Public Theater Partners with TodayTix to Offer Free Tickets to First Previews

Continuing The Public Theater's mission to make theater accessible to all, The Public announced today that free tickets will be given out to the first performance of every mainstage show in The Public's 2014-15 downtown season at Astor Place. In partnership with TodayTix, New York's premiere theater ticket app, the FIRST PREVIEW "FREE FOR ALL" initiative expands on Joe Papp's vision to engage the whole city in the transformative experience of theater that started more than 50 years ago with free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte and has since served more than five million people with over 150 free productions.

"We have been doing free theater in Central Park for more than half a century," said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. "This is a delightful, long overdue extension of the idea to our downtown shows."

"Joe Papp founded The Public Theater on the principle that great theater should be accessible to everyone," said CEO and Co-Founder of TodayTix Merritt Baer. "We started TodayTix with a similar mission in mind: to make theater tickets affordable and help broaden access. This unique initiative perfectly reflects the missions of both of our organizations, and we couldn't be more thrilled to leverage our technology to support The Public."

FREE TICKETS will be available via TodayTix mobile lottery, launching one week before the first preview of each show in the 2014-2015 season. Winners will be notified by email and push notifications between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on the day of the first preview. You must confirm your winning tickets in the TodayTix app within one hour of being notified. A limited number of tickets will also be distributed, beginning at 12:00 p.m., via lottery in the lobby of The Public Theater at Astor Place at 425 Lafayette Street. For more information, please visit www.publictheater.org.

The 2014-15 FIRST PREVIEW "FREE FOR ALL," sponsored by TodayTix, includes The Fortress of Solitude on Tuesday, September 30; Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) on Tuesday, October 14; Straight White Men on Friday, November 7; Hamilton on Tuesday, January 20, 2015; The Total Bent on Tuesday, March 3, 2015; and Toast on Friday, April 3, 2015.

In addition to free Shakespeare in the Park and the upcoming FIRST PREVIEW "FREE FOR ALL" initiative, The Public Theater offers the free Mobile Shakespeare Unit, which brings free Shakespeare to audiences in the five boroughs who have limited or no access to the arts; and Public Works, an ongoing initiative that invites members of diverse communities to participate in workshops, take classes, attend performances at The Public and join in the creation of ambitious works of participatory theater, the most recent being The Winter's Tale at the Delacorte Theater staged for free for three nights in September.

TODAYTIX (Merritt Baer, CEO & Co-Founder; Brian Fenty, Operating Chairman & Co-Founder; Elizabeth Williams, Partner and Theatrical Founder) is bringing Broadway and Off Broadway into the 21st century as the first mobile-only ticketing platform for theater, with its first class, easy-to-use app interface and exclusive concierge service. Offering an unparalleled customer experience by leveraging best practices from hospitality, venture capital and consumer brands, TodayTix caters to last minute ticket-buyers (approximately 40-50% of Broadway tickets are now purchased week-of) and customers seeking a simple, transparent, one-stop shopping experience for live theatrical events in New York City. TodayTix makes tickets available to a range of live theatrical events in New York City up to one week in advance, and at the best available prices (with one of the lowest convenience fees in the industry). Unlike traditional ticket-buying interfaces, purchases can be made in 30 seconds or less, with just a few taps. TodayTix utilizes enterprise-grade mobile and payments infrastructure built by Bluefin Payment Systems and PayPal. In building a scalable platform for venues as well as consumers, TodayTix has partnered with many New York institutions, including The Public Theater, New York City Center, Roundabout Theatre Company, The Atlantic Theater Company, Broadway's On The Town and more. TodayTix also recently launched a popular referral program, where theatergoers can share savings with their friends by providing them a $20 discount code on their first purchase, and receiving a $20 credit in return towards their next show.