Hey, WHITE CHRISTMAS Producers - KISS MY $&%!!!!!- Page 3

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 2:18pm

"They said they offered a student rush. I am a student. If they are offering a "limited student rush" or to persons under a certain age like some theaters do, that policy needs to be stated."

According to YOU, they did state that...

Jordan posted: "with a valid student ID from an "accredited university". And according to the box office that means that unless you go to a 4 year university, you ain't gettin' in."

Just get over it, Jordan. You're not attending an accredited 4 year university. You are going to an acting studio - that's not a University my dear.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 2:20pm

They stated that once she was there, trying to buy a ticket. I haven't seen that caveat stated in writing anywhere the rush policy is listed.

I can see their rationale (not saying I agree with it), but I can also understand why Jordan is upset that they were not clearer ahead of time.

[bandit964]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 4:28pm

all for general rush

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:05pm

musicsnob, I am over it. I have every right to be upset when insulted. As do you.

And you're not a snob, you're a sad snarky little bitch with nothing positive to add to anything. One of those people who only feels a sense of "power" online like many of the other negative people who live on here. Go ahead and insult me, say whatever you like. We all know it's going to make you feel better.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:46pm

How did I insult you?

I merely stated the facts. They told you the Student Rush is for students who attend a 4 year accredited university.

You can b!tch all you'd like - I always enjoy your posts and your jokes. Truly, I do. But I'm really not sure what the problem is. I do apologize for their choice to not state that until you arrived...but...regardless, it is their box office.

I do not agree with the policy but what's done is done. I'm not sure you should be SO insulted. Perhaps you took their response the wrong way? It's irrelevant. I am not trying to insult you. Just trying to wrap my head around what's making you so angry about a silly ticket policy.

[rwlevin]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 10:11pm

I'm a medical student living off of loans. After crazy budgeting, I came up with exactly $130/month for peripherals including clothes, cleaning supplies, paper products, books and theatre. If there's no rush, I can't see the show. I don't even go to movies anymore so I can afford theatre. In states other than New York, student discounts exist for movies and other types of entertainment. In my neighborhood in Manhattan, there are student discounts at corner delis, clothing shops, printing shops, gyms, etc. Why should theatre be any different? And it's not like they're good seats, usually. I was in nosebleeds for Doubt, partial view for Spring Awakening and boxes for Exit the King. That's why I believe in student rush. And I'll believe in student rush after I graduate in a year and a half and no longer qualify.

When I was in undergrad I didn't get student rush because I could afford not to-not on my parents' dime, thank you very much. Now, If I didn't have rush, I couldn't afford to buy 1 ticket without sacrificing a necessity of life like groceries.

So yes, student rush is good. Add general if you must-Doubt and Spring Awakening had both if I remember correctly, or they also had Standing room. Add a lottery too. All I know is people who don't win lottery complain that "people who can afford to buy tickets" also put their names in and win and think that it should be limited to students. Nobody's going to be happy 100% of the time.

But $115/ticket is quite ridiculous, especially when a show has a 4 person cast w/out much of a set and no orchestra to pay. When I started going to theatre, the top price was $65. I saw Les Mis and Phantom for $15 each and that wasn't even a discount price! And $41.50 for student rush is ridiculous. I would NEVER pay over $25. I can't afford it.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 10:49pm

Theatre is not a necessity... and they can't make something so ridiculous as a "General Rush" because Broadway is a business - it's sadly not for the people. Sorry.

So if it comes down to either groceries or theatre, take your pick. It is no one's right to see art. Because of the world we live in, it is now a luxury.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 10:59pm

I completely agree. I hate the argument (used for both rush policies and bootlegs), "Well, how ELSE am I going to see a show?"

You don't.

Not everyone gets to see theatre. Not everyone gets to ride a limo or go to the top of the Empire State Building or see Paris, either. And there doesn't NEED to be a cheap way for everyone to do all of these things.

[rwlevin]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 11:40pm

Snob, you completely and utterly misread my statement. I said theatre is not a necessity and I only have a little money for non-essential items and for that reason depend on student rush to see theatre. What do you think the budgeting I mentioned is? It's necessities like rent, electricity and FOOD! I stopped getting takeout and live off of PBJ and frozen dinners now thanks to budgeting. I don't even go out to restaurants or bars with friends anymore. We grab $1 slices instead.

And you're wrong. Art, in all its shapes and forms is a necessity. Without art, how can we let our creative sides flourish? I know that if I didn't have an outlet, be it the exhibits at Metropolitan Museum of Art-which is donation only so I can hand over a buck and hang out there all day, or one of the many free concerts and performances that go on in the city-especially during the summer, or a book that I borrow from the New York Public Library, or the plays that I write in my notebooks when the urge consumes me during an insanely boring lecture on DVT prophylaxis, my soul would die and I don't mean that facetiously. I always have art at my fingertips. But I make sacrifices like movies and new clothes and cable tv to see theatre because that is where my heart lies.

