19 replies to this topic

[audreydoll]

I stopped by the discount ticket counter in the Atrium for last Saturday night's rep program and their board indicated tickets were available with a 50% discount.  The "original" ticket price listed was $138 for a Rear Orchestra seat that I later found out sells for $89 at the NYCB box office.  With the 50% discount and the Atrium ticket fee, the ticket cost $73 so I saved something but it was nowhere near the discount I thought I was getting.

Similarly, they had Prime Orchestra seats at a list price of $198 discounted to $99 but those seats at the NYCB Box Office were $149, not $198.  I used the Atrium a few times last year and the original prices were the same as the NYCB box office then so I'm wondering how they're coming up with the list prices for the Atrium tickets now.  

Has anyone else noticed this?  Or knows why the original prices are so much higher at the Atrium?

[vipa]

audreydoll, on 29 September 2011 - 05:19 PM, said:

I stopped by the discount ticket counter in the Atrium for last Saturday night's rep program and their board indicated tickets were available with a 50% discount.  The "original" ticket price listed was $138 for a Rear Orchestra seat that I later found out sells for $89 at the NYCB box office.  With the 50% discount and the Atrium ticket fee, the ticket cost $73 so I saved something but it was nowhere near the discount I thought I was getting.

Similarly, they had Prime Orchestra seats at a list price of $198 discounted to $99 but those seats at the NYCB Box Office were $149, not $198.  I used the Atrium a few times last year and the original prices were the same as the NYCB box office then so I'm wondering how they're coming up with the list prices for the Atrium tickets now.  

Has anyone else noticed this?  Or knows why the original prices are so much higher at the Atrium?

Thank you for mentioning this.  I haven't used the Atruim yet this season but plan to do so soon.  The NYCB ticket pricing thing is pretty confusing all around,

[carbro]

I know that box  offices in New York City are licensed and regulated by the Department of Consumer Affairs.  I don't know whether this includes discounters, such as the one in the Atrium or TkTS at Duffy Square, but you could call Consumer Affairs through the City's 3-1-1 system, if it's important enough to you.  

If you do -- or if someone else does -- please let us know what response you get.

Meanwhile, there's still  no diagram with ticket prices for the various seat locations for NYCB.  There's probably something wrong with that.

[vipa]

audreydoll, on 29 September 2011 - 05:19 PM, said:

I stopped by the discount ticket counter in the Atrium for last Saturday night's rep program and their board indicated tickets were available with a 50% discount.  The "original" ticket price listed was $138 for a Rear Orchestra seat that I later found out sells for $89 at the NYCB box office.  With the 50% discount and the Atrium ticket fee, the ticket cost $73 so I saved something but it was nowhere near the discount I thought I was getting.

Similarly, they had Prime Orchestra seats at a list price of $198 discounted to $99 but those seats at the NYCB Box Office were $149, not $198.  I used the Atrium a few times last year and the original prices were the same as the NYCB box office then so I'm wondering how they're coming up with the list prices for the Atrium tickets now.  

Has anyone else noticed this?  Or knows why the original prices are so much higher at the Atrium?

I just got atrium discount tickets for tonight's performance of Jewels.  The tickets were listed at 50% off of $60 tickets - $30 per ticket plus a $4 per ticket fee.  So I got tickets for row C of the 4th ring near the center of the row.  I'm very happy about it.  Question is similar to audreydoll's - where did the $60 original price come from.  I don't see $60 listed on the NYCB web site.  I didn't think to ask when I was buying them.

[Eileen]

vipa, on 01 October 2011 - 09:18 AM, said:

audreydoll, on 29 September 2011 - 05:19 PM, said:

I stopped by the discount ticket counter in the Atrium for last Saturday night's rep program and their board indicated tickets were available with a 50% discount.  The "original" ticket price listed was $138 for a Rear Orchestra seat that I later found out sells for $89 at the NYCB box office.  With the 50% discount and the Atrium ticket fee, the ticket cost $73 so I saved something but it was nowhere near the discount I thought I was getting.

