Shakespeare in Central Park 2010 Line Reports?- Page 2

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 2:50pm

"So, Gothampc, is it possible to get tickets if I wait there at 8am or 9am?"

You most likely won't have any problems. I used to go at 7 am on a Saturday and in my experience, you could still get a decent spot at 8:30. The line really began to build around 9:30.

[PauloFanClem]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 2:53pm

That will be a Thursday when I am here (well, a Thursday in July). I think AC's situations are in weekends?
Updated On: 6/11/10 at 02:53 PM

[AC126748]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 2:53pm

Are you talking about recent years, Goth? I remember when that was possible, but it has seemed in recent years that the line has been building earlier--especially late in the run and when celebrities are involved.

Paulo--I only go on weekdays.

Updated On: 6/11/10 at 02:53 PM

[PauloFanClem]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 2:55pm

Okay! I will be there at 7 then. Better wait early than late.
Updated On: 6/11/10 at 02:55 PM

[bwayrose2]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 4:55pm

My old roommate is working there this summer (and worked last year) and gave me some interesting information from an insider's point of view. The online system has added tickets this year to encourage people to use it. So on average, more people should be winning. She wasn't sure, but she believed that more tickets are online now than on the physical line.

For the first week, most everyone will get in, including the standby people. That's because everyone waits and waits and then the ticket situation becomes impossible. The staff gets frustrated because early in the run there are loads of tickets - she said this happened also for TWELFTH NIGHT and even on a couple of nights for Mother Courage. So don't complain if you don't get in if you waited to go. She also said the standby line is a really good place to go because a lot of those people do get in and you don't have to invest a lot of time.

Joe Papp more than anyone knew that you needed sponsors. He started the Summer Sponsors program. Ex-roomie gave me the Free For All book after she was done reading it and in it are example after example of his sponsor opportunities. So this is not anything that hasn't been around for many, many years. In fact, I remember reading that Joe Papp was almost ready to give up on the FREE part of this until he found some big donor.

She also said these shows cost more than 1 Million dollars each to produce and the Public has to raise this money so they sell sponsorships but they also have a minimum number of ticket that must go to the general public, like 75%, I think. So at some point, they stop selling these tickets to make sure they stick to that number.

Finally, this is what I found the most interesting. The staff really loves doing the summer season but they feel frustrated and unappreciated because all they get are complaints from the public: people can't get tickets, everyone is an expert on ticket distribution, everyone thinks they have sold out to sponsors, everyone complains about seat locations (which I have never understood since tickets are FREE - really, people, shame on those of you who look a gift horse in the mouth!) They have many internal dialogues about whether this is really worth doing considering how much flack they get.

I hope for our sake, that they continue to do this despite the whiners. I was happy to sit in the last row for HAMLET and MACBETH. I had reserved seats from my friend last year and it was amazing, but I'll take any seat and feel privileged to have it for the chance to see Shakespeare of this caliber.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 5:41pm

Of course Joe Papp had corporate sponsors and so did George C. Wolfe. From my experience, I was always able to get excellent seats when Wolfe was in charge. But I've noticed over the last few years that the seats weren't so good even though I was showing up at 7 am on a Saturday. And I've noticed that people who were in line with me were in the same row as I was, so it wasn't like the better seats were going to people in the line. I also noticed that the tickets would alternate rows, the Central Park people would be in one row and the Astor Place people would be in the row behind us). And when I've asked people how they got the better seats, they say that they are part of corporate sponsorship. So perhaps the number of tickets reserved for corporate sponsorship has increased?

Updated On: 6/11/10 at 05:41 PM

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 5:45pm

I was speaking from personal experience based on waiting for TWELFTH NIGHT (Hathaway) and MOTHER COURAGE (Streep/Kline). In both cases, the last person (in the morning, at least) to get tickets got on line around 7:30 am.

I did the standby line on a Friday night for TWELFTH NIGHT, got there at 6pm and easily got a ticket. This was late in the run. I don't know if I just happened to pick a good day, or if most people on the standby line always get in, but it sure beats waiting for 5 hrs in the early am.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 5:59pm

What's nice about the standby line is that you get the corporate sponsorships that have cancelled for that day.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 6:53pm

I was speaking from personal experience based on waiting for TWELFTH NIGHT (Hathaway) and MOTHER COURAGE (Streep/Kline). In both cases, the last person (in the morning, at least) to get tickets got on line around 7:30 am.

Last year, I got in line at 8am the day after Twelfth Night's opening night and the line hadn't even reached the halfway point. I don't know when the last person got there, but they didn't start turning people away until around 10am.

