When do premium seats get sent to TKTS

[binau]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 12:24pm

How last-minute is this? e.g., the morning of a show, or really last-minute (e.g., an hour or minutes before curtain).

Thanks

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 1:20pm

More than likely really last minute... 30 to 90 minutes before curtain.

[bobs3]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 2:01pm

If premium seats haven't sold 48 hours before the performance the computer software knocks most of them down to the regular top ticket price. Depending on the show and demand for tickets any leftover seats are sent to TKTS anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours before the performance. If you are willing to take the risk buy a ticket at TKTS about fifteen minutes before the performance -- it is very likely you get great seats. Updated On: 3/1/14 at 02:01 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 2:20pm

I once got an orchestra row D seat at Jersey Boys at TKTS -- I couldn't get there until about 45 minutes before curtain, but I've wondered if that was a premium seat. (This was about two years ago and a weeknight.)

[HogansHero]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 2:55pm

there are no rules for these things and there is no computerized system that automatically knocks any ticket from one category to another. People love to make things up I guess. You can have a particular experience and it isn't pointless to pay attention to those experiences but it is also important to understand that the same thing may or may not happen on a different day.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 4:48pm

Whenever the shows send them to TKTS, if they have any available at all, would be my guess.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 4:50pm

^ Brilliant!

[jnb9872]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 5:04pm

I can't imagine there's any regularity to it beyond what I said!
If a show has those seats, if they're dropped to regular price, if they're sent to TKTS and when, would seemingly vary show to show and day to day.

Maybe qolby, it might be worth it to call the box office of the show you're interested in asking. They'd likely be the best positioned to know your answer.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 5:42pm

Just a guess, but I'm willing to bet the box office is not going to divulge whether they will be sending seats that were being sold initially at the premium price over to the TKTS booth.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 5:57pm

^

And that's why I think it's unlikely this question gets a satisfying answer.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 6:03pm

I agree with you there, jnb. As you said, it would vary, not even show to show but day to day.

TKTS is a gamble. If you are picky about your seat then buy directly from the box office or ticket agency (Ticketmaster, Telecharge, etc) and pay a higher price to help ensure the guarantee that you will a seat you will be satisfied with.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 6:52pm

Isn't the philosophy when selling seats, initially puts them up for as high price as possible and high booking fee as possible, then the nearer to the performance the show gets drop accordingly, as an empty seat has no value at all?

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 7:08pm

I checked TKTS really last minute this week, about 15 minutes before showtime. ROCKY had row K available. Pippin had row F. Not sure if they were premium or center though.

[broadfan327]

Posted: 3/1/14 at 7:58pm

FWIW, I got a single row k center orchestra ticket to All the Way 15 before curtain tonight. Of course single tickets you normally get a better seat.

[Patash]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 9:34am

Three weeks in a row I got premier seating at TKTS for Wednesday matinees, when the booth opened that day. Newsies, The Nance, and Matilda. All were either 5th or 6th row center orchestra. Maybe "house seats"?

[HogansHero]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 9:46am

again, anything is possible, and everything varies depending on the performance. In the end, it is the buying pattern that controls what's left over. If a group buys up a bunch of tickets for one night, that doesn't mean another will be there (and buy the same seats) the next day. Singles are easier to get when they aren't sold, impossible to get when they have already been sold. and so on. Add to this that each producer and/or GM has a different philosophy of how to push tickets, and you get a wholly unscientific basis for prognosticating. Hence my earlier comment.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 10:44am

It's NOT on any automatic computer decision. While certain productions likely have specific guidelines, there is no definitive answer that will cover all productions.

[brdway411]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 11:42am

I ended up in premium seats for a show through TDF, got them about 4 hours before the show. Was surprised it popped up that late in the day and they were premium seats.