Gothamist: Shakespeare in the Park Cracks Down on Line Profiteering

spreetaper

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:04:29 -0500

what they ought to do is link the ticket to your name using a code.. so that once you enter the same person who takes the ticket is the same person attending the show... its been done in the past for paid shows so its time to do it for free shows!

rgdave

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:55:03 -0500

Kind of glad they're cracking down. I have mixed feelings about the line sitter tix offered on Craigslist. I understand that lots of folks can't take the day off from work to sit the line from 8 or 9 until 1, and still want to see the play. But one of the luscious things that makes Shakespeare in the Park so special is that you have to go through hoops to attend. Access in NYC is increasingly stratified by money, and only a few institutions remain where money doens't (for the most part) gain you access. The 4th of July fireworks, Macy's parade, and even New Year's Eve in Times Square. (Yes, all of these have privileged corporate access, but for the most part, you have to suffer along with everyone else to enjoy them.) The Delacorte is in that camp. So I've also been dismayed a bit by the Summer Supporter ticket system. Last evening, I saw 'Hair' by getting on the standby ticket line at 4:30PM. I got my ticket at 8:07P, and rushed to me seat just as they were starting. I'm in that socio-economic group that could pretty easily buy one of the Summer Supporter tickets (I've been known to buy premium seats for Broadway shows I want to see), but it feels to me like 'cheating'. There's a democratic egalitarianism to Shakespeare in the Park that I like and support. The only thing you have to do to see the art is invest the line sitting time.

JacqueMehoff

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:51:16 -0500

it's $165 to be a summer supporter of the public theatre, a tax deductible donation that goes towards the summer series. don't they do this for other stuff? same with summerstage?

Toby von Meistersinger

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:28:40 -0500

So selling the tickets is fine, provided that the Public gets a piece of the action.

Snoopy

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:29:10 -0500

Is this a play version of that movie Warren Beatty made? Meanwhile people are bitching about some scalpers that are selling tickets for $150 a pair meanwhile the Public Theater website is selling them for $160 each. HUH?

arsguide

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:37:02 -0500

I like the hypocrisy of that last line "Tickets for Hair are available through the Public Theater website for $160 each." They should cut that out and they should implement some simple check like writing the persons name on the ticket - that should discourage scalping tickets

woodendesigner

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:16:14 -0500

It's about time that someone cracked down on people selling FREE tickets. Some of the free shows are organized by groups that are funded by public tax dollars and selling the free tickets for these shows is just wrong.

JacqueMehoff

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:10:32 -0500

didn't I read somewhere where a person contracted out a line sitter from CL and didn't pay the guy for his/her services? this was more than ONE line sitter, this was an enterprise that got busted and rightfully so.

Gothampc

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:57:38 -0500

"Line sitters have been doing this for a while--I remember when there was the Mike Nichols-staged version of The Seagull, with Meryl Streep and Natalie Portman, and people were paying line sitters hundreds to get the tickets!" Which is funny because that event was not even sold out. You didn't have to sleep in the Park overnight. If you didn't mind sitting in the crappy seats, tickets could be had for same night performances.

Jen Chung

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:44:32 -0500

Line sitters have been doing this for a while--I remember when there was the Mike Nichols-staged version of The Seagull, with Meryl Streep and Natalie Portman, and people were paying line sitters hundreds to get the tickets!