There are many opportunities to enjoy the artistic offerings that San Francisco has to offer. But how can anyone afford them on a student budget? Here is a list of the top five ways to save money on the arts. This list is not exhaustive, but it is a great place to start. Rather than include full details, only cursory descriptions, Web sites, phone numbers and names of programs of interest are included for the sake of brevity. Therefore, I was not able to include fees for special services in some programs (ticket exchange, telephone transactions, etc). So do your due diligence and read the information on the Web sites and/or brochures thoroughly or call the box office if you have questions. See you at the theater!
5. Group discounts – Berkeley Rep is one of the country’s best professional resident theatre companies. They have won many accolades in the past including a Tony for Best Regional Theatre, and their 40th birthday year should be no different. The Rep has a program called Entourage: Gather 15 of your closest friends to watch a show at $15/student (except Friday and Saturday). You can all go to the same performance or go to different performances if your schedules don’t mesh. It’s simple to set up, and the organizer has the opportunity to earn a free ticket. For more info, go to www.berkeleyrep.org/entourage/index.asp.
SHN, which is responsible for bringing Broadway hits to San Francisco, often offers group discounts through UCSF organizations. For instance, Arts and Events has $25 tickets for the Sept. 13 showing of Mamma Mia! Occasionally, the School of Pharmacy will organize deals as well. Their latest was an outing for Avenue Q, winner of the 2004 Tony for Best Musical. Keep your eyes peeled for PLUS announcements e-mailed weekly by Maureen Conway for opportunities throughout the year.
4. Tickets sold the day of the performance – Different organizations have different offerings, but what it all boils down to is discounted tickets (usually two per student ID) on a first come, first served basis depending on availability the day of that show. Usually, you have to call the day of the show (sometimes the day prior to) and then line up at a given time on the day of the show.
3. Select 3rd party discount ticket agents – Although you have to register for this site, you can buy tickets for half off (excluding a per ticket service charge on a sliding scale) for shows that week at www.goldstarevents.com. Not only do they have offerings from impressive institutions, they also have discounts on treatments from a variety of spas. If you frequent the site often enough, you’ll see free tickets offered once in a while.
TIX Bay Area (TBA) has a kiosk located in Union Square that sells half price tickets to shows on the day of the performance. The shows are posted at 11 a.m. at www.theatrebayarea.org/tix/tix_halfprice.jsp. Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. and can be bought with cash only. It should also be noted that TBA will once again organize the local offering of Free Night of Theater, a national program put on by Theater Communications Group. Last year featured over 150 free performances in the Bay Area by over 100 companies. This year’s Free Night will fall around October 18. For more info, go to www.theatrebayarea.org/programs/FNOT.jsp.
2. Subscriptions – While all the previous options are based on availability (excluding #5), this is an especially important option if you want to check out some of the hotter shows with a limited number of performances. San Francisco Symphony concerts featuring Itzhak Perlman and almost any of the ones conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas are likely to sell out well in advance. But if you get a half-price student subscription, you can be guaranteed a seat for as little as $15 a performance. A pre-concert talk is included with your ticket. There are several 6-concert options plus an option to create your own series from a list of performances. For information, look for brochures on campus or call Ticket Services at (415)864-6000. Even if a series has already started, you can buy pro-rated subscriptions.
The San Francisco Opera’s hot tickets are Philip Glass’ world premiere of Appomattox, and Das Rheingold, the first in Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle. 3-, 5-, 7-, and 10-opera series are available, giving students and teachers half off the regular price. Brochures with application forms can be sent if you contact Kyle Minor at kminor@sfopera.com.
1. Culture Card – Since 2002, San Francisco Performances has been offering the Culture Card, a program in which students can view any number of pre-selected performances from the list found at www.performances.org/cclist.asp.
Past years have included the renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet to name a few. This year’s highlights are sure to please: jazz vocalist Luciana Souza; legendary composer Philip Glass on piano with Wendy Sutter on cello; and international award-winning Chinese guitarist Xuefei Yang among others. This year, the Culture Card will sell for $25. Holders will have the option of bringing a guest for half-off the regular ticketed price. If you go to 20 or more shows, that’s close to a dollar to see shows with regular ticket prices of $40 and up. These aren’t nosebleed seats where you have to squint just to see the action. Just show up at the box office with a valid UCSF Student ID one hour before the performance starts to claim your ticket. Christine Lim, the Artistic Director of Education/Artistic Administration, will answer questions and sell Culture Cards at a date to be determined (mid to late September). Another way to purchase a Culture Card is by calling (415)398-6449 or downloading the order form from www.performances.org/sfpculturecard.asp.
Originally published: http://www.ucsf.edu/synapse/articles/2007/Aug/30/culturepearls.html
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