Shakespeare in the Park Lines- Page 12

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 12:16am

Also, the big snag, I think, with an in-person drawing is that they'd have to either limit the number of people who can sign up, designate a window of sign-up time, or both. So even though what time you arrive within the drawing window doesn't matter, you'll still get people lining up to make sure they're able to enter. If there's a cut-off at a certain number of people, they'll want to make sure they're within the first however many it is. If it's a set window of time, they'll want to be far enough forward in line that they're sure they get to sign up before the time runs out. (Didn't something like this happen with lottery for the final performance of Rent? I can't remember if anyone camped out or people just said they would, but I remember seeing it discussed.)

Updated On: 7/13/09 at 12:16 AM

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 12:21am

i'm pretty sure it's Zach emcee

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 12:28am

Whoa whoa whoa, I wasn't the one asking!

[Mrfreeze]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 12:41am

Maybe what they could do is stamp your hand when you get a ticket that can only be seen under UV light, so you wouldn't know what the image is. You get one stamp per pair of ticks so if you want to enter the theater, one needs to show the stamp.

This way our "dear entrepreneurs" would have to go see the show,and wouldn't be able to sell all the tickets.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 12:44am

But what if you only wanted one ticket? How would they keep count? I guess they could have differently coded stamps, but that seems more complicated than it's worth.

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 1:03am

whoopsies lol. sorry dude, i got mixed up in all of the posts.

i think something like a UV stamp would work good if they're really trying to get rid of all the line sitters. only problem would be they would have to make sure no one washes their hands too much. like humbug said, theres no perfect plan for this. something wrong will happen and not everyone will be happy. i think the system is fine now. if you have to go OD early to get tickets than so be it. if not that's what the virtual line is for(even tho people have been complaining about the virtual line's system, i've never tried it so i don't know)

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 1:12am

There's nothing wrong with the virtual line other than that some people don't win it. That's the main complaint -- that it's difficult to win. Which, too bad. The other problem is that the server often crashes, but that is certainly fixable.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 1:21am

what if they had several lottos, either running concurrently in different locations, or staggered throughout the day? with the same sort of tickets humbug was talking about.

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 9:33am

that actually could work really well. they can do one in the park. one at the public and wasn't there another place they handed out tickets? and they could do one by the TKTS booth if they need to.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 9:40am

You'd probably still get people lining up with any kind of time or entry limited lottery, but by dividing it up, you lessen the number of people and hopefully make it more manageable. I don't know how I feel about eliminating the line all together because I do think people should be rewarded for their efforts, but I wish there were a way to keep it to a manageable level, because this weekend was just out of hand.

yay_gerb, I think you're thinking of the occasional other-borough distribution days. The Public sets aside a handful of dates during each Shakespeare in the Park run where ticket distribution takes places in the other boroughs, and in upper Manhattan: http://www.publictheater.org/content/view/129/224/

Updated On: 7/13/09 at 09:40 AM

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 9:45am

You know, these problems would all go away if they would just stop putting on such wonderful productions for free.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 9:46am

Yes, for the love of God, STOP DOING GOOD THEATER!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 9:59am

I'm not going to pretend that I have any solutions to this problem. However, the same problems exist with any suggestions.

A lottery? With that many people trying to get tickets...you could never HEAR the announcements...and you'd have gads of folks storming the ticket windows to "check" if their number was called. Also: it's just a chance. How often can people go for just a chance? Yes, I know the same applies to just waiting...but I think there you have a pretty good guesstimate of whether or not you'll get in.

I cannot imagine the clean up that ensues from the line. What a horrid shame. I "did" the line last year for Hair, my first time ever. We got there at about 5 - 5:30 and were 20th in line, or so. We were still able to start IN the park, althought I think that changed about a week after we went. I didn't see any trash being strewn about, and in fact, was impressed how friendly everyone was around us. What a difference a "movie star" makes. (And I'm not trying to disparage Hathaway, just the "fans".)

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 10:04am

Well, to be fair to the people attending, I don't really think it was just Anne, or that the bad behavior should be blamed only on those who came to see her, because I doubt it was only them. You had a perfect storm, of sorts -- one of Shakespeare's most beloved, most often-produced plays, a piece that people LOVE, a big name PLUS a laundry list of hometown favorites, and great reviews. All of that combined, on top of the problem of the weather and so many waiting until the last minute, is what made it so crazy, not simply that Hathaway was in the cast.

Updated On: 7/13/09 at 10:04 AM

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 10:11am

yea, as much as i know alot of people that went just for Anne i don't think the majority went just to see her. it was really a great production with big names.

in response to nobody hearing their names called, i think they should use the numbered tickets to make it quicker to distribute and they can have either more than one person announcing the numbers. or they could buy a big dry erase board and write the number and hold it up on a pole. just a suggestion. i know there's no way around the amounts of people that come.

[thtrbear]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 5:49pm

The virtual lottery no-shows shouldnt be such a problem because the standby line snaps up the freed-up seats. They could try it out on a flop show like THE BACCHAE.

I will love it if they switch to all-virtual lottery. One prob. would be that it would be so much more popular than it is now, even with all the added seats in the lottery, it might be even harder to win than it is now. I picture zillions of college students entering every day even if they dont want to go that night so they can give them back and forth to each other over the summer.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 6:29pm

Hang on - why are you calling The Bacchae a flop already?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 6:31pm

Obviously if it doesn't have a movie star, it's gonna suck.

I mean, I deem all shows that don't have Raul Esparza in them flops before I see them. It's the same concept, really.

[thtrbear]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 6:56pm

It's a weird ancient Greek play directed by ANNE BOGART I believe. With the most no-name cast they've had in the park for years (except for Hair which is supposed to be all young people cast anyway), which makes it even less exciting. I expect bad-to-mediocre reviews like for Hamlet the other year and good houses due to its being free Shakespeare in the park.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 7:00pm

It might be a weird play, but it's also one of the cornerstones of theater as we know it, written by one of the greats of Western drama. This production is being directed by Joanne Akalaitis. So, wrong, and wrong again. (And a score by Philip Glass, which I think is quite exciting.) It certainly doesn't have the stars-aligned feeling to it that Twelfth Night did, but wow, way to be negative.

Updated On: 7/13/09 at 07:00 PM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 7:03pm

So much for an open mind. None of those things automatically make it a flop. Let's have a look before we start calling it one, hmmm? Just sayin'.

Having said that, Anne Bogart is involved and she's well-known for wacky experimentation. I think it's going to be a hoot. Bet yer ass I'll be there.
Updated On: 7/13/09 at 07:03 PM

[claudioislove]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 8:00pm

And apparently we forget Jonathan Groff easily? haha

Anyway, I don't think the ticket distribution system is perfect, but I really don't mind it. Maybe that's because I went during previews, so getting there at 8:30 go us tickets, and I don't have a job, so I really have nothing better to spend my day doing. But I think sitting in line is kinda fun, and I don't mind it if I get to see amazing theater for FREE.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/13/09 at 8:03pm

Jonathan is a draw, but mostly to his established (limited) fan base, and certainly not anywhere near on the level of someone like a true household name like Anne Hathaway.