What Free Can Do For You!
Now entering its fourth year, the Free Night of Theater program has been a big success across the country. Check out what the American professional not-for-profit theatre community, as well as the new audience members, have to say about the value of Free Night.
National Managing Partners
Austin Circle of Theaters - Austin, TX
We are so proud to be part of this program. Knowing that Austin is playing a pivotal role in shaping the theatre experience for our country is very exciting! Opening the doors of our theatres here in Austin and creating new audiences is an important part of ACoT’s mission.
Latifah Taormina, Executive Director
League of Charleston Theatres - Charleston, SC
Free Night of Theater 2007 gave The League of Charleston Theatres a perfect opportunity to both reach out to new and different audiences as well as generate visibility and awareness for the League itself. We were thrilled with our results and can’t wait for next year.
Emily Wilhoit, Executive Director
LA Stage Alliance - Los Angeles, CA
LA Stage Alliance is very pleased to continue to participate in TCG's Free Night of Theater program. We support any initiative that brings new audiences to our member performing arts organizations, and allows our members to unify, inspire, educate and entertain patrons through the unique shared experience of live performance.
Terence McFarland, Executive Director
Theatre Bay Area - San Francisco/Sacramento, CA
Since the campaign’s pilot year here three years ago, we have seen an extraordinary response from theatres, audiences and the whole community. The demand for live theatre—when it’s made accessible to all—is overwhelming. We’re bringing in new audiences—young people, people of color, people from all walks of life—and the research tells us they are going back for more. Free Night of Theater has thrown the doors of our theatres open wide.
Brad Erickson, Executive Director
Theatre Puget Sound - Seattle/Greater Puget Sound
In Seattle, Theatre Puget Sound (TPS) - which joined the program in 2006 - has used the momentum of Free Night to launch a broader week-long festival in the Greater Puget Sound area. Live Theatre Week has succeeded in attracting newer and younger audiences while significantly raising the visibility of theatre in their region through a comprehensive media campaign. The program has also increased TPS' visibility, thus attracting sponsor, foundation, and in-kind support well beyond previous years.
Karen Zeller Lane, Executive Director
Back to TopParticipating Theatre Companies
ACT Theatre – Seattle, WA
In the greater Seattle area, we’ve been able to leverage local efforts to increase visibility for our theatres by including TCG’s Free Night of Theater as part of “Live Theatre Week,” a region-wide program. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate our vibrant theatre community and to combine the efforts of many theatres to build audiences.”
Kevin M. Hughes, Managing Director
Alliance Theatre – Atlanta, GA
Mark Shugoll’s national research on this program is truly dazzling in its evidence that the philosophy behind Free Night of Theater really works – that people who never thought of theatre as an art form for them are invited in and that first-time experience translates into a practice of theatergoing. That’s a radical event and one we’re thrilled to be a part of.
Susan Booth, Artistic Director
Arena Stage - Washington, DC
Arena is proud to include TCG's Free Night of Theater in our repertoire of community outreachprograms. It provides the opportunity for a broader audience - one that may not attend theatre on a regular basis - to be introduced to theexcitement of live theatre. Free Night has been a foot-in-the-door for many new audience members, and that's something thatbenefits us all!
Molly Smith, Artistic Director
American Conservatory Theater – San Francisco, CA
Free Night of Theater is an exhilarating opportunity for A.C.T. and the entire Bay Area theatrical community. It’s a chance not only reach out to new audiences, but to engage the audiences we share in a cohesive and welcoming way. For those who attended their local community theater for the first time, or those who were introduced to a company they’d never explored before, Free Night is an example of how, as a community, we work towards the collective goal of providing access to the arts throughout the Bay Area.
Randy Taradash, Promotions Manager
The Colony Theatre Company - Los Angeles, CA
ANYTHING that exposes our theatre and live theatre in general, to new audiences is worth doing and we will forever participate in that mission. We placed materials specifically for the Free Night patrons in our programs, and incorporated Free Night into our nightly curtain speech. Having more than half of the audience be brand new to our theatre was very important!
