Sleep: good. Tickets: good.

June 26, 2009 6:21 AM

At what time should I show up if I want to get tickets to Shakespeare in the Park?

Specifically, I am planning to go with a friend to get tickets to see Twelfth Night next Sunday, July 5th. I'm nervous that we won't get tickets and want to show up at 6am. She'd like to show up at 8. Normally, I'd say we should meet in the middle at 7, but there's probably a right answer here... perhaps someone knows when the line usually starts to get out of control?

posted by prefpara to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

I didn't stand in line, but my friend did for me (very nice of her), and she showed up at 6am with coffee and a bagel and the line was already 100 deep, or so she estimated. This was a few years ago, for Midsummer Night's Dream. Err on the side of caution - maybe go early with a newspaper and tell her to "show up whenever she feels like joining you" (guilt guilt).
posted by allkindsoftime at 6:35 AM on June 26, 2009

I'd say six is about right. I used to go stand in line around dawn.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 7:01 AM on June 26, 2009

The theatre seats thousands, so being #100 in line is not so bad. I'll 3rd the suggestion of 6 a.m. being a good time, though since you want tickets for a weekend performance you might show up a little earlier - say 5:30 or so.

I actually used to work for The Public (theatre that produces Shakespeare in the Park) and the box office lady at the time was very strict about place holding in line - if you want coffee & bagels you need to show up with them. The only legitimate reason for having someone hold your place is to use the restroom - and if you come back from the ladies' room bearing Starbucks you might get booted to the back of the line.

And liketitanic, were all the rows behind the 3rd row of the amphitheatre empty? If not, you probably got really lucky and scored tickets that had been reserved for someone who canceled at the last minute. Awesome win for you, but not likely to be a frequent occurrence.

Best of luck, prefpara. Enjoy the show!
posted by philotes at 7:33 AM on June 26, 2009

This year has been difficult to predict--people on All That Chat, a popular theater message board (with no post archiving, unfortunately) have reported mixed experiences because of all of the rain. Some have said they've had no trouble joining as late as 8 or 9am on rainy days. But assuming that the weather is clear, I'd err on the side of caution and go with 6am. There is a "no joiner" policy for the line--if you get there first, you'll need to wait for your friend before you get in line. Although the Public doesn't start monitoring the line until mid-morning, other people may rat you out. (But if you only want two tickets, you'll be fine--your friend could get kicked out of line and you could still get the two tickets you need.) If you want coffee/bagel/paper, the line monitor has the number of a local deli that will deliver to the line.

Also, on rainy days that clear up in the evening, a few have reported getting standby tickets without any problem. They're distributed at a half-hour before curtain; folks have reported just dropping by at 6pm and getting seats. Might be a good back-up plan.

Mind though that the reviews of the show are out today and almost all of them are positive. The New York Times review might even be termed a rave. Could make the line a little more difficult to predict.
posted by meghanagain at 7:37 AM on June 26, 2009

Shakespeare in the Park also has a virtual line.
http://www.publictheater.org/content/view/126/219/
posted by zeraus at 7:46 AM on June 26, 2009

A few years ago, we got there at 7:30, and although we stayed until the bitter end, we were about 100 people shy of getting tickets. On the plus side, we met some locals, who were nice to us.

People show up with lawn chairs, the paper, and coffee.
posted by Danf at 7:58 AM on June 26, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone, for your advice! My friend and I showed up yesterday at 6 am... along with many, many other people who'd had the same idea. The difference between getting there at 5.45 and 6.10 was enormous. We spent the day on what the line managers called "the grass of uncertainty" (just past the "tree of chance" and far distant from the "rock of hope") and did not get tickets. We did score vouchers, however, which turned into tickets later that night. The play was fantastic, and we had a wonderful time.
posted by prefpara at 7:38 AM on July 6, 2009