RENT Offers Orchestra Tix Avaliable For Students And Lottery

Seats in the front two rows of the orchestra pit will be made available for $20 through a lottery for every performance of Rent, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony® Award-winning musical, at the Detroit Opera House, February 17-22. Following the lottery, students with a valid ID may purchase remaining available seats for $25.

To enter the lottery, patrons must go to the Detroit Opera House box office two-and-a-half hours prior to show time to fill out an entry card; the drawing will be conducted two hours prior to show time. Winners will be able to buy one or two tickets per person for $20 each -- cash only. The lottery is open to everyone.

At each performance following the lottery, only students will be able to purchase any remaining available seats for $25. Student tickets may only be purchased at the Detroit Opera House box office two hours prior to curtain with cash only. There is a limit of two tickets per student. A valid student ID must be presented at the time of purchase.

"In keeping with the spirit of the show and the vision of Jonathan Larson (the show's creator) we are happy to be able to offer prime seats to people who otherwise would not be able to purchase them," explained original Rent producer Kevin McCollum. "Jonathan was himself a struggling artist and his dream was to create a universal piece of musical theatre that's available to everyone."

The tradition of the $20 tickets was started in New York when the show moved to Broadway after a sold-out run in a small downtown theatre. Since that time people have lined up as early as the night before to guarantee their purchase of the $20 tickets. The producers of the show are committed to continuing the tradition of offering orchestra seats for $20 in each city the show will play. Offering the $20 ticket through a lottery for the Detroit engagement of Rent will eliminate the need for people to wait in line in the cold weather.

Performance times for Rent, The Broadway Tour - starring Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp and Gwen Stewart in the roles they originated on Broadway - appearing February 17-22, 2009 at the Detroit Opera House, located at 1526 Broadway St., in Detroit.

The $20 lottery tickets and $25 student tickets are available at the Detroit Opera House box office only. General ticket prices range from $25-$48 on Tuesday, February 17 (save $10). Ticket prices for all other performances range from $35-$58 and are available for purchase at the Fisher Theatre box office, the Detroit Opera House box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.BroadwayInDetroit.com. For group sales (12 or more) please call (313) 871-1132 or visit groupsales@nederlanderdetroit.com. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInDetroit.com or call (313) 872-1000.

For complete tour schedule and information visit www.siteforrent.com

The Detroit engagement of Rent is presented by arrangement with Broadway in Detroit and is sponsored by the Metro Detroit Lincoln Dealers.