Advice for Ticket Servicing / Seat-filler Membership?

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 9:37am

So I've been weighing my options in terms of joining one of these websites that offers cheap/complimentary tickets to members when a show needs filling. I just was hoping to gain some insight/advice from anyone who's a member about which they've had better experience with -- i.e. which they'd recommend and why?

I'm currently looking at / deciding between Audience Extras and Play by Play, but those are just the only ones I know about. Any insight from anyone would be much appreciated!
Updated On: 4/30/09 at 09:37 AM

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 10:17am

Audience Extras is the best for courtesy and friendliness toward its members, plus their website is the most user-friendly. They even have a cancellation option button available on the ticket much of the time with just a small fee and no fuss. All the papering services have about the same listings, but some can be particularly and repeatedly nasty to members, histrionic, make up unwritten rules, etc.

I don't know anyone who has had trouble with Audience Extras.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 10:25am

The staff of Play by Play are particularly nasty and sarcastic. Especially when you have to cancel.

Check your PMs, Elixir..

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 10:26am

Concur with Yankeefan007.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 10:57am

I couldn't disagree more. Besides having the most listings of any of the services, the staff at play by play is also the best and most helpful. It's sad if you guys had a bad experience once for whatever reason but all in all they're the best of any of the services available.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:17am

The nice thing about Audience Extras and perhaps why they maintain their high standard of quality is that they were created with a foundation to support the arts which is probably why their heads and hearts are in the right place. A father founded the foundation as a memorial to his son, who was a theatre artist. From their website:

"Founded in 1995, our charitable non-profit organization is dedicated to raising funds to support the performing arts production companies who enrich our lives by bringing the humanities to us through their works, enlightening our lives and enriching our city."

Their purpose is to support the arts. Because the mindset of the organization is to support the arts rather than to just grab a profit, they have their goals in the right place. They give out grants to nonprofit theatre, contributing to the fabric of our theatre community.



The JVPC Memorial Foundation for the Arts

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:19am

i'm a member of theatermania. i haven't had any trouble with the service or anything..here's a list of what i've seen since october..

Accent on Youth
The Norman Conquests
Sessions
The American Plan
Garden of Earthly Delights
Humor Abuse
When in Disgrace (haply I think on thee)
Ride
The Marvelous Wonderettes
Dust
What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling
Streamers
Break Out
To Be Or Not to Be
Life After Bush
Clay
The Footage
Basic Training


last week they had the ENTIRE trilogy of Norman Conquests up but i had to work that day. they often have MTC and Roundabout productions.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:22am

Don't these places EXPLICITLY SAY that you're not allowed to post lists of what they have up?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:35am

They do. Your membership can be terminated for doing that.

[JazzSquare55]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:41am

looks like Gerb's is goin bye bye !

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/30/09 at 11:49am

The TDF website openly posts what TKTS has had available for sale on the boards for half price and discount tickets the week before. TDF has memberships for discount ticket sales for those who belong to certain unions or otherwise qualify but they also run the TKTS boards at Duffy Square at W. 47th Street.

Since these shows were not sold out on the day of the show and were offering discount tickets, it is safe to assume that these shows had available unsold seats to "paper," and that some, though not all, of them could have used the comp services to distribute seats. Who gives out "paper" would be up to the producers. I think the nonprofits may especially like to give it out because their goal is to touch as many people as possible with their art, and numbers in attendance also factors into their grant-writing applications, showing the portion of society they are able to reach and serve.
TKTS shows