Comp Tickets
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Theater Administration
Forum Name: Money Talk
Forum Discription: Questions about fundraising and promotion
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3752
Printed Date: 4/29/24 at 7:00am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Comp Tickets
Posted By: imamember
Subject: Comp Tickets
Date Posted: 1/18/09 at 4:29pm
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I wanna get a conversation started here and this is just the beginning. What are your policies on comp tickets? Also state if you're a CT with a lot of money and a building or a "gypsy" group. |
Replies:
Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 1/18/09 at 7:51pm
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As the director, I am the one to give out the comp tickets. They are usually sent to someone who has given a gift to the theatre, families (with multiple children) who couldn't afford to take them all out, folks who've never attended a show but I know will come to another and another once they've been, THE PRESS, neighboring theatres who have been kind enough to loan us stuff, etc. Please don't think I give out tons of tickets for each show ... it's usually limited to less than a dozen.
We are a "gypsy" theatre with very little money, but with very big hearts and talent. ------------- In a world of margarine, be butter! |
Posted By: imamember
Date Posted: 1/18/09 at 8:12pm
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Interesting. Okay people, let's keep this going! |
Posted By: KEB54
Date Posted: 1/19/09 at 6:22pm
I give out a few comp tickets. Generally it is because the receipient has saved the company cash. For this last show I gave 2 tickets to someone that allowed us to use an expensive piece of equipment (I figured it saved us $175); 2 to a costumer that loaned us about 12 costume pieces; a builder that constructed for us french doors, stair railings and posts, a fireplace and assorted other detailed pieces; and 2 to a marketing person that did a bunch of pro bono work. Heck of a deal for us!  ------------- KEB |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 1/20/09 at 12:22pm
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As a general rule, each cast member/crew gets one comp ticket each. We have comped tickets to others who have helped out or are in need. We recently had a couple who are very active in the theatre want to see a running show but due to economy issues were not able to scrape together the dough. We made sure they saw the show.
124 seat converted church owned by us. All community open audition shows. ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: imamember
Date Posted: 1/20/09 at 9:28pm
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So it seems that most people are in agreement that the purpose of comp tickets are to a supportive spouse, someone who has hooked you up by providing something that otherwise would have cost you quite a bit and perhaps as currency. I think our theatre is doing it wrong and I don't like it. |
Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 1/20/09 at 9:54pm
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How is your theatre doing it? ------------- In a world of margarine, be butter! |
Posted By: imamember
Date Posted: 1/21/09 at 7:37am
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Well I'm sure some comps go out the proper way but here's a recent example. We've recently started a youth theatre branch. They did a play last fall, had a good audition turn out so they double cast most of the show. They're doing a musical this March and had a massive turn out. The director didn't want to double cast as he found it to be a nightmare last time. The stage is at a local church and not huge so he could only cast 33 of the 81 who auditioned. He felt bad about turning away so many kids. So the board (cept me) decided that EVERYONE who auditioned would get two comp tickets to our mainstage March show 'Holes'. Now the youth theatre is funded 100% by Consumers Energy grant and a Kiwanis grant. Plus their tickets are only $1. Mainstage is nearly 100% ticket sales supported. I just had a huge problem not only with giving away 162 tickets but due to the dangerous precident it could set. Now when the kids were notified I asked that it be crystal clear it's a one-time offering due to the unexpected turnout and that tickets not be issued, but rather a guest list created so we could track how many took advantage and if additional tickets were sold, but I'm still unhappy. What does that say to kids? Audition and if you don't make it we'll give you a prize....shoot, we'll give you a prize even if you don't make it? It just feeds that notion of protecting their feelings. Also the only reason the director wanted a "prize" was because he was too chicken to call back nearly 50 kids to give them bad news. Well I'm sorry, that's the directors job. This all happened Saturday and I'm still fuming. I should just let it go. |
Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 1/21/09 at 10:48am
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Sadly, it is over and done with so you really should let it go. Stressing about what is not productive and only leads to ulcers. :-(
That doesn't mean, however, that it should not come up again in conversation at your meetings. $162 is a $162 no matter which way you look at it. Holes is a major book/movie and would have brought those who didn't make the cast in to see it with or without the comp tickets!
