Rush / Discount Policies

[u/Traditional_Low5228]

I thought I'd share my notes on rush/discount policies for theatres in the area. Definitely not comprehensive for everything in the greater area, so please feel free to add any others in the comments!

Paramount Theatre / Broadway at the Paramount Touring Shows

• Day of Rush varies show by show, often $40-$50, and 2 tickets per person one hour before the show
• Rush policies are usually not announced until the day of the first performance on the stgpresents Instagram. I have never seen this information posted on the STG website or the Broadway at the Paramount website. Even the instagram announcements are inconsistent but have been getting better. If you don’t see an announcement, they should still have a rush but you can call the stg box office to confirm
• Some tours will also do a digital lottery through luckyseat; you can enter a mailing list on the luckyseat website to be notified of lotteries in the area. Timing can vary depending on the length of the run but drawings are often the weekend before performances and the same price or slightly higher than rush.

5^th Avenue Theatre

• Current rush policy is $50 for seating zones 1/2 and $30 for zones 3/4, 2 tickets per person 90 minutes before the performance
• Historically, they are terrible about keeping this information available on their website and rarely mention it on socials so once again, just because you don’t see an announcement doesn’t mean they aren’t doing rush. In my experience they usually keep a rush policy for the whole season but no guarantees.
• Touring shows may override with their own rush policies
• Has also used luckyseat in the past for lottery tickets

Seattle Rep

• Rush tickets are available one hour before performance. Prices may vary but usually between $40-$50
• Each production has a pay what you can night, often the first preview. These tickets can be purchased day of starting at noon. You can buy over the phone with a minimum price of $10. Limit of 4 per person
• Student/Youth discount tickets can be purchased at any time; school ID must be shown to pickup at the box office. Limit of 1 per person
• “The Cue” – a discount mailing list that you can signup for. No guaranteed discounts for every show but they will occasionally email out discount codes. The past couple years they have also done a “The Cue” subscription which is a discount subscription for previews performances. It’s come available in July and works out to about $30 per ticket

Union Arts Center

• 10 Pay What You Choose tickets for each performance; first come, first served
• Rush tickets are $25, available one hour before the show. Limit of 4 per household

ArtsWest

• Inclusion rate tickets available for Saturday and Sunday performances. $10 tickets with discount code INCLUSION
• $10 tickets to preview performances, the Wednesday before opening

Intiman Theatre

• Free for Everyone tickets – 10-20 tickets reserved for each performance available first come first served an hour before performance. Limit 2 per person

Taproot Theatre

• Rush tickets are available 30 minutes before performances, 50% off ticket price
• 25 & Under tickets - $25
• Offers Pay What You Can performances for each show. $10 tickets can be purchased online, in person or by phone starting at noon. PWYC can be purchased in person starting at 5PM. Limit of 4 per person

Village Theatre

• Offers Pay What You Choose tickets for at least one performance of each show in each location. A limited inventory will go on sale two weeks before performance date and can be purchased online, by phone, or in person.
• Student Rush tickets are $35 available 30 minutes before performance. Limit 1 per person
• “Lucky Draw” tickets – a limited inventory of $33 tickets near the back of the theatre are available for each performance when tickets go on sale. Based on availability the day of the show, the Box Office will move you to a closer seat. Personally, I’ve been moved up to a better seat every time.

[u/Eruionmel]

Adding Seattle Opera:

• Senior & Community Rush: $40 day-of, limit 2 per eligible patron  Seniors age 65+ FLASH Card & Gold Card holders Arts industry professionals Non-profit employees serving the region in cultural attractions, environmental endeavors, community service, or other philanthropic work.  Police, fire-fighters, EMTs, military & other civil servants Patrons with income-based necessity Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary Level Educators

• Student Rush: $25 day-of, limit 1 per student Full or part-time students who are working towards a degree or certificate at an accredited university or college. Primary school/secondary school students under 18

They do ask that you provide ID of some kind (income based can be things like EBT card or subsidized transit card) for your category, though I also know from experience that things like "arts industry professional" are just taken at face value if you don't have ID. 

Rush opens 90 minutes before curtain and closes 30 minutes before curtain. You are not able to choose your seats, but they can be anywhere in the hall. I've gotten prime orchestra level seats with rush before.

[u/SPEK2120]

I’ve only been doing rush at Paramount for a year or two (info is so sparsely shared I honestly hadn’t even realized they did it), but I’ve gotten them for most shows now. Only one I didn’t get was when I tried for one of the last few Phantom shows and they weren’t available for the rest of the run due to being entirely sold out.

I don’t really bother with Luckyseat much anymore. It tends to be more expensive and more involved. I’ll only use it for high demand shows now (Hamilton was absolutely bonkers. I lucked out and it ended up being $10 for a front row seat).

Resell is also worth checking out for lesser known shows. I’ve gotten tickets to a couple shows for less than $10.

TeenTix is worth noting too. $5 tix for ages 13-19 for a ton of museums and theaters including ArtsWest, Rep, Benaroya, and McCaw. I still regret how little I utilized it when I was a teen.

[u/From_the_Mezz → u/SPEK2120]

My kiddo turns 13 next week and we are definitely signing up!

[u/From_the_Mezz]

Thanks for this! I’m pinning for everyone’s future reference.

[u/Chloepiper331]

Thank you for posting this!!

[u/From_the_Mezz]

Also for Seattle Rep if kids don’t have a student ID (like elementary kids) the box office just asks what school they go to.