TIX LIVES!
Half-Price Ticket Booth in Union Square open during construction
June 27, 2002
Contact: Belinda Taylor
415-430-1140
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO — As jackhammers pounded above
their heads and concrete dust swirled about, Cara, Angie and Veronica
have steadfastly toiled underground for 18 months while Union Square
has been under construction. The three women have come to work every
day to sell half-price theatre tickets, hand out maps and give directions
to out of town visitors wondering where to catch the cable car.
Cara Chrisman, Angie Rome Gonzalez and Veronica Fetzner are the gallant
women of TIX Bay Area, the half-price ticket booth in Union Square.
For the past year and a half they have worked underground, inside the
Geary Street entrance of the Union Square parking garage. Happily, ticket
patrons have managed to find them there.
“It has been pretty much a nightmare working down inside the garage, especially at first when the jack hammers were in full use,” laughs Chrisman, the relentlessly upbeat 28-year-year old TIX Bay Area manager. Needless to add, Chrisman is looking forward to bringing her crew above ground once a new “TIX Pavilion” is ready for occupancy. Even though Union Square officially re-opens July 25, the new home for TIX Bay Area won’t be ready for occupancy until at least September.
“The TIX Booth has been in Union Square for 20 years now,” Chrisman says. “I guess we’ll literally be in Union Square for a few more months before we get to see some sunlight.”
The old TIX Booth, located on the Stockton Street
side of the Square, was demolished
to make way for construction. Some figured TIX Bay Area was gone, out
of business.
“But the amazing thing is that people found us here, inside the garage,” Chrisman says. “They continued to buy tickets throughout this underground phase.”
It seems the TIX Booth can survive almost anything. The ’89 earthquake? No problem. Major reconstruction of Union Square? No worries. TIX Bay Area almost died in the early 90s when the previous owner filed for bankruptcy. That’s when Theatre Bay Area stepped in to take over operations. Now, TIX Bay Area earns over $1 million a year for local theatrical companies.
“It was a natural fit for Theatre Bay Area to take over operating the TIX Booth,” Chrisman says. “After all, our membership is the theatre community. We have 300 member companies and 3,000 individual members.”
Scott McIntosh, Chief Concierge of the San Francisco Marriott and past president of the Northern California Concierge Association, counts on TIX Bay Area to help his guests obtain tickets. “I am always happy to send our guests to the booth. The service is dynamite and I know they will be directed to shows that are a real slice of San Francisco theatre.” The Marriott keeps a link on its computer to the TIX Bay Area half-price ticket Web page. “Our guests love it. We even tell anyone interested in theatre to check out the website even before they come to town.” A lits of half-price tickets can be found daily at www.theatrebayarea.org.
When their long underground nightmare ends, TIX Bay Area will move into a large Pavilion on the Powell Street side of the Square across from the Westin St. Francis Hotel. TIX Bay Area will share the space with a new Union Square visitor’s center operated by the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks. Until then, Cara, Angie and Veronica, the gallant women of TIX Bay Area, can be found underground, Tuesdays through Saturdays, selling MUNI passes, Red & White Bay Cruise tickets, and half-price tickets to theatre, dance, and music.
BACKGROUND
TIX Bay Area is owned and operated by Theatre Bay Area, the nonprofit organization serving more than 300 Bay Area theatre and dance companies. Modeled after successful ticket and information booths in New York City and Boston, TIX Bay Area was created to increase the visibility of San Francisco arts activities, to develop performing arts audiences, and to find ways of marketing unsold tickets of participating performing arts organizations.
TIMELINE
The booth opened in Union Square in December 1982 as STBS, operated by Performing Arts Services (PAS). For 20 years it has been the only business in Union Square. The booth has always been financially sound, but the parent company, PAS, ran into financial trouble and declared bankruptcy in 1991. The booth remained open throughout the Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Theatre Bay Area purchased the booth in November 1992,
renaming it TIX Bay Area and restoring it to full fiscal health. Since
that time TIX has returned nearly $10 million dollars from ticket sales
to San Francisco theatres and performing arts organizations.
TIX is a central destination point for tourists, not only for theatre
tickets, but also for general tourist information. Its location in the
new Pavilion will make it an even greater tourist draw. TIX Bay