Shakespeare in the Park Cracks Down on Line Profiteering

The Public Theater has busted up a group of "professional line sitters" who've been queuing up for hours every day to get free tickets to Hair in Central Park, then selling them through Craigslist for $150 a pair. one ticket-ring mastermind, William Conklin, tells the Times he was shooed away a couple weeks ago, along with 30 other others (including several people he subcontracts to wait for tickets). Public Theater employees became suspicious after seeing the same people "over and over again" on line, and began checking to see if they actually attended the performances. Artistic Director Oskar Eustis defended the move, insisting that free theater “means that your time and presence — waiting in line — matters more than your money. In our commodity-obsessed money culture, that’s a vital civic touchstone. Some things shouldn’t be measured in dollars.” Tickets for Hair are available through the Public Theater website for $160 each.