Tyrone Turner / WAMU/DCist

Are you Gen Z (or the youngest of millennials) and looking to up your culture game? There may be more affordable options around D.C. than you realize.

In an effort to woo a new generation of theatergoers, many theaters around the region offer discounted tickets to younger people. This includes the Kennedy Center, which has offered adults under 30 discounted tickets to select performances for over a decade. (This is in addition to their student and military discount program.) And while these programs aren’t new, they may not be well known among their target audience. 

“Back in 2011, thanks to the generosity of David Rubenstein, our chairman, the Kennedy Center launched the MyTix program,” says Kevin Giglinto, Senior Vice President for Marketing at the Kennedy Center. “It’s basically a program that provides access to tickets at deeply discounted rates to a variety of patrons who may not have the opportunity to buy at a full price for a variety of our programs.”

And although the program has been around for over a decade, they are still expanding and have recently added more tickets to increase access for patrons to see shows.

“One of the things that is very new in the MyTix program, we’re expanding the number of tickets that audience members will be able to buy for National Symphony Orchestra performances,” Giglinto says. “And that is exciting for us because we want to build that audience for the future.”

MyTix members are eligible for tickets sometimes more than half off original prices. And the choice to include a “Young Professional” category is aimed at attracting patrons who may be early in their careers and not earning a lot of money. 

“We just want to make sure that we’re providing a gateway for these folks to be able to come to the Kennedy Center,”  Giglinto says. “And it’s just sort of in those stages of life that is a challenging stage for a lot of people economically because they’re just getting their foothold.” Giglinto says that last year over 18,000 tickets were sold through the program.

To register, you can create a MyTix account on the Kennedy Center’s website. Offers are posted weekly and are on a first-come, first-served basis. The program also eliminates service fees and offers members 10% off food and non-alcoholic beverages at the Center’s restaurants and gift shops on the day of your show. Giglinto says there’s also a social component. On MyTix nights, members can come to the Center and meet each other.

Eligible events include the United Ukrainian Ballet’s performance of Giselle, Washington National Opera’s Blue, an interview with Common on the 20th anniversary of his album Electric Circus, and Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater. The discount program doesn’t include some major events, like the current production of Wicked.

Bravo is another specialty program at the Kennedy Center for young opera-goers to get specially priced tickets.

The Kennedy Center isn’t the only arts organization with a program aimed at attracting young professionals. “What is wonderful about the arts is that all of the arts organizations find ways to engage new audiences and have these kind of programs,”  Giglinto says.

The Folger Shakespeare Library has a 35 and under program for tickets and subscriptions. Shakespeare Theatre Company also has discounted tickets for patrons 35 and under, with free exchanges available at least 24 hours before a performance. And Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company has its own 30 and under program with ticket prices as low as $20 plus fees.

And these initiatives only scratch the surface. “You’ll find them all over the place,” Giglinto says. “I encourage people who are curious to reach out to these arts organizations and find out, because I guarantee you they’re all finding different ways to do similar things.”

Filed Under: discount theater, kennedy center, national symphony orchestra, shakespeare theatre company, theater, woolly mammoth theatre company,