When Did the Student Rush/Lotto Business Start?

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 9:47pm

I was thinking today...did Thoroughly Modern Millie have student rush or a lotto? I remember reading somewhere on here that this whole lotto/rush business kind of began with Rent. Is the rush/lotto idea fairly new to Broadway? Or perhaps is it just the lotto that's new? Thanks!

[ashley0139]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 9:51pm

I'm pretty sure RENT started the whole trend. Keeping with the theme of the show, they wanted people who didn't have enough money to spend $100 on a ticket to still be able to see the show. It was originally just a rush though, right? Because people used to camp out overnight and stuff. I think other shows followed suit from there.

[i*heart*fame]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 9:53pm

Yes, it started with RENT.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 10:03pm

What about student rush?

Did Thoroughly Modern Millie have a policy of any kind?

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 10:09pm

I did a student rush for Cats in Chicago in 1985 for $15.00. The lottery though I believe started with Rent. I did the lottery here in Chicago for the current Rent tour and everyone got tickets. I wonder why??????

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 11:26pm

Millie, it started with Rent. It was instituted by the producers as a tribute to Jonathan Larson's wish for people who couldn't afford to see professional theatre. Here's the description from Playbill:

To make tickets more affordable to students and other theatergoers on a budget, many Broadway shows have implemented rush and standing room only (SRO) policies. Anyone willing to get up and get to the box office early, spend some time in a line, or stand during the show, can get greatly discounted tickets to most shows on Broadway.

It all started with Rent, which, at the peak of its popularity, sold all seats in the first two rows of orchestra for $20 to whomever would get to the box office in time on the day of the performance. Naturally, students embraced the opportunity and lines formed at dawn. Since then, Broadway has offered rush and SRO tickets to encourage an enthusiastic theatre community.

Rush and SRO tickets are sold on the day of the performance, usually as soon as the box office opens, unless otherwise specified. Many policies are restricted to students and require student IDs. Seat location varies with different shows, from front row to real mezzanine. The wait in line is usually inevitable. For more popular shows, it’s reasonable to anticipate a wait spanning at least a couple of hours. Also, most box offices only accept cash for rush and SRO tickets.

Standing room patrons stand in numbered spaces that are the width of a regular seat. They are usually located at the back of the orchestra. SRO tickets are trickier to get because they are only available if the show is sold out. There’s no definite way to predict in advance whether a performance will sell out, without actually calling the box office a few hours before curtain time. Shows that sell out often include Hairspray, Mamma Mia, The Lion King, and The Producers. Also, it is likely that any show will sell out very early in its run. Unless otherwise specified, one SRO ticket is sold per person.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 12:11am

Now can someone tell me if TMM had student rush? Thanks!

[theminutepast]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 7:30pm

Some shows like Phantom, Spamalot, Les Mis and Chorus Line (the revivals) don't have student rush. Does anyone know why? What are the drawbacks to rush for the theater?

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 7:33pm

millie, Thoroughly Modern Millie did have student rush. I believe it was only for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday performances, and it was when the B.O. opened. It wasn't a lotto.

the minute past, the drawbacks to having rush is you're selling tickets that usually cost $50, $70, often $100 or more for about $25 or $30. Over time, that adda up.

[theminutepast]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 7:36pm

So why do any theaters do it?

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 7:38pm

I guess some producers value that student customer thinking that perhaps they help to spread word of mouth. Maybe they sympathize and realize that if theres not outlet like student rush, a lot of those who normally get tickets for a show that way wouldn't make it to the show at all.

[Chip1012]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 7:41pm

When Follies opened in Boston in 1971 they had $2.00 student tickets. Sigh.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 7:47pm

Now for my rush/lotto/SRO question:

It's known that pretty much every show, even the greediest li'l buggers, offers some kind of general/student rush, lotto, or SRO tickets for anywhere between $20 and $26.25. My question--why did the Sweeney revival, and why does the new Company revival (according to its site), offer their student rush tickets for $36.25? That's anywhere from $10 to $16.25 more expensive than rush at any other show, and it's the same price as their full price rear mezz seats. I understand, from a business standpoint, that it makes sense because it forces the theatregoer to choose between buying rear mezz or taking chances on (maybe) better seats for the same price--but it kind of defeats the purpose of rush: offering tickets to people who can't afford *any* of the full price seats. I'd accept it as another sign of the price-jacking all over Broadway, except for the fact that not one single other show (that I know of) charges that much for rush/lotto/SRO.

It bugs me because I've been looking forward to Company more than almost any other show this season, but that price is pushing it for me. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I dropped $36.25 for this show, but I'd really like to know if there's any logic behind that price. If I'm willing to go into the theatre district--not a quick or cheap trip for me--and take my chances with rush, I'd at least like to know why on earth Company will cost me so much more than anything else.

[broadwaybound882]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 7:53pm

A lot of shows, actually, have started selling the $36.25 seats. It's because now that more people have started to realize such things occur, they've been buying a lot more rush. Applying standard economics, when demand goes up, so des the price.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 8:06pm

Really? Having just scanned the Talkin' Broadway rush policy page (the page most often linked to when someone on BWW asks about a show's rush policy), I didn't see any shows pricing rush, lotto, or SRO over $26.25. Company isn't up yet, but it lists the $36.25 rush price on its site. What other shows are selling rush at that price? I haven't heard of any shows doing so, or of any errors on the Talkin' Broadway site...I certainly didn't think there were "a lot" selling rush for $36.25 (full-price rear mezz seats go for that price at many shows, but typically not rush).

[broadwaybound882]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 8:20pm

It's not just rush. Les Miz is selling the $36.25 balcony. It could also be a producers thing, i guess, seeing how Sweeney and Company apparently have the exact same policy. I

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 8:25pm

Ah yeah, but that's what I was talking about--selling $36.25 for rush tickets. I know that many shows sell some full-price seats (usually in rear mezz--Les Mis, as you pointed out, is doing this) for $36.25, but I was commenting on the fact that Company is the only show selling rush for that price. It bugs me because the typical rush price is between $20 and $26.25, and I'd like to know why only Company is doing this with rush.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 9:27pm

I don't know about Company, but Sweeney had SRO (which they ALWAYS sold regardless of capacity) for $26.25 and, in my view, the view was better than the rush seats.