Chicago Arts Access Hits 1,000 Ticket Milestone And Announces 2nd Year Of Programming.

Art service organization Chicago Arts Access (freetix.org) celebrates its milestone achievement of providing 1,000 tickets on freetix.org to live art performance in Chicago and announces a full season of partnerships for 2018-19. These partnerships include providing free tickets to performances by Goodman Theatre, Firebrand Theatre, Jackalope, Prop Theater, Haven Theatre, Escape Artistry, TimeLine Theatre, Nothing Without A Company, and First Floor Theatre.

The 1,000 ticket milestone also coincides with Chicago Arts Access' first outreach initiative - a collaboration with Urban Business League, Jackalope Theatre, and The Roustabouts to sponsor over 20 young people to attend Ike Holter's The Light Fantastic free of charge in July.

Supported by sustaining donors, venue partners and patrons, Chicago Arts Access builds community and strives to "invite everyone to the arts." Led by Tony Santiago and Dylan Toropov, over twenty venues and companies have partnered with CAA to date including Red Theatre, 2nd Story, 16th Street Theatre, Remy Bumppo, Lyric Opera, Pop Magic, (re)discovery theatre, Babes with Blades Theatre Company, Adventure Stage, Synapse Arts, Piven Theatre, Theatre Y, and For Youth Inquiry.

Chicago Arts Access will celebrate the 1,000 ticket milestone and the announcement of its second year of programming with a party for donors, board members, arts administrators, and advisory council members at Prop Thtr on September 27th. All donors who pledge a monthly contribution on freetix.org before September 13th will receive an invitation to the event.

"This is a great moment to celebrate," said Dylan Toropov in a statement. "We knew that this idea was ambitious but I had no idea we'd be this far and accomplish so much so quickly. We're proving that the public want more opportunities to experience art in Chicago."

Chicago Arts Access was founded by Tony Santiago and Dylan Toropov after Oracle Productions closed in January 2017. Santiago served as an administrator and actor for Oracle while Toropov served on the organization's Board of Directors. "We wanted to continue building community through free art while finding ways for more organizations to get involved. That's when we developed freeitx.org." said Santiago in a statement, "It's a donation platform that supports multiple patrons, shows, and venues simultaneously. It might actually be the only platform of its kind in the Midwest."

Chicago Arts Access runs on the generosity of sustaining monthly donors. Currently 35 donors donate at an average of $12 a month, providing funds for Chicago Arts Access to partner with arts organizations throughout Chicago.

With Chicago Arts Access, art makers and venues can welcome people throughout the city. Donors who sustain the arts in Chicago now have a donation platform that supports multiple patrons, shows, and venues simultaneously.

"Sustaining donors are the lifeblood of Chicago Arts Access," says Santiago. "Without them, this mission to make local live art free simply would not be possible."

Chicago Arts Access will continue to build community and audiences by prioritizing offering nights that include accessibility programming, increase the number of partnerships with community service organizations and aims to double the number of sustainers in 2019.

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