lightguy, I certainly understand where you are coming from when you say a ticket sold is better than no sale at all. Yet, if a show were to a sell all of its available seats for the price of rush a few hours before curtain, advance sales would plummet. The majority of people would wait to get the better deal.
Yes, people are willing to buy rush tickets. That's because they are so cheap. The producers could just as well sell those seats at a higher price. Needless to say, they may not sell as many, but it's likely their revenue would be roughly the same. It's basic economics. As prices decrease for those seats, demand increases. If prices were to increase, demand would decrease for those seats. With higher prices, there would still be SOME demand. If their revenue is the same, why does it matter to them if fewer people end up seeing the show? A show's success is not built upon word of mouth spread by students. Thus, I still contend that producers are generous in offering rush.
As further proof of this, why do hits like Wicked and The Book of Mormon offer a lottery? They could easily sell those seats at full price. The producers are kindly making theater accessible to those without the disposable income to spend on a full price ticket.
Updated On: 2/6/13 at 08:47 PM