IMHO, giving comp tickets to those who didn't make it is celebrating mediocrity ... "Hooray! Your team lost, but we'll still give you a trophy!" You see it all the time.
In the future, if the director doesn't want to call all those kids back who didn't make it, simply post the cast list and have people check it instead. It could also be pointed out that "X" number of people will be cast.
I no longer call those who made it or not. It's their responsibility to check the cast list. ------------- In a world of margarine, be butter! |
Posted By: 75director
Date Posted: 1/21/09 at 11:38am
| Yikes, giving away that many comp tickets seems a bit extreme. Our policy is similar to most other posters. If someone has done something extra special for the production then we'll comp them. We also give our program advertisers and show sponsors tickets. The production director gets a couple of comp tickets, no definite number in the words of our feisty retired box office manager, "Just don't go crazy with comps, and we're fine." |
Posted By: vickifrank
Date Posted: 1/21/09 at 11:56am
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Not the right way to do it...but also self defeating.If you had given 1 ticket to the kids, they'd at least have to have bought one. One kid, one driver. That would have filled seats. I still think overkill with one ticket (and wrong message), but at least a bit smarter in terms of marketing.
Oh well, over and done with. ------------- _____________ http://www.studio-productions-inc.com 1-800-359-2964 The theater scrim people |
Posted By: dramacorrect
Date Posted: 3/10/09 at 10:12pm
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We don't give away comp tickets in most circumstances. For promotions or if the after prom wants a gift to give we will. Otherwise, no comps. And also usually only one, so they usually buy one ticket so they can go together.
We do have a Preview night the day before we open which we ask nursing homes to bring residents for free. That's the night we also allow any actors to have family comoe to take pics (as long as they have a ticket already for later), and for them to bring smaller children to come see mom or dad in the show if they're too young to come durign a regular show. ------------- http://tinyurl.com/6c4okhd - Theatre Articles http://tinyurl.com/3wvu3eg - Web Apps to Save Money Community Theatre Fundraising |
Posted By: imamember
Date Posted: 3/11/09 at 6:42am
| so we've been oopen a week with this show and only 7 kids out of 80 have claimed tickets so far (6 additional tickets sold to parents) so financially not so bad however one girl was quite smart, she came as a guest with one girl and then claimed her own ticket the next night. |
Posted By: greenphoenix
Date Posted: 3/11/09 at 2:54pm
| Every actor deserves two, in my opinion. It's the least the theatre can do for the actor who put in many hours. |
Posted By: imamember
Date Posted: 3/11/09 at 3:04pm
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I think I have to disagree there. You make it seem like the actor put in all those hours begrudgingly. They are there doing what they do and putting in all that time because they want to and the applause after each show is the payment as is the experience and new lessons learned. I'd say maybe one ticket for the spouse if they're not involved with the show since they're the one making the sacrifice, not the actor. |
Posted By: dramacorrect
Date Posted: 3/11/09 at 3:07pm
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If you get into giving them out though, you end up giving away your only means of making money. If our own theatre gave two to everyone who was in a show or worked on a show, we could easilly give away a full night's worth of tickets for each production. Over the course of a year that could cut our revenue by over $16,000. I agree it's the nice thing to do, but I also believe volunteers do so for the creative outlet, and not so much to get something tangible out of it.