Trent Steelman, Managing Director
Indiana Repertory Theatre - Indianapolis, IN
As the largest theatre in the state, the IRT is a critical member of the League of Indianapolis Theatres and were happy to participate in the Free Night program. We were delighted at the speed with which the tickets were claimed after they went "on sale" and looked forward to finding out the mix of people who'd be attending. It turns out most of the people who came to the performance had not been to the IRT before. The reaction to the show was wonderful and we're so happy to report that with the help ofthe 2-for-1vouchers for Tuesdays with Morrie that we handed out when people claimed their tickets, 66 of the 144 who attended the Free Night have already come back!
Megan McKinney, Senior Marketing and PR Manager
Footlight Players Theatre - Charleston, SC
Footlight was very pleased with our participation with TCG’s Free Night of Theater. Everything from setting up our show to getting the tickets ready was very smooth. We promoted Free Night through fliers and posters put in our lobby. Through just this minimal coverage, the League’s website and the City Paper mentioning the Free Night of Theater, we sold out of tickets in less than 2 hours. We were very excited about the interest in this program.
These seats would have normally sat empty and we were able to put people in those seats that had not been to our theatre before and would most likely return. To me, you cannot put a price on that. Our show was very successful and I am sure some percentage was due to the fact that the 40 people who came spread the word about what a great experience they had at Footlight.
Jocelyn Edwards, Executive Director
Milwaukee Repertory Theater – Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Rep has loved welcoming new customers to our three theatres during each of the Free Nights, and we believe it’s a great way to introduce The Rep to those who haven’t yet come to a play at The Rep. From our own research, we know that we reach a much younger and more diverse audience than those who already attend ... and that’s great. We’ve managed to entice many of them to return to the Rep for more - Free Night of Theater is a success story.”
Tim Shields, Managing Director
Oregon Shakespeare Festival – Ashland, OR
As a destination theatre in rural Southern Oregon, we are always faced with the challenge of creating programs to invite local audiences to attend our performances affordably. The Free Night of Theatre has become an anticipated event here in Ashland because it allows our local patrons to get excited about sharing what they love about OSF with their friends and family who have never been here before. It has been a popular and successful audience development tool for us, and a way to let all of our loyal patrons act as theatre ambassadors.
Mallory Pierce, OSF Director of Marketing & Communications
Utah Shakespearean Festival - Cedar City, UT
Free Night of Theater was well received by both participants and the general audience that evening. Participants were happy to have the opportunity to attend the theatre, and several other audience members voiced appreciation of our efforts to build theatre audiences. This program will help us reach out and build audiences for tomorrow, so it is something in which we will continue to participate.
Kami Terry, Marketing Director
Zachary Scott Theatre Center - Austin,
TX
ZACH Theatre has been a charter member of TCG’s national initiative since
2005 and the Free Night of Theater program has been a great way to
introduce ZACH Theatre shows to new patrons. It also offers an opportunity
for patrons to see a show, risk free — one that they might not otherwise
seek out due to ticket price or availability. We have Not only have we gained
exposure with our local audiences, but national exposure for Austin as well. We
have pride in the ongoing success of the program.
Jim Reynolds, Marketing/PR Director
Back to TopTheatregoer Feedback
"This is such an amazing program. Thank you so much for getting me back out into the theatre community." Kiran
"I attended a venue close to my home, but one I'd never been to before. The play provided a wonderful evening's entertainment…Thank you for making this exploration into such a local theatre such a surprising treat." Lynn
"Thanks for the free tickets! It was a great way to get us hooked on going to the theatre - we are planning on buying tickets to future shows!" Hung-Yee
"I took advantage of Free Night and attended a production at one of the smaller local theatres. Free Night of Theater is a fantastic opportunity to explore some of the smaller or newer theatre companies, absolutely risk-free. I've enjoyed my exploration of some of these companies in the past year!" Annie
"The Free Night of Theater promotion is great! It's a great way to check out productions at theatres you haven't been to before. My daughter and I had a great time and have gone back to the theatre since then to see other productions." Susan
"Prior to my Free Night experience, I hadn't been to a performance in many years, now I go so often that it's become a part of my regular entertainment regime. I think Free Night of Theater is a good way to introduce non-theatregoers to theatre and to revive the interest of those who stopped attending. It worked for me and I have been going ever since." Benita
Back to Top