The Public Theatre Cracks Down On Ticket Scalpers (Line Sitters).RIDICULOUS

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/12/10 at 10:57pm

...With help from the Attorney General. I'm sorry, but I think this is taking things just a bit too far. Plus if you read the article it just sounds like they're trying to get more people to give the theater money so they can get their "free" tickets with a $350 donation.

And also, I'm not really sure how this is scalping tickets as it says in the article. Does paying someone to sit in line for you count as scalping now?

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/140325-Public-Theater-Moves-to-Curtail-Scalpers-in-Central-Park




Updated On: 6/12/10 at 10:57 PM

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 6/12/10 at 11:00pm

I fail to see the offense of line sitters. Does it really matter if the guy ahead of you in line is seeing the show or the person who paid him to wait there?

[musicalsFan]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 9:46am

I think the technicality is that Joe Moneybags doesn't really pay the person ahead of time to sit in line which would be like paying for a service but rather Joe Moneybags finds a scalping company who paid someone to sit in line.

If someone is willing to put in the time of waiting hours in the summer heat to get a free ticket to sell then it is to me it is plain ol' American enterprise. If I lived in the city and wanted to put in a few hours to make some $$, I'd do it.





Updated On: 6/13/10 at 09:46 AM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 9:52am

I don't get the offense here, either. I see nothing wrong with paying someone to sit on the line to get your tickets. You're not paying them for the tickets, you're paying them for the time they spend on line.

Like someone else already said, it's just a way for the Public to push their own $350 seats.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 10:17am

I agree. If it was scalpers for paid tickets, 100% I would be all for it. But it's not like having line-sitters out there is going to make it harder for people to get tickets honestly - like, without a line-sitter you wouldn't be able to get tickets, as it so often is with scalpers. Public can chill out, although I do have to wonder why people get so indignant and have such a sense of entitlement about a fricking PROGRAM THAT LETS YOU SEE AL PACINO DO SHAKESPEARE. FOR FREE. IN THE PARK. IN THE MIDDLE OF A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER.

AGAIN, FOR FREE.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 10:28am

Too many people have the idea that money can solve everything. Don't feel like waiting in line for hours? That's okay, pay some kid gobs of money to wait for you!

Of course the person paying would be able to get tickets without paying a line-sitter, but it would require much more effort and time. Without the line-sitter, everyone who is actually putting in the time to wait in line has a better chance of getting tickets (well, the people at the end of the line anyway). If I sat in line for 8 hours only to just barely miss out on tickets and knew that some of the people way in front of me were only there because they were being paid by some rich guy who couldn't be bothered to put in the time like I did, yeah, I'd be pissed.

I think the point is that, if some rich guy is willing to pay all this money to avoid the line, that money could at least go to the Public.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 10:44am

You can gripe about the morality of it all you want, but I fail to see what the LEGAL issue is, so much so that the state attorney general is involved. You aren't paying the person for the tickets, you're paying them to sit in line all morning for you. How is that wrong? To me, it's just good old American capitalism.

[musicalsFan]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 11:15am

Too many people have the idea that money can solve everything. Don't feel like waiting in line for hours? That's okay, pay some kid gobs of money to wait for you!

That's how EVERYTHING works!

Some people don't like cleaning their house, so they PAY someone to do it.

Some people don't want to take the time to learn how to develop a website, so they PAY a professional to do it.

I *hate* cooking, so I PAY Wegman's for the convenience of prepared food.

You have done the same every single time you eat at restaurant.


Updated On: 6/13/10 at 11:15 AM

[yankee_fan907]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 12:00pm

It's illegal because New York state law forbids the resale of tickets with a markup of more than $2. I personally agree with the law. It's fair if everyone has to wait. You should all stop complaining. And don't try to justify it with "good ol' American capitalism." It's laziness, and it makes me sick.

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2010/05/21/2010-05-21_gov_reenacts_tough_ticket_scalping_law.html Updated On: 6/13/10 at 12:00 PM

[nycserenade2]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 12:27pm

I think the guy running the line yesterday put it the best when someone asked him about the article. He said "if you can't enjoy spending a few hours in Central Park in line in order to get these tickets, I think you need to take a good look at your life".

[Q]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 12:50pm

Why is it being assumed that the reason someone would do this is because of laziness or some sense of rich entitlement?

Believe it or not, there might be people who can't take several hours out of a day simply to sit around waiting in a line - little things like work or other obligations CAN get in the way, sometimes.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 12:54pm

A few hours? Like 8 of them? And sorry but lately I don't have that time to spend in line so I'll try the virtual lottery and hope for the best. But I take offense to someone saying if I can't spend the time enjoying myself in line I need to examine my life. I've never enjoyed that line. I did it because thats what you did if you wante to see the show. But don't tell me I have to enjoy listening to people bitch about stage doors, Eden Espinosa and the cast of HAIR for hours on end.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 1:06pm

I never had a problem with getting tickets when they still held a line at the Public. Met eclectic people. Lots of them.

Then again, that was before they produced the revival of HAIR.

[nycserenade2]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 1:11pm

The Public offers many options to get in to the performance. Virtual Lottery, wait in line or donate money to get tickets. Seeing these shows isn't an inaleinable right of being a New Yorker. If you don't want to wait in the line, pay the money, etc. then don't expect to see the show. I have a very busy life, but seeing these shows is a priority each Summer, so I make the time to wait in line. Do it early in the run and you don't have to wait 8 hours. People buying off people in line could make the Public take a long hard look at their ticketing policy and ruin it for everyone. Not to mention that it's not in the spirit of the whole thing. But I guess that sounds too earthy crunchy kumbaya for you. My opinion is if you don't want to obtain the tickets in any of the myriad of ways that they give you, then maybe you need to just skip the show.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 1:53pm

How much do line sitters usually charge? No, I don't need a job, I'm just curious how much people charge for it to be worth their time and effort to sit in the rain for 8 hours, but not so much that the $350 "donation" to the Public is an easier option.


