of refugees or multiculturalism or gay people, this would be one form of easily discernible vitriol. And that vitriol would be shouted down, because ultimately I believe all people are good - that most do know right and wrong, and those that don't are secretly searching for it.

But if a citizen of my land - or yours - chose to be silent, or chose to quietly vote into being a legislation of inequality, chose to accept differing birthrights for different humans, then a society may slowly (so slowly it itself does not even notice) grow unhealthy. And I think it's these small cumulative injustices, this glacial degradation of empathy, that art does have the power to affect.

I think it's these small cumulative injustices, this glacial degradation of empathy, that art does have the power to affect.

Because in its basest form, a story is an exercise in placing oneself in the shoes of another. We may (for whatever reason) be reticent to do this in real life, but in a theatre or cinema or library chair the commitment is a selfish one, and that's okay. We know our viewing experience will be heightened the more invested we are.

And we know this innately, in a hardwired manner that can cut through personal bias or childish naivete - if the offering's well-constructed enough, the young first-time theatregoer will know what to do. And more importantly, the value-hardened cynic will know what to feel. They may loudly discredit it - which I'd argue is fine, because it's still entered their conversation. Or they may blankly deny it - and that's even better, as the story then becomes something more residual, hiding away in a subconscious.

But if the hardening of a society's ability to care follows one trajectory, then the softening of an individual's ability to not follows an opposite one. Both are about incremental steps, towards or away from what I think every single person actively treasures or secretly yearns for - which is a sense of community.

And some would rationalize that defining the 'other' does achieve this, a knowledge of who we aren't emboldening who we are. Some would argue the opposite (but must be wary to check our privilege, so as not to discover embarrassing hypocrisies while perched on high horses). But this little essay is about art and, given its context, the theatrical kind in particular.

And what theatre does manage to do, is actively engage us in a central premise of community - which is a lot of people, caring about the same thing, at the same time.

Where Words Once Were by Finegan Kruckemeyer / Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences; Chris Lane and Alina Collins Maldonado. Photo by Yassine El Mansouri

Other pursuits do this too of course - such as sport, very successfully. But the distinction in my mind is that standing in a stadium is about a shared investment in people whose talents eclipse our own. The role of an athlete is to be the best at a thing, and what we marvel at is the superhuman. But sitting in a theatre is about a shared investment in ordinary people, being placed in complex situations. So what is marveled at then, is the super humanity.

And (speaking from a biased position as I am) I do believe that this exercise is a worthy one, in contesting not hate (whose displays are so often far more theatrical than this industry's), but rather the dull brutalities of slow, subtle privilege.

Because what artists seek to do is conjure relatable, fallible humans, whose lives bear the hallmarks of our own. And if we make a choice to maintain all the familiarities, but to then alter the skin colour or physiology of a protagonist - if we make them hold the hand of a same-sex love, or locate them in a different place of worship, or have them utter the most colloquial of words in the most foreign of accents - these seemingly pedestrian choices can have tangible impacts.

They can, ever so slowly, work to disempower an argument of otherness. They can provide a perspective, a voyeur's glimpse into a stranger's dining-room, which makes him suddenly seem a bit less strange.

And art may struggle to combat hate - because the task of hating demands so much of its victim that interruption can be tricky. But art can combat ignorance, by showing.

And art may struggle to combat hate - because the task of hating demands so much of its victim that interruption can be tricky. But art can combat ignorance, by showing. And it can combat what is alien, by sharing what is domestic. And I do believe (because why else would one spend a life doing a thing) that art can, in a somewhat magical way, use finite symbols to address infinite audiences.

And this is not because of an artist's skill in coding. It is because of the inclusive, universal understanding of the code.

 

 

      By Otto Arcaute

      Submitted by Don Shandrow,  

                        ITA Community Theatre Rep

 

The author of the following article, Otto Arcaute, has 45 years of service in the private (for-profit) and public (not-for-profit) sectors in a variety of roles ( Administration management, Sales, Operations, Accounting and Finance Support Services)  within multiple industries. Currently Otto serves in an Accounting and Financial Manager role for the Carver Community Center in Peoria. The Carver Center is  a not-for-profit Community Social Service organization with a developing commitment towards the Arts. Otto has a passion for the arts and proper fiscal management that ensures the growth of the arts in the community.

Co-existing Under One Roof

Every organization that I have had the privilege to work for has provided tremendous personal growth opportunities and valuable lessons. The two most notable things for me, not surprisingly, are people related. I enjoy the diversity of experiences an organizations' staff can provide. Accompanying those individual experiences are also differences in motivations, passions and values to name a few. As I see it the more diverse the staff is, the better the chance for long term organizational success. In considering the theme of this article then, I believe the appropriate starting point for the two groups that are represented within the theme should be to identify a sampling of general personality traits for each.

