Good News for Fans of the TKTS Booth

Wonderful news! (Seriously!) I just received this press release:

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND’S NEW TKTS BOOTH
“UNDER THE RED STEPS”
OPENING THURSDAY OCTOBER 16 at 3pm

WILL BRING DISCOUNT THEATRE, MUSIC AND DANCE TICKETS BACK TO THE REVITALIZED FATHER DUFFY SQUARE.

Theatre Development Fund (TDF)’s new TKTS Discount Booth, located “under the red steps” in Father Duffy Square (Broadway and 47th Street, Manhattan), will open on Thursday, October 16th at 3pm, preceded by a 12:30pm ribbon cutting ceremony* in honor of the revitalization of Duffy Square. TKTS offers same-day discounts of up to 50% off for tickets to Broadway, Off Broadway, music and dance productions to performing arts lovers from the world over.

“We’re thrilled to move into our new home in Duffy Square,” said TDF executive director Victoria Bailey. “TKTS began as an experiment in 1973, operating out of a donated construction trailer and quickly grew into an internationally celebrated meeting place for theatre goers from New York and around the world to purchase same-day discount tickets and share their theatre experiences. Today, 35 years later, this extraordinary new structure creates a visual statement which signifies the critical and enduring role of the theatre in New York City. We would like to express our deep gratitude to Michael Stengel and the New York Marriott Marquis for providing a temporary home for the TKTS booth during the construction project.”

The new TKTS booth is a state-of-the-art fiberglass shell encased by an all-glass structure, which sits under a glowing red glass staircase. The slip-resistant glass steps are lit from below with advanced LED technology, and utilize unique geothermal-based heating and cooling technology. From atop this amphitheatre-style staircase, 27 steps high, 16 feet above street level, visitors now have a unique vantage point to take in the excitement of Times Square as never before, making Duffy Square a new destination for New Yorkers and visitors alike.

The design originated with an international competition in 1999 to redesign TKTS, which was sponsored by TDF as a project of NYC2000 and was organized by the Van Alen Institute. The winning entry, chosen from 683 entrants from 31 countries, was by Australians John Choi and Tai Ropiha. Their concept drawing of a glowing red staircase was then transformed by the architects at the New York firm of Perkins Eastman into the most complex all-glass structure in the world.

The new booth will feature 12 selling windows, each equipped with the ability to accept credit cards for sale of same-day discount tickets to Broadway, Off Broadway, music and dance productions. There is a special “Play Only” window where there is rarely a wait for tickets to non-musical productions. Hours of operation for TKTS Times Square are: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 3pm to 8pm for evening performances, Tuesdays from 2pm to 8pm for evening performances; Wednesday and Saturday from 10am to 2pm for matinee performances; and Sunday from 11 to 3pm for matinee performances and 3pm to 7pm for evening performances.

In addition, the revitalization of Father Duffy Square includes an expanded Duffy Square plaza, increasing the amount of usable pedestrian space by 115%, which was designed by architect William Fellows. The project to revitalize Father Duffy Square was overseen by the Times Square Alliance, Theatre Development Fund and the Coalition for Father Duffy.

TKTS is a project of Theatre Development Fund (TDF), a not-for-profit service organization for the performing arts. TDF operates two other TKTS Discount Booths: in Downtown Brooklyn at 1 MetroTech Center at the corner of Jay Street and Myrtle Promenade and a Lower Manhattan TKTS Booth at South Street Seaport at the corner of Front and John Streets. Since TKTS first opened for business over 35 years ago on June 25, 1973, over 51 million tickets have been sold at discount prices to millions New Yorkers and visitors who, without TKTS, may not have been able to attend live performances. Those admissions represent over $1.4 billion in revenue returned to thousands of productions.

Theatre Development Fund has played a unique role in strengthening live theatre and dance in New York City for the past 40 years. This not-for-profit service organization’s combined programs have filled over 72 million seats at discount prices (with theatre lovers who would normally not be able to attend live performance) and returned over 1.6 billion dollars in revenue to thousands of theatre, dance and music productions. Best known for its TKTS Discount Booths, TDF’s membership, voucher, access and education programs, as well as its Costume Collection, help to make the unique experience of theatre available to everyone. For more information about TDF and TKTS check the Web site: www.tdf.org.

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