Ford's Theatre Society And TodayTix Announce Fourth Year Of Free First Preview Ticket Initiative

Ford's Theatre Society and TodayTix announced the fourth year of the popular Free First Preview initiative, through which free tickets are given away to the first performance of all Ford's Theatre mainstage productions. The TodayTix digital lottery launches online and in the app one week before the first performance of each mainstage production in the 2019-2020 season. A total of 1,950 tickets will be given away.

This season's Free First Preview performances are:

• August Wilson's Fences: September 27, 2019, at 7:30 p.m.
  • Lottery opens: September 20, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. ET
  • 600 tickets available to win
• A Christmas Carol: November 21, 2019, at 7:30 p.m.
  • Lottery opens: November 14, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. ET
  • 150 tickets available to win
• Silent Sky: January 24, 2020, at 7:30 p.m.
  • Lottery opens: January 17, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. ET
  • 600 tickets available to win
• Guys and Dolls: March 13, 2020, at 7:30 p.m.
  • Lottery opens: March 6, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. ET
  • 600 tickets available to win

The Free First Preview initiative began in fall 2016 as a way to broaden access to Ford's Theatre programming by removing price barriers and inviting those who live and work in the Washington-area to consider participation in the arts. During the most recent 2018-2019 season, more than 6,400 people entered the lottery to claim more than 1,700 free tickets to Ford's Theatre productions.

"We're proud to partner with TodayTix for our Free First Preview program, and proud of how simple and effective the process has been for raising awareness about and increasing access to performances at historic Ford's Theatre," said Ford's Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault.

To enter the digital lottery, patrons must enter online or download the TodayTix app (available in Apple App Store or the Google Play Store), open it and select the "Free First Preview" performance of each show. Entries are accepted starting a week prior to each first preview performances. Winners will be notified by email and push notification between 10:00 a.m. ET and 2:00 p.m. ET on the day of the first preview. Winners must confirm their winning tickets (up to two) in the TodayTix app or website within one hour of being notified.

In addition, a limited number of partial view tickets and any unclaimed digital lottery tickets will be distributed through an in-person standby list at the Ford's Theatre Box Office on the day of the Free First Preview. Beginning at 5 p.m. on the day of each Free First Preview performance, patrons can sign up using their email address to receive up to two tickets per person at the box office. In-person waiting list entries are eligible for partial view seats and any unclaimed lottery tickets. At 7:00 p.m., the box office distributes tickets on a first-come, first-served basis according to the waitlist order.

For additional information about the Ford's Theatre 2019-2020 season, visit www.fords.org.