 

I believe the most respected source of personality type assessments is the Myers-Briggs Foundation. As a result of many years in the industry they have come up with 16 categories that people who have completed a 120 question test fall within. Each category has 4 identifiers. Keep in mind these identifiers and their interpretation are not necessarily absolutes for everyone within the group but rather provide a basic framework of folks that fall within the group.

 

When researching data for people whose focus is on the Arts here are the results: Introverted, Sensing, Feeling and Perceiving (ISFP). In general people in this category are "Quiet, friendly, sensitive and kind. They enjoy the present moment and what's going on around them. They like to have their own space and to work within their own time frame. They are loyal and committed to their values and to people who are important to them. They dislike disagreement and conflicts and do not force their opinions on others." If this sounds like you it is likely you are on the Arts side of this article. 

When researching data for people whose focus is on Accountancy here are the results: Introverted, Sensing, Thinking and Judging (ISTJ). In general the people in this category are "Quiet, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. They are practical, matter-of-fact, realistic and responsible. They decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. They take pleasure in making everything orderly and organized-their work, their home, their life. They value traditions and loyalty." It's pretty obvious that when these two groups exist within the same organization, differences are bound to surface. Is that a bad thing? I think not because it's part of the diversity that is an essential element of every organization. How then can we make these two distinct groups each make a real and positive impact for the organization in spite of their differences?

 

My experience has shown me that in this type of situation both groups must focus (to start) on at least 1 common organizational objective. My personal favorite is Long-term Sustainability. I think it's safe to say that all staff members should share this goal. Those that don't may be better off elsewhere. Step two for me is determining what variable that drives Long-term Sustainability is the most difficult to establish in an organization. I am sure this likely depends on who you ask. For me it happens to be the creation and embedding of Structure throughout the enterprise. That can done via procedure, policy, process, individual expectations, accountability and responsibilities to name a few. I find the need for this effort is most likely to be needed in two primary organization types 1.) Organizations in either the private or public sectors with relatively low revenues and small staffs and 2.) Organizations whose revenues are generated  through Federal, State, Grants or Independent Fundraising sources. These organizations are usually in the public sector providing services and not products.

 

As was noted previously on the personality characteristics of the two groups that are the focus of this article, the implementation of Structure in an Arts focused enterprise can create controversy when the Accountancy side promotes the need for the change(s) as a logical thing to do, because it will make things orderly and organized. The Arts side may see these changes as potentially restrictive of their creative freedom which they are very committed to and may shut down on expressing their opinions instead of establishing dialogue as a result of their dislike for disagreement and conflict.

 

There's one more thing to take into account before getting into resolution on the avoidance of potential gridlock in the above scenario. Accountancy is highly influenced by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). These are a common set of accounting principles, standards and procedures that organizations must follow when they compile their financial statements. The purpose of GAAP is to ensure financial reporting is transparent and consistent between one organization to another. Since most organizations are subject to annual audits, compliance to GAAP is one of the items a CPA conducting the audit must provide commentary on in the final audit report. Failure for an organization to comply with GAAP will be problematic to those providing revenues or operating capital to the organization. Funding received from Federal, State or Grant providers will request annual audit reports as will lending institutions. It is critical then for the Long-term Sustainability of the organization that compliance to GAAP is met.

 

Now that we have established a pretty complete set of variables, it is time to address strategies that can deal with potential conflicts that arise from an effort to implement structure (of any type) in an Arts focused organization. Here's what I find to be successful when faced with this type of situation:

1) The creative side of the organization needs to reach a comfort level with defending their creative ideas even when they feel the proposed structure will adversely impact their passion. The environment MUST encourage dialogue between the parties even if it needs to be moderated by organizational leadership. Avoiding disagreement or conflicts completely stifles the creative process which is at the core of people that fall into the ISFP category. Avoiding dialogue also adversely impacts the goal of Long-term Sustainability to the organization.

2) Accountancy side MUST listen to the concerns of the Arts side and MUST explain either a) The restrictions driven by GAAP that allows only one solution or b) Where multiple GAAP supported options exist, Accountancy needs to present all the options with the positives and negatives of each so a COLLABORATIVE decision can be mutually agreed to as to which option not only best meets the need but best contributes to the Long-term Sustainability of the enterprise.

I can tell you with certainty that this approach works because I have used it countless times in my career. While it may not take hold immediately, practice makes perfect and you'd be amazed what committing to this effort will do for your organization. If reading this article only opens your minds to possibilities, I will consider this a successful effort. Any more than that would be icing on the cake.Thank you for your time and your endurance! All the best.

 

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