And you know how else you go to see a show? You put one on yourself. Or you see a college production or an off-off-broadway production. Just the other week, I saw a cute little professional show for a whopping $18/ticket ($10 for students) and it was quite enjoyable.

Art IS a necessity of life. Broadway tix at $100 a pop (or even $25 when you don't have the extra cash) is not.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 12/9/09 at 1:03am

"Art IS a necessity of life"

According to you, it is. But that's not how Broadway operates. They will never cater to those like Jordan or to you for that matter.

For producers and actors and musicians and designers and technicians and management... it is a business so they must treat it as such - even if that means charging $100.00 for a ticket or condemning the idea of "General Rush".

It is your choice. If you're willing to make the sacrifice then go for it! When it comes down to it though, Art is not a necessity - food, water, and air are. One could survive without it. And if you truly couldn't survive without it then you either have a problem or your desire to live was nonexistant to begin with.

In THIS current culture and (more importantly) financial climate, entertainment and art is a luxury. The icing on the cake. The cherry on top. Nothing more.

[hubee]

Posted: 12/9/09 at 4:07am

LizzieCurry: "I completely agree. I hate the argument (used for both rush policies and bootlegs), "Well, how ELSE am I going to see a show?"

You don't.

Not everyone gets to see theatre. Not everyone gets to ride a limo or go to the top of the Empire State Building or see Paris, either. And there doesn't NEED to be a cheap way for everyone to do all of these things."

While I agree to a point, because in the end, theatre needs to make its money back, pay its workers/actors and make a profit for producers to make it worth their while to invest in the risk to begin with,

The rush was started back on Broadway with Rent to get the buzz going and enthusiasm up again. People lined up, others were curious. It created good PR and buzz.

And unless your show is selling out every day (so really, Wicked and Jersey Boys are excused of not offering any deals if they didn't want to), you would think other producers would want people talking about their show. If people deem it to expensive to see your show, no one will spread the word and get more people.

I get trying to limit rush to students because yah yah, they're poor and studying and not making money blah blah blah and its easier to control, but just open it up to general rush again and if people line up for 6 hours, so be it. They're willing to work hard to get the deal. They probably really want to see the show and might talk about it. (yeah yah, if they really wanted to see the show, they'll pay full price but I think a lots of people won't, and again, I think Broadway needs to entice MORE people to come to the theatre, not push them away at this point (again, if everything was selling out and nothing was closing, fine, but that's not how it is right now (unless you were A Steady Rain))

(And yah, I'm bitter cause I'm not a student anymore and when I was, it was mostly general rush or lottery. ha! Yes, I know I'm a wench!)

Also, if it is all general, then you don't get into the fine print of what is a student and what's not and Jordan wouldn't have had her problem in the first place. It basically becomes first come first serve.

[winston89]

Posted: 12/9/09 at 6:26am

I find that based upon things in the past, general rushes while may sound like a good idea, often fail when put into practice. Take a look at something like the rush line for Next To Normal, or if you desire I can go into the details of the debacle that was the rush over at Legally Blonde.

I do think that general rushes cause a lot of problems for the people who work at the theatre who are looking over things because with a rush line, it often comes with added baggage that no one really needs.

It would be easier for shows to do a student rush or at least a lottery, that way they would broaden the spectrum of those who can try to get rush tickets.

With it being December, and people being in school or at work, most people aren't going to have the ability to wait in a rush line and to camp out either overnight (which is a VERY STUPID thing to do) or to be there hours before the box office opens.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 12/9/09 at 11:04am

hubee - your argument makes little sense for the Producers.

Firstly, the amount of $$ they make from 8 people, at General Rush, could be made the same way by ONE person paying a full price ticket... and believe it or not, there are many people who still pay the old fashioned way. Full Price Orchestra seat.

Secondly, your theory about "spreading" the word and creating a buzz is fair enough. But that's also taking a risk. Even shows with the best discounts & policies have the worst 'word-of-mouth' reputation, etc., etc. So that's taking a big risk over something so silly like a GENERAL RUSH.

The industry will not cater to poor students. A few shows will attempt to but, overall, that's not their main purpose. It is a business - it's not an art. I'm sorry so many people still think differently.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/9/09 at 11:18am

"Just trying to wrap my head around what's making you so angry about a silly ticket policy."

As I'd stated before, they can have their policy be whatever they want. They can have a student rush, a limited student rush, a general rush, standing room or they can choose to sell it to chimps and kangaroos only. The policy is their policy and nobody is arguing that. The ONLY thing that bothered me and upset me is how how I was insulted at the box office.

Like pretty much anybody else and I'm guessing 100% of the people who post on here, if I can get a discount of any kind for a show, I'm going to use it. When was the last time you saw someone pay full price for a show besides something like A STEADY RAIN? If I see that a show is offering a student rush and yes, I currently am a student with a valid student ID (and musicsnob it doesn't matter WHERE I choose to study) than why shouldn't I try to take advantage of that?

