Lin-Manuel Miranda performs at ‘Hamilton’ Broadway Opening Night at Richard Rodgers Theatre on August 6, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
The Kennedy Center swears that it wants to make sure everyone see Hamilton. After announcing Tuesday that it will be showing the famously sold-out Broadway musical during its 2017-2018 season, it released a statement today reiterating that the best way to snag tickets is by purchasing a 2016-2017 theater subscription.
“Renewal priority has always been a subscriber benefit, and that hasn’t changed,” according to the release. This means that people who sign up for the upcoming season’s packages will be able to renew for the following season, which includes Hamilton. The 2016-2017 passes will be available May 18.
But for some folks, that isn’t an option.
Hamilton are performing in DC but you have to pay like $2500 just to have the right to buy the ticket. The tickets are about 600$ each
— abby (@abbyptx) May 11, 2016
The Washington Post worries that the Kennedy Center might be taking advantage of how ardently people want to see the musical to juice up its seasonal subscriptions.
No one is entitled to see a musical that’s expensive to produce and in high demand. But neither should people who can scrape up the money for tickets to one show but not for two full season subscriptions be completely shut out of the opportunity to see an incredibly significant piece of theater.
A one-time windfall is nice, but a real, sustainable growth in audience has its value, too. The Kennedy Center should be careful not to let the short-term opportunity that “Hamilton” presents sour its relationship with the people who might make up that long-term audience in years to come.
But organizers are providing some reassuring words: “we want to share Hamilton with as many people as possible.” In order to do that, they have released will keep you informed about the single ticket on-sale dates, “as well as other opportunities to secure seats.” And the best way to stay posted is to boost follow their social media platforms, according to the release.
In September, the national tour that chronicles the life of America’s first Treasury Secretary will premiere in Chicago. Earlier this year, the cast came to the White House for a performance, including the show’s writer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda freestyling in the Rose Garden with President Obama. In 2009, Miranda performed the play’s first song at the White House for the first time.
