TKTS, the landmark theater discounter that has been a Times Square mainstay for 51 years, is expanding to Philadelphia at a time when regional theaters are struggling and ticket costs are a persistent cause of consumer concern.
The new booth, located inside Independence Visitor Center in the city’s historic district, will be the first in an American city other than New York. London and Tokyo also have TKTS booths, and New York has a second booth at Lincoln Center.
The Philadelphia booth will sell tickets to local theater, dance and music productions, as well as for some touring Broadway shows; the tickets will be discounted by 30 percent to 50 percent and can be purchased up to 72 hours before curtain (in New York, the purchase window is shorter). The visitor center, which is near major tourist attractions including the Liberty Bell, drew 1.3 million people last year and already sells tickets to other attractions.
The TKTS kiosk will begin selling tickets on Thursday and will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Angela Val, the president and chief executive of Visit Philadelphia, a tourism marketing agency, said her organization had contacted TDF, the nonprofit that runs the TKTS booths, to propose the expansion. The agency was motivated by a concern that ticket prices were limiting audiences for local arts and culture events. “We wanted to make sure all people had access to theater,” Val said. “Everyone, no matter how much money you have, should have access to arts and culture.”
More than 20 presenting organizations will offer tickets through the program, including Ensemble Arts Philly, which has three venues that host music, dance, comedy and theater performances, as well as touring Broadway shows. Also participating are the three top-tier regional theaters in the city — Arden Theater Company, Philadelphia Theater Company and Wilma Theater (the recipient of this year’s Regional Theater Tony Award) — as well as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia Ballet and BalletX.
“We’re looking to rebuild, and to attract new audiences,” said Terrence J. Nolen, the producing artistic director of the Arden, whose audiences remain about 15 percent smaller than they were before the coronavirus pandemic. Nolen said the Arden, which is just a few blocks from the new visitor center, was hopeful that this effort would be more successful than previous discounting programs. “Obviously the TKTS brand is incredibly strong, and when it comes to students, tourists or other people looking for a discount, it can build a lot of energy,” he said.
The booth will be open for a year, at which point the participating organizations will assess its effectiveness. In the meantime, TDF is already considering licensing booths in other U.S. cities.
“Our mission is to remove financial barriers to access to the performing arts for all audiences,” said Deeksha Gaur, the executive director of TDF. “As we talk to colleagues in the field across the nation and we learn about how audiences haven’t been coming back at the same rate since the pandemic, it was natural for us to think about how can we support with the TKTS brand.”
She added: “We are bullish about the brand and how it can help support audiences coming back, particularly in an industry that has a narrative of high ticket prices happening. That discount booth and that name could be part of the solution.”
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