Didn't the Public run out of "donation" tickets last year? I remember some people bitching about that when they waited too long to see the show and thought they could buy their way out of it.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 2:04pm

Too bad they don't take into account the homeless people that line sit for a few extra bucks.

I think it's ridiculous that Cuomo is getting involved. He's only doing it because he's getting ready to run for governor and it's an easy victory. To waste time and resources on something that only affects New York City for a few weeks is very shortsighted when there are issues that affect the entire state year after year.

[Mrfreeze]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 2:09pm

The ones that really annoy me are the actual scalpers. The ones who are not paid to sit in line, rather they sell the tix once they have it. I remember last year's 12th night, towards the end tickets went for $500 a piece. Closing night there was a whole group of them 12-15 people in the front of the line who were only there to sell tickets. They cheat out both the Public and the people in line who actually do want to see the show.
I wish there was a way to crack down on those people.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 2:53pm

I'm happy they're cracking down on it. If people are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for someone to sit on the line for them, why not pay the money that includes the tickets to the show and at the same time is a tax-deductible donation to the Public? I think it's amazing that even after all these years and with the increasing cost of producing theater, they've still kept the majority of tickets for the shows free to anyone who wants to wait on line...how often do you get to see professional theater performances of Shakespeare for free? It's essentially cheating a non-profit organization out of money...the Public is such a great institution for many reasons, and they need donations to survive just like any non-profit and they have every right to not want the "line-sitters" to be there anymore.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 3:00pm

I agree it's the ones who go to Times Square and try to rip people off that are the problem. I don't see how line sitters are doing anything wrong.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 3:15pm

How exactly is it "cheating"? Like someone said before, if you don't want to clean your house and hire a cleaning service to do it for you, are you cheating your kids out of extra allowence money by not hvlaving them do it?
If I don't want to go to Target on Black Friday and choose to pay someone a hundred bucks to wait an get that cheap TV for me, am I screwing anyone out of anything?

Ridiculous argument.

[lull89]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 3:21pm

If the Public wants to crack down on line sitters, that's totally their perogative, and more power to them. The whole idea of Shakespeare in the Park goes back to Joe Papp and his desire for theatre to reach more than just the upper middle class or rich people, he wanted it to be available for all. By having some people pay for a spot in line, that takes away his vision of free theatre for as many as possible. There are plenty of other theatrical opportunities for people to pay to go see a show, this is supposed to be for those who pay another way, by giving their time to wait for a ticket.

[nycserenade2]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 3:37pm

Lull89. Well stated. And for the person who wanted to know how this is cheating? The Public sets the rules. If you don't abide by the rules, you are cheating. And that includes hiring someone to wait in line for tickets for you. It's not a ridiculous argument. It's a fact. And it's just one more way for people who have the money to get what they want, and in the process screw people who are willing to wait in the line.

Posted: 6/13/10 at 3:54pm

There's now a virtual line for people stuck in the office. Anyone who can reach craigslist can enter that line.

But also, as the AG's office pointed out, this is partially funded by taxpayers and is done in a public park.

No one else can make a living in Central Park without paying taxes and getting licenses.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 4:04pm

It's not just "people with money". And to think it is is pretty ignorant. Its people who want to see a show badly and for whatever reason (be it one that is acceptable or not to you) are not able or willing to get up before the sun to wait in line and don't have $400 to donate to the public to get tickets.

Again, paying someone to do this has gone on since te beginning and you can't honestly think there's enough people doing it to "hurt" the theater. So yeah, getting the Attorney General involved to step in to stop some college kids from making a few extra bucks so a parent doesn't have to find a sitter for his kid at 5am and sit in the hot sun all day, is ridiculous. Or whatever scenereo you want to have. Still stupid and just a way doe the theater to push their $350 ticket program. If they would have come out saying "hey guys you don't have to pay line sitters! You can donate that money and WE will give you the tickets!" well that would have come off much better for them instead of "Oooooooh! You're not 'posed to do dat! I'm tellin Mommy on you!"
That just makes them look like Assholes.

And please don't try to make it like I'm against The Public Theater, Joe's original intentions, etc. I love them and I DO support them both with my time and financially. In this case though, they need to just chill the fvck out. People are goin to continue paying line sitters for this just the same as thy do for concerts, cd signings, etc. Even Jesse L. Martin used to get paid to do it. He called it something along the lines of a time honored tradition.
Updated On: 6/13/10 at 04:04 PM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 4:17pm

'How exactly is it "cheating"?"
Really simple. As someone else said, it's their rules. They provide the free tickets, you don't play by their rules - you're cheating.

As regards to what Jesse did, that was different. Craigslist pulled the line sitting situation into an entirely different realm. Someone was organizing homeless and poor people, taking advantage of them AND the Public, and making money in the process. I think even you, Jordan, can see how that subverts the concept of free Shakespeare in the Park.

Yes, line-sitting does take away from those who really don't have the money to see shows, and to think that the Public cracking down on line-sitting for money, especially the organized versions of it, is prompted by their need to sell more sponsor tickets is truly ridiculous. It would serve you right if they decided to scrap this generous opportunity to see a show FOR FREE because a bunch of greedy, entitled individuals are taking advantage of it.
Updated On: 6/13/10 at 04:17 PM