There's no need for the annual hysteria over lines. And honestly, if you live in the NYC area, intend to see the show and wait until mid-July, it's your own fault if you have to sit on Central Park West all night for tickets, not the corporate sponsors or the Craigslist paid line sitters or whoever the scapegoat will be this year. As another poster said, there were over 100 empty seats at shows this week- remember that when it's the end of the run and everyone is lining up at 8pm the night before.

[JeaniusIsMe]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 9:34pm

When does the stand-by line start forming up at night?

[AC126748]

Posted: 6/11/10 at 10:20pm

Technically, the standby line starts as soon as all the tickets have been distributed. I've seen people get on line as early as 2:00, though it's rare for people to show that early.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 6/12/10 at 6:08am

FIRST HAND REPORT: I got here at 5:45 this morning and the line reached back to halfway down 82nd street already. Talked to a few ladies who are ten year vets and they say they haven't seen a line this early in many years. Seven AM isn't gonna cut it this year, guys! At least not this weekend! Can anyone give an estimate as to how long the line can get or how many people can get in before the cutoff to standby? People are still lining up behind me, but just hoping for some past testimonial. I will update again later.

[Mrfreeze]

Posted: 6/12/10 at 12:29pm

Quick question about the start of the line. I know last year some people started the line right outside the theater despite the fact that the Public said repeatedly the Park is closed at night. Do they move those people when the Park opens?

[Katurian2]

Posted: 6/12/10 at 3:06pm

There were about 25 people like that today- despite a huge line of about 150 peeps outside the park already. I didn't personally see anything go down, but I don't think they were moved. I talked to some people up front who got there at 6AM but the people outside the park had been there since 11:00 PM the night before.

So.. YES PEOPLE. WE HAVE CAMPERS. I was about 150 back and got in fine tonight, but can for sure say that not near everyone lined up today got in. Get there early folks- this was just a preview!

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/12/10 at 7:05pm

Now the question is are the campers going to also be there for The Winter's Tale or are they just camping for Pacino?

[Mrfreeze]

Posted: 6/13/10 at 10:35pm

So i'm thinking about going either Thursday or Friday. Should I get there round 11 the night before? Crazy!

Also the official line is on the West Side, correct?

I just hope that if there's a long line inside the park they will be moved back, kinda like the way they did last year.

[bestinshow2]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 1:00am

My advice: go on Tony Night when the forecast is for rain. There were plenty of open seats tonight. Excellent production!!

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 2:30am

Yeah, I was there tonight as well. I knew I would have a better chance winning the online lottery today, and sure enough I got tickets. There were a few empty seats, and a bit of a standby line, so I'm guessing everyone in the standby line got tickets. Lovely, lovely show. And Hamish Linklater was Mr. Charming. So fun to see him in a slightly more serious role.

[angelplays]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 5:56am

I think I am destined to never win the virtual lottery. Haven't in three years of trying. I figured Murphy's Law would kick in yesterday since I left for the day and accidentally didn't set the dvr for the Tonys.

But nope. Still winless.

[bwayrose2]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 8:21am

My neighbor went last night. She walked up right at 7:30 and got a ticket no problem. The Public has been urging people to go early so I guess they are right!

[Brick]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 12:29pm

Yesterday was the Tonys.

[Mrfreeze]

Posted: 6/16/10 at 2:48pm

Question. I am thinking about seeing it either Thursday or Friday. Obviously I know I will have to camp out. I'm thinking about getting there around 2-3 in the morning. Is that early enough?
Which day do you think would be better? I'm thinking maybe Thursday.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/16/10 at 3:00pm

I went to Winter's Tale last night. There were empty seats. I don't know if they were because people took tickets and decided not to show or whether there were just left over tickets.

Before the show, the interns were running around yelling at people who were taking pictures. They should have just got Patti LuPone to stand on stage and yell: Stop taking pictures!!

[Mrfreeze]

Posted: 6/16/10 at 3:19pm

I'm just worried that Merchant tix are much more in demand because of Pacino.

I had no prob getting tix for Winter's tale. I just really want to catch Merchant during previews. I got a feeling that once it opens the line situation will be crazy!

[Anakela]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 1:36am

Went to see Merchant tonight (tonight = Thurs 6/17). On the way in we passed so many people holding signs looking for tickets, and it appeared that the cancellation line was started by people who received vouchers when tickets were passed out earlier today, as there wasn't really a "line," but a cluster of people and someone calling out voucher numbers.

On the way out at just after 11pm there was already a line forming for tomorrow's distribution. It wasn't a long line (couple of chairs, one tent looking contraption), but it was the start of a line.

Which makes even sadder the fact that for the entire show tonight I was looking at four empty seats just near me. But hopefully the filling empty seats from the cancellation line process will get better during the run.