On Theatre and the Internet

Lately, we've noticed a trend. Although patrons by and large enjoy the convenience of purchasing tickets online, questions about online ticket sales account for nearly eighty percent of the messages which come to our office. It seems that somewhere in the transition from the old EventMeister days of paper tickets to today's new-fangled internetery, information on how the new system works has been lost. As more and more theatres switch to the "Buy Online" method of ticket sales, we thought a little Guide to Online Ticket Purchases might come in handy.

The number one question we receive is "where are my tickets?" The answer is simple: they are in your hand. Or, at least, they should be. When you order tickets online, your receipt is your ticket. Sometimes those receipts have bar codes, sometimes they don't, but look carefully when you complete your purchase online -- most tickets sold this way remind you to "Print this Page."

Instead of waiting days or weeks for paper tickets to arrive in the mail, adding postage and handling fees to the total ticket price, your tickets arrive instantly on your computer, with no chance of being lost (or stolen) in the mail.

The next question, then, is usually "what do I do if I don't have access to a printer?" At some theatres, that may be a problem. If the receipt has a bar code, there's a good chance that the theatre needs to scan that code before you are seated -- it's the modern-day equivalent to the torn paper-ticket stub.  However, if there is no bar code, you should be fine. For good measure, if you know you can't print your ticket, jot down your confirmation number. With your name and that number, we can generally confirm your purchase at the door -- but be aware that you may spend a little longer in line at the door while we look.

So now you've bought your seat and you have printed your ticket or written down your confirmation number. The third question is "what happens if I am late?"

In most theatres, there is a strict "no late seating" policy. In larger theatres where seats are far removed from distracting the actors, you may be allowed to enter the theatre at a scene break (when you're less likely to disturb the other patrons), but in most cases you will be asked to wait until intermission to be seated.  You'll only see half of the show, but it's too late to do anything about that now.  In nearly every theatre, all sales are final.

Does that mean you can never exchange your ticket? Of course not!  Although some larger theatres have hard-to-miss "no refund, no exchange" policies (written everywhere in large, bold letters before, during, and after your purchase), most smaller theatres are happy to accommodate your changing needs if you let them know in advance. Some require a certain amount of notice to change your ticket (say at least 24-hours before the show) but they are almost always willing to help.  Up to a point. There is a magic moment when it becomes too late.  Even if that precise moment isn't listed clearly in the theatre's exchange policy, there's one you should expect in any theatre: it's when the curtain rises without you.

The reason is simple: you've left an empty seat in the audience. When you bought a ticket for that night, yours became a seat the theatre could not sell to anyone else, whether you arrived to sit in it or not.  If you let the theatre know in advance that you're not coming, you allow them to sell the seat to another customer -- and you'll almost always get the exchange you want.

Occasionally the practices mentioned above work together to create an unusual situation. Let's say you've purchased a ticket, but you arrive late. You're not asked to wait until intermission to enter the theatre, instead you're told that your seat has been sold to someone else. Now you're standing with a ticket in your hand -- and you've arrived to use it -- but you're being turned away.  You're wondering "Why wasn't my ticket honored?"

This one gets tricky. Remember that the "magic moment" when your ticket is no longer eligible for refund or exchange may be when the curtain is rising without you.  In that moment, it becomes safe for the theatre to assume you will not be arriving at all and that they may sell your empty seat to anyone waiting at the door for it. The bad news is that if you actually DO show up late to use your ticket and the theatre is sold-out, it's frustrating and inconvenient not to be seated. The good news is that if the theatre was able to sell your seat, you probably won't be held to the "all sales are final" standard. You may be asked to come back on another night to see the show, but you'll see the WHOLE show, not just what you'd have seen after being seated at intermission; and if you can't come back another night, it's very likely that, because the theatre was able to sell your seat, you can get a refund.

The internet is a fast, efficient way to buy tickets. Remember these few key points and you'll always have a pleasant theatre experience!

-- Kelly Lapczynski