Also, of course going to the theater is a luxury. If you love it as we all do, than you make it somewhat of a priority and factor that into your budgeting. I don't agree that it's entitled to anyone and if that comment was directed towards me, you couldn't be farther off the marker.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/9/09 at 11:33am

OMG LOL

[trombonist]

Posted: 12/9/09 at 11:42am

Winston, Legally Blonde WAS a student rush. Not a general one. And it was one that if I remember correctly instituted all kinds of ridiculous fine print and had reports of them re-checking the IDs when the tickets were scanned.

Or Jersey Boys. That was a student rush and we all know about what happened there with scalpers.

Making the rush general eliminates that kind of danger and drama - if it's available to anyone willing to wait in line, the scalpers lose their exclusivity and there's no need to threaten people on line.

[winston89]

Posted: 12/9/09 at 11:47am

Jordan Catalano, I do believe that the comment regarding theatre and the arts being a need rather then a want was not directed at you, just something said in general.

Of course theatre is a want. As are any of the arts. Sure, they might make us think, they might make us view life differently or entertain us. But, unlike, let's say something like food, we can't get sick and possibly die with out them. I know that in NY state, there is no sales tax on clothing so long as each individual article you buy doesn't say more then 110 bucks on the price tag. And, in most places in the country, supermarkets are tax exempt due to the fact that people cannot live without food.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 12/9/09 at 12:03pm

Jordan - many of my comments were not directed at you, though I see why you are so upset.

It's a shame that someone insulted you. To be fair, however, doesn't it matter where you attend school? Didn't they state that their policy is: an accredited 4 year university?? I'm sincerely asking because you haven't really addressed that.

You attend an acting studio, not an accredited 4 year university. If that were the case, those attending driving school and private teachers and coaches are all "students" (and can prove it). Does this mean that they are eligible for Student Rush? They shouldn't be. Do know how many "students" there would be??

And, again, to be fair... "When was the last time you saw someone pay full price for a show besides something like A STEADY RAIN?"

I pay full price on all tickets I buy. Not trying to be a SNOB (hehe) about it, but I am a traditionalist. I find shows I want to support and buy the ticket. Unless, of course, there's an amazing deal staring me in the face!

[hubee]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 4:21am

Just in case it was lost in translation, my point to Jordan was that if it was general rush, there wouldn't have been an insult as to whether you were a "student or not".

Secondly, to musicsnob, exactly. plenty of people are willing to pay full price. so let them. But you can still have the 10-20 rush/lotto tickets you have and yeah, it'll attract the cheapies or diehards, but you're attracting a different set of people that prob wouldn't pay full price anyways. And it's not like youre doing the whole theatre rush. Just the 10-20. I mean. a producer doesnt have to offer it, but unless your show is sold out, then would you rather have an empty seat or make $20 off of it? $20 is still $20 and better than $0. (You can maybe hope that people will eventually pony up the $ for full price but again, unless it's a Steady Rain, I don't think shows have a lot of that pull anymore, especially when you're new and starting off (look at Memphis. No names, no buzz, but word of mouth (except on these boards) have been good and it's staying alive a lot longer than the vultures on these boards thought it would!)

And trombonist pointed out, Legally Blonde AND Jersey Boys, the two rushes with the biggest problems, WERE Student Rushes. And N2N while not student, basically attracted students mainly in the rush line.

And it's great that you are willing/can pay full price MusicSnob. I can't. So either I go see it cheap, or I don't go. Which is better than a the people I know in the industry who all wait for comps.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 10:11am

but unless your show is sold out, then would you rather have an empty seat or make $20 off of it? $20 is still $20 and better than $0.

Fair enough but that's not completely accurate.

Every ticket sold is more $$ that the production & management company has to actually SPEND, so it may not be worth it. Many people do not realize the costs of selling tickets (nor do I need to get into the boring details). A $20 ticket may not be better than an empty seat.

It's more complex then you think, I promise.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 3:52pm

I could have sworn Jersey Boys was a general rush...

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 5:04pm

There's a SRO line now, but when there was a rush, it was students only.

http://jerseyboysblog.com/?p=1505

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 5:31pm

And, of course, if theatre is a necessity for you, you can see theatre every night of the week in New York City for $20. It just might not be between 41st Street and 66th Street.

[trombonist]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 9:23pm

Nope, Jersey Boys was student rush and you were limited to one time per month. They recorded the ID and everything. There were scalpers paying kids to wait in line for the tickets so that the scalpers could turn around and re-sell them to tourists for a lot more.

Standing room is for anyone.

[gypsymal56]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 10:27pm

Not trying to be snarky. I'm new to the boards and not a New Yorker. But what exactly happened at Legally Blonde rush?