Have no fear, fellow cash-strapped college students, the Signature Theatre Company has begun a new initiative called “A Generation of Access.” According to their website, the initiative ensures that “every seat at every performance” of each show’s initial run will cost an affordable $25.
Theater-going is an expensive hobby for most people, especially college students. If you don’t want to deplete your already empty bank account, the hobby is time-consuming and unpredictable– no matter which method you attempt in acquiring affordable tickets. Standing on line for hours with your breakfast and newspaper, waiting until the box office opens to buy student rush tickets, is not the most comfortable way to spend your morning. And after all that waiting you might be told there are no student rush tickets available for the day’s performance, thus losing hours of glorious, precious sleep! Then there are the “lottery shows” where you have to go about two hours before curtain to put your name in a basket and see if it gets picked at random. If it’s not, you have no excuse to not do your homework. Off-Broadway, while cheaper for the general public, is not much cheaper for students. $60 is no small amount and can do a lot of laundry and buy a lot of food. I love going to the theater, but the cost of theater tickets makes it a challenge for college students, like myself, to experience this incredible cultural opportunity that New York City has to offer. But have no fear, fellow cash-strapped college students, the Signature Theatre Company has begun a new initiative called “A Generation of Access.” According to their website, the initiative ensures that “every seat at every performance” of each show’s initial run will cost an affordable $25. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that “Signature remain[s] a home for audiences of all ages, backgrounds and incomes, creating a truly diverse and vital community in the heart of the theatre district.” Having tickets at such a low price not only enables college students to attend theater, but also to experience Signature Theatre Company’s pioneering mission. Founded in 1991 by James Houghton, the Signature Theatre Company was the first to dedicate entire seasons to one playwright, allowing for a full exploration of the playwright’s work. This includes revival productions of previously performed works as well as premieres of other pieces, enabling “an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright’s singular vision.” In 2005 the Signature Theatre Company began the Signature Theatre Initiative. The goal of this Initiative was to create affordable seating for the initial run of a performance for the public. The Initiative was subsidized through donations from corporations, foundations, and individuals, most notably Time Warner. The Initiative was successful in attracting new people to the theater and 37% of the audiences throughout the six seasons since this initiative began were first-timers. “A Generation of Access” is the program by which the Signature Theatre Initiative will continue over the next 20 years. “A Generation of Access” initiative is mainly funded through The Pershing Square Foundation, which, as its mission states, was founded in 2006 to “invest in organizations that use innovative and scalable solutions to attack the compounding roots of poverty.” It donated $25 million to the Signature Theatre Company, a majority of which is to be dedicated in a 20-year effort to ensure ticket prices remain affordably priced. For the next 10 years the cost of all tickets for the initial run of a production will be $25; the following 10 years of tickets will continue to be affordable, although not guaranteed to remain $25. The “A Generation of Access” initiative granted me the opportunity to see Blood Knot, a play by the South African playwright, Athol Fugard. I am an Athol Fugard fan and was delighted when I read that a play of his was going to be produced; imagine my delight when I realized I would be able to afford to see this play. Seeing Blood Knot was one of the best theatrical experiences I have ever had. I walked out of the theater shaken. But Blood Knot is not the only Athol Fugard play playing this season, later this year the Signature Theatre Company will be producing two more Athol Fugard plays, My Children! My Africa! and The Train Drive. Hopefully, with subsidized tickets, The Signature Theatre Company will achieve its goal and a more diverse audience can see them too.