We also have a policy though that if our last show or two don't have full houses we invite any family or friends of the cast who have come before to come see it again for free to fill up the house. But in all these cases, it's people who have bought at least one ticket. ------------- http://tinyurl.com/6c4okhd - Theatre Articles http://tinyurl.com/3wvu3eg - Web Apps to Save Money Community Theatre Fundraising |
Posted By: greenphoenix
Date Posted: 3/11/09 at 10:04pm
| I understand (and sympathize with) the money concern. We have a little theatre that seats about 63 people. I look at it like this, though: if you give back to your participants a little, they will want to keep returning to work for the theatre, bringing more audience and a larger circle of friends as potential volunteers. It pays off, in my opinion, at least for us. |
Posted By: janetk
Date Posted: 3/12/09 at 9:33am
| I have never heard of giving comps to people that audition. We seat 135 and are in the process of moving where we will seat 230. Each actor gets 1 comp. If someone helps on the production; workday, lights, backstage etc. they also get one ticket. Most of the time folks who donate items for the show will have their name under acknowledgements in the program. The most anyone can receive is 2 comps. We rent our space. |
Posted By: RoseColored Gla
Date Posted: 3/14/09 at 7:24pm
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Just starting out here.... but this is how i'm going to be handling comps - each actor/musician will recieve two "tickets" for our press preview/dress rehearsal. Any actual comps will be given out at my discretion to people who have helped us. The big exception this year will be for our final show, "Quilt, a musical celebration" We are partnering with AIDS Delaware, and will be giving comps to any and all of their clients who would like to come to the show. ------------- Dennis Dippary Artistic Director Songs for a New World http://rosecoloredglassestheater.com - RoseColored Glasses May Dionysus smile upon your every performance! |
Posted By: B-M-D
Date Posted: 3/15/09 at 4:03pm
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We don't give comps to actors and we don't call people that aren't cast. People who have worked on the show in some capacity other than acting, directing or not on the running crew of the show are entitled to see the show for free. Occasionally we'll comp on an as needed basis for items or services that have been donated. With a 75 seat house we have to be judicious with our comps. We have our own space with an arrangement from the town that includes an adult, childrens' and teen group. It's a busy space. We're not a rich group but we do ok. ------------- BD 
"Dying is easy, comedy is hard." |
Posted By: SpenceKenzer
Date Posted: 3/16/09 at 12:33pm
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Bear with me, as this requires a bit of explanation. At our CT every actor who is cast in a show, as well as the director and the stage manager, MUST become a member "in good standing" of the CT by the 2nd rehearsal (all other production team and backstage people are "strongly encouraged but not required to become members). That can be done in one of 3 ways: (1) become a Donating Member by making a charitable donation of $20.00 or more to the CT (receipts for income tax purposes provided) (2) become a Subscribing Member by purchasing a season ticket for the rest of the current season (including the show you're in) (3) if you can't really afford (1) or (2), then you can just pay the minimum Annual Membership Fee of $20.00 ALL members of our CT receive one "Two-For-One" gift voucher; Subscribing Members receive one of these per season ticket seat purchased. We don't give our actors (or director or SM) comp tickets. We rationalize that each actor has a "Two-For-One" that can be given away, and those who became Subscribing Members already have a ticket he/she can't use (because he/she is in the show) that can be given away. This policy has been around for decades (we're in our 83rd season), and was established in the days when "being a member of the club" was a much bigger thing than it is today. We DO give away a pair of comp tickets to other people who "make a significant contribution to the production", such as the loan of props or the teaching of a skill (dancing, fighting, sword play, baton twirling, whatever) to cast members for the show, etc. These people are NOT cast members and are NOT production team or backstage crew members. We also give comp tickets to our Corporate Sponsors (upon request, number depends on size of donation) and a pair to each of our local media outlets (print, radio, TV) for promotional give-aways. Any other comp give-aways must go thru our CT's board. ------------- --------------------<*> Saludos, my dahlinks, and you know who you are ... ! |
Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 3/16/09 at 1:13pm
