Lottery Ticket Past-Date Question

Pretty sure that's not possible. But the only one to truly answer: the box office.

" Box office refused to past-date and the ushers & house manager both insisted that everyone watch the first 20 minutes via a video monitor in the hallway, whose volume was turned down so low that you could hardly hear"

Late seating policies are set by the creative team & producer. The house staff is not to blame.

Updated On: 10/13/16 at 04:47 PM

I have no sympathy at all for people who show up late to a theater and aren't immediately allowed to go into the house. It happens sometimes--anyone who sees theater regularly has shown up late to a theater at least once--but the priority of the front of house staff needs to always be on the audience members already seated inside the theater. When you have to climb over several people to reach that center orchestra seat, you affect several dozen people around you. You block the view to the stage, you take audience members out of the moment of the show, and you destroy the theater experience everyone in that theater paid good money to see.


Most ushers and house staff are too deferential to unruly audience members in my opinion, but that's another story. I get it. I would love to see a zero tolerance policy implemented in theaters for visible phone screens and/or phone ringing. If it happens, you get escorted out of the theater. It will never happen, but that is the dream.

Updated On: 10/14/16 at 10:46 AM

Theater3232 said: "Due to severe weekend subway delays (far worse than normal) I arrived at 7 minutes past the hour for Cats. Box office refused to past-date and the ushers & house manager both insisted that everyone watch the first 20 minutes via a video monitor in the hallway, whose volume was turned down so low that you could hardly hear. Needless to say, I didn't buy any drinks or merchandise due to the terrible treatment I received. And I've been bad-mouthing this show to everyone I speak to (whereas, had I been treated nicely, I wouldn't have brought this up.)


Let me get this straight, slick. YOU show up late to the theatre --- and rather than have you enter during the opening section and disturb everyone else who managed to get there on time, those meanies at the theatre made you wait and watch the show on a monitor a WHOLE THIRTEEN MINUTES before allowing you to access your seat? Those BASTARDS!



Also why is it "needless to say" that you chose not to purchase any drinks or merchandise? in over 25 years of theatergoing, I have never once had the need (or desire to purchase a drink at the theatre (you can get them for 1/2 the price and 2x the pour at any nearby bar within a few steps of the theatre). I've also never felt the urge to own an overpriced magnet or coffee mug to prove to others that I saw a show. What do people actually do with all of that crap?



Your righteous indignation is duly noted. Now grow up, mmkay?

Theater3232 said: "I guess they don't realize: this one person has friends. And friends of friends. And many visitors who come in from out of town who want a recommendation for a show. You think I'd recommend CATS to any of these people???"

As long as you tell your friends why you aren't recommending it, they will know to discount everything else you say. That said, if it is only about Cats, they're probably better off...

Theater3232 said: "Due to severe weekend subway delays (far worse than normal) I arrived at 7 minutes past the hour for Cats. Box office refused to past-date and the ushers & house manager both insisted that everyone watch the first 20 minutes via a video monitor in the hallway, whose volume was turned down so low that you could hardly hear. "



Past dating is a courtesy by the theater, and must be approved by the house manager. It's not done lightly either. Being a couple minutes late is not going to convince the house manager to past date the ticket, even if the next week of shows only have 5 seats sold per performance.



Also, I'm surprised no one brought up the more logistical reason as to why you had to watch on a monitor: the cast is occasionally up and down the aisles in the first 20 minutes. Seating people during this time is not only disruptive, it can also be hazardous.



The monitor volume is low so that it cannot be heard inside the house. You weren't in a cone of silence, you should have still been able to hear most of the show from where you were standing.



Needless to say, I didn't buy any drinks or merchandise due to the terrible treatment I received. And I've been bad-mouthing this show to everyone I speak to (whereas, had I been treated nicely, I wouldn't have brought this up.)



Simply not allowing you to go to your seat when it posed a danger to you and the performers does not mean you were treated badly. As was pointed out, the house staff only enforce late seating policies, the policies themselves are established by the producers of the show. They had no authority to seat you any earlier.


"And it was a free-for-all in the theater. People were taking pictures, talking throughout the show, videotaping the performance, and nothing was done. So this ruined my enjoyment too. I wrote a note to the theater, and again, nothing was done. Nice way to treat a paying customer."



Nothing was done? Were they supposed to go back in time and solve the problem? One thing that a lot of people don't seem to understand is that producers are more frequently requesting that ushers and other house staff not address issues with patrons involving phones or cameras. You are automatically blaming and punishing theater staff over things out of their control.

I was answering the question posed by the original poster regarding the past-dating option. And yes, I stayed until the end. I found it way overamplified (so that you needed earplugs) and extremely boring and endless. Seems to be the consensus of a lot of people on here.

I hope all is well with your mom, wolfwriter. Ironically I had a very similar situation arise on Tuesday when I had a ticket to Falsettos as well. After no luck with Ticketmaster on the phone, I reached out via Twitter and the customer service rep was very helpful but I did have to explain the emergency with some detail to get approval to past date. This was a full-price ticket I had purchased months ago and thankfully they have agreed to allow me to past date it for a Tues, Weds, or Thurs performance.

You may have trouble since it was a lotto ticket though.

In looking at the next few weeks, the orchestra is really well sold. I'll never get as good a seat as I originally had but hopefully I can get something in the front mezz.