Similarly, they had Prime Orchestra seats at a list price of $198 discounted to $99 but those seats at the NYCB Box Office were $149, not $198.  I used the Atrium a few times last year and the original prices were the same as the NYCB box office then so I'm wondering how they're coming up with the list prices for the Atrium tickets now.  

Has anyone else noticed this?  Or knows why the original prices are so much higher at the Atrium?

I just got atrium discount tickets for tonight's performance of Jewels.  The tickets were listed at 50% off of $60 tickets - $30 per ticket plus a $4 per ticket fee.  So I got tickets for row C of the 4th ring near the center of the row.  I'm very happy about it.  Question is similar to audreydoll's - where did the $60 original price come from.  I don't see $60 listed on the NYCB web site.  I didn't think to ask when I was buying them.

The "official" box office price for 4th ring is $55. Plus I think a $2 faciity fee. Seems like the Atrium rounded up to fudge their pricing a bit.

[carbro]

There is not a uniform price for the 4th Ring C-K.  -- or any location of the theater.  You have to think of the price scheme as a concentric horse-shoe shape, with (if I recall correctly) the most central 4th Ring seats priced somewhere around $100, prices falling as you move away from center.  I can't imagine anyone paying that much, even for a dead-center ticket, in the 4th Ring.

I haven't been able to find a map of the seats that show the prices.  I suspect the reason is that the company doesn't want  patrons to know that the person with whom they're fighting the armrest battle paid $20 less than they did for essentially the same seat.

[abatt]

Based on my personal experience, the administrative arm of NYCB now has as much credibility as  used car salesmen. (Sorry to any reputable used car salesmen out there!)  It's sad, since I have so much respect and admiration for the dancers.

[vipa]

abatt, on 03 October 2011 - 06:12 AM, said:

Based on my personal experience, the administrative arm of NYCB now has as much credibility as  used car salesmen. (Sorry to any reputable used car salesmen out there!)  It's sad, since I have so much respect and admiration for the dancers.

I agree with abatt.  

I just want some clarity about things.  They open some sections for some ballets but not others.  Prices vary in ways that are difficult to understand.  When I went to see Jewels last Sat. evening I got a 4th row seat in row C.  No one was behind me  and rows A & B as well as much of C were SAB students who were most likely given tickets.  I don't know why they bothered with the 4th ring at all.

I want to be clear that I'm not complaining about my tickets.  It was a wonderful performance, but NYCB is making it hard for dance lovers to know what to do.  It must be really confusing for the casual dance viewer.

[carbro]

carbro, on 01 October 2011 - 10:41 PM, said:

There is not a uniform price for the 4th Ring C-K.  -- or any location of the theater.  You have to think of the price scheme as a concentric horse-shoe shape, with (if I recall correctly) the most central 4th Ring seats priced somewhere around $100, prices falling as you move away from center.  I can't imagine anyone paying that much, even for a dead-center ticket, in the 4th Ring.

I haven't been able to find a map of the seats that show the prices.  I suspect the reason is that the company doesn't want  patrons to know that the person with whom they're fighting the armrest battle paid $20 less than they did for essentially the same seat.

I retract this post.  A friend confirms what Eileen said -- the standard price for 4th Ring is $55.  Apologies for the misinformation and any resultant confusion (not including my own   ).

[Balanchinomane]

It seems they are papering the theater top to bottom with $15.00 Student Rush tickets. On Sunday
the Atrium sold 3rd and 4th ring only so I thought the lower tiers were sold out. The best seat they could
sell me was the last row center - Third Ring for $51.00. The center front rows were mostly students.
And there were lots of empty seats in the lower tiers.
One night last week I had a $31 Orchestra seat - I know of at least 3 student ticket holders in Row A.
$149.00 seats sold for $15.00  -  cellphones lit, jeans and sneakers propped up on the orchestra pit wall.
This is their target audience? These are not SAB students. At what point in time do they think these people
will pay $149.00? The website shows Student tickets available for every performance this week.
For Tuesday's Jewels - you can get Orchestra row D $149, 1st Ring row A $149, 2nd Ring row B $129,
3rd Ring row B $89. Try to put a $29.00 seat in your cart. Even if it shows available you cannot buy it.
It's been this frustrating to me all season. I know I don't have to see  Jewels 3 times but  up until this
year I could do it easily. ABT was smart not to get involved with the Atrium. You can almost always get
a last minute ticket for under $50. And weekdays you can sit in the Orchestra for $71. And you can
choose your own seat at almost all the theater websites. City Opera had that capability at this theatre
so it does exist. I guess the $100,000,000 didn't include software upgrades. End of rant.

[abatt]

They are definitely papering the theater with cheap tickets for students/younger people, based on what I observed at a recent performance.  They have alienated many of their loyal, long term subscribers and customers.  Who are they replacing those subscribers with?   On Saturday afternoon, the theater looked like a ghost town. Almost entire rows of center orchestra seats were empty.  Large numbers of centered seats in the first and second rings were empty.  The third ring was about 20 percent full, and the fourth ring was not sold.  I don't recall attendance being this dismal in prior years. It will be interesting to see if they continue this suicidal pricing system for the 2012-2013 season.  I'm sure the bean counters at NYCB are tracking ticket sales. Ocean's Kingdom and to, a lesser extent, Jewels have sold well.  I think everything else has sold poorly during the Fall season(except the special "Black and White" program where all tickets were $50 or $25).

[Eileen]

Has anyone tried NYC & Co. located on Seventh Avenue around 53rd St.? They used to always have reduced price vouchers - i.e., $55 for orchestra on the sides and $15 for 4th ring. Now with the change in seating arrangements I don't know if NYCB is still issuing those vouchers. I'll look into it and report back.

[Eileen]

Eileen, on 04 October 2011 - 08:53 AM, said:

Has anyone tried NYC & Co. located on Seventh Avenue around 53rd St.? They used to always have reduced price vouchers - i.e., $55 for orchestra on the sides and $15 for 4th ring. Now with the change in seating arrangements I don't know if NYCB is still issuing those vouchers. I'll look into it and report back.

Sorry, I called the box office and they told me they don't have the vouchers this season. Brilliant.

[melange]

This is slightly off topic, but has anyone heard what seating horrors NYCB may have in store for us during Nutcracker season?  I ask this because I will have my annual flock of guests in December and The Nutcracker is one of those "things-to-do-while-in-New York."  I typically have not had trouble getting as many as four decent seats on short notice for the season off-peak, but given what's been going on lately, I wonder if NYCB is planning to gum up the works this year.  It will be dreadfully inconvenient if I am not able to get tickets in the usual straight forward way.

[ksk04]

Balanchinomane, on 03 October 2011 - 08:18 PM, said:

One night last week I had a $31 Orchestra seat - I know of at least 3 student ticket holders in Row A.
$149.00 seats sold for $15.00  -  cellphones lit, jeans and sneakers propped up on the orchestra pit wall.
This is their target audience? These are not SAB students. At what point in time do they think these people
will pay $149.00? The website shows Student tickets available for every performance this week.

NYCB pricing scheme is clearly out of hand, but the availability of student tickets, in general, should be supported rather than denigrated. "These people" will perhaps pay $149 when they become professionals and can afford paying more.  I make use of student discounts all the time and I don't feel guilty about it--I make a pittance teaching and can't afford going regularly to the ballet otherwise. Student tickets fill in spots that have holes in the audience--so when a person with prime orchestra seats donates their tickets at the last minute, they feed those into student rush availability if they cannot be sold. Perhaps you didn't like these students, but NYCB has to do something to fill seats in the house, and I'm sure they did it (and others do it--do you have similar issues with ABT's $29 orchestra seat package for under 30s?) even before they drove away a lot of their audience this season.