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hey there.. I'm ok with some comps, but the orginal posters "consolation prize" scenario is over the top... I too am from the "one comp to each of the cast & crew" theater... It seems to work, but hopefully the goal is to get more folks in (or as Pdavis explained) help out that might not be able to come otherwise... The problem I have with our method, generally, is that it tends to appear to be a "thank you" to those cast & crew. As someone mentioned, the cast, for the most part, wanted in... they auditoned. And yes, the rest of us volunteered... But, petty as it may sound, when a walk on actor, (or even the star) gets a ticket (and the applause) it dosen't sound quite equitable for the costumer, set designer, dresser, builder, etc. etc. etc. that puts countless hours into a show for, if looking for reward, the same ticket... Like I said, petty gripe, it all works out, but its not a perfect system. ------------- Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.." |
Posted By: SpenceKenzer
Date Posted: 3/16/09 at 6:23pm
The comp ticket given to any cast or crew member SHOULD NOT be considered in any way a payment for their services. You're correct that the costumer may have spent many hours but the bit part actor may have spent less time. The comp ticket is an UNCONDITIONAL BONUS given to me just because I'm part of the production team. I don't expect a comp ticket to represent IN ANY WAY the size of my contribution to the show. (Not to put it too bluntly, but anyone who does expect that should probably put their psychoanalyst on danger pay.) REMEMBER: the word "amateur" means "for the love of it", not "for how much they'll give me to do it". If, as a bonus, I get a comp ticket, I should count my self lucky. ------------- --------------------<*> Saludos, my dahlinks, and you know who you are ... ! |
Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 3/17/09 at 7:55am
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Woah Spence.. Look deeper, I'm on your side... lol ------------- Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.." |
Posted By: SpenceKenzer
Date Posted: 3/17/09 at 4:19pm
 I sometimes let myself get a bit carried away when it comes to theater stuff. Sorry if I came on too strongly! ------------- --------------------<*> Saludos, my dahlinks, and you know who you are ... ! |
Posted By: jcf0mtr
Date Posted: 3/30/09 at 1:03pm
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Our company provides each cast member 2 comps and two "friends and family" discount tickets. The comps and friends and family tickets are good for any night of a run, but are limited to the back 1/3 of our theater and are on a space availablity basis only.
The friends and family tickets are at approximately 1/3 of the normal price. This produces additional ticket sales that more than compensate us for the discounts.
We also give our corporate sponsors a block of seats on the opening night of each production (when sales are historically low), and provide them a reception before the show. This has worked well in keeping corporate money coming in - even now that the economy is down.
Finally, there is a special needs community center we provide tickets to on nights where this no sell-out. ------------- Joe Pembroke Pines Theatre of the Performing Arts |
Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 3/30/09 at 1:37pm
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aaahh corporate sponsors.. what a concept... ------------- Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.." |
Posted By: actornorth
Date Posted: 3/23/10 at 7:19pm
| Our organization is going through a debate regarding comps. Our policy is to give every cast and crew member one comp and use about 30 for media. Now, the director wants seats to be filled and wants a flood of comps to offset low sales. Do other groups do this? Does your group have a firm policy regarding comps? Any guidelines you can offer? |
Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 3/23/10 at 8:46pm
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The trick with comps is to try to give them to people that wouldn't have bought a ticket otherwise, or give them to people that will bring other people along that will pay. Actors friends and family are your most reliable customers in a community theater. They will come, and they will buy tickets. If you do give actors a comp, perhaps it would be smarter to give out one per night. ------------- David M |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 3/25/10 at 7:50pm
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As was done by PJ Barnham, he give out a heap of single comps to everyone, when his circus first came to town, which virtualy would gaurentee full houses for each show. Because one single comp wouyld generate a number of other paid punters within the families. Besides handing out comps we have donation boxes stategicly placed in the foyer. This can generate as much if not more than selling each ticket for the show. Our first show a few years ago we averaged about $40/seat when the full ticket price was only $12 each. Since then they have continued to build a healthy punter demographic in an area that is not noted for theatre atendance. An ameatre here in Fremantle are quite liberal with handing out comps, which always ensures them a full house & they flog loads of goodies in the kiosk. Which more than makes up for any perceived loss. ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |