Off-Broadway, on budget: 20at20 gears up

If all the world’s a stage, then the world just got a little bigger for poor NYC college students.

From Jan. 25 to Feb. 2, 20at20, an annual promotion set up to provide cheap tickets to an often-overlooked sector of New York theater, will be offering $20 tickets to students who show up at the box office 20 minutes before the start of about 25 different off-Broadway shows.

This program offers an opportunity for students to see the theater in a new setting, one that might be a refreshing break from the Broadway stalwarts. Often off-Broadway shows are more informal, more experimental, and offer viewers the thrill of seeing unknown shows before they’ve made it big. With 20at20, this opportunity is available at a low cost with the added thrill of line-stalking that New Yorkers so love.

Even though the tickets are cheap and the Web site claims that “the next Avenue Q” could be among these largely unknown shows, some students may wonder if this deal is really worth it—especially at a school that has special funding for the arts to provide discounts on tickets for off-Broadway and Broadway shows.

Whether or not this program is a real deal depends on what show students wish to see and if they like the thrill of risking the night’s plans for a small bargain. Students should keep in mind that CU Arts discounts are up all throughout the semester, depending on when they can buy blocks of tickets to shows. A scan of the list of CU Arts’ offerings on off-Broadway shows reveals little price variation from the deals offered through 20at20.

CU Arts works hard year-round to secure tickets under a certain price cap. “We negotiate prices through the producers and our sales rep to get the best student group prices we can. We try to shoot for prices underneath $40 to $45 dollars—that’s our cap,” said Rudy Scala, Ticket and Information Center Manager for CU Arts, who operate the TIC in Lerner.

Although the two services don’t overlap completely, shows that both have deals for are basically the same price. For example, “Ernest In Love,” playing at the Irish Repertory Theater, is $20 dollars through both programs. In some cases, the deal offered through 20at20 is far better. For example, students would have to pay the TIC $41 dollars to see “Circumcise Me”—playing at the Bleecker Street Theatre—opposed to the $20 for 20at20.

But, buyers beware. In some cases, the prices for 20at20 just don’t make the inconvenience worth it, so students should always compare before enduring the stress of going 20 minutes before.

And, Columbians should keep in mind that the name “20at20” may be deceptive for certain shows. Although the program boasts $20 dollar tickets, 20 minutes ahead, students should remember that for the bigger shows, New Yorkers, as always, will be lining up early. For newer or more popular shows like Atlantic Theater Company’s production of Sam Shepard’s “Ages of the Moon,” the line begins to form up an hour ahead of time. For shows that have had a long run, like the longest running play in New York City, ”Perfect Crime,” students can usually stroll right in.

David Gersten, the coordinator of the 20at20 program, offered a tip for students who are too late for the show they were planning on seeing. “Be prepared if the show you want is not available, and keep a map,” he said. “If you miss the 2 p.m. curtain, you can zip over to another show that has a 3 p.m. start.”

And, although some students might discount off-Broadway shows, preferring the big-name blockbusters around 42nd street, Gersten wants to remind students how seeing off-Broadway shows can allow for students to play the theatrical field. “The more you see, the more you can develop your own taste,” Gertsen said. “Off-Broadway, because of the diverse offerings, let’s you do just that: from revivals of classics to the most cutting edge experimental theatre, there really is something for all tastes.”

Gersten also spoke of the budgetary advantage: “And for a cheap ticket like $20, you can be more adventurous.”

It’s unclear, however, whether or not too many Columbians will venture downtown to take advantage of this program. Scala commented on how Columbia students rarely ask for off-Broadway tickets.

“Unfortunately we’ve found the majority of students buying tickets through the desk are focused on the Metropolitan Opera and Broadway,” Scala said. “The majority of interest is in dance and other mainstream performances for the day-to-day Columbia student ticket buyer.”

And yet, Scala wants to encourage students to give off-Broadway a try. “I believe off-Broadway shows allow students to get a broader view of what theater can be. Most Broadway shows have a commercial element, and smaller venues allow the focus to be on the actual theater rather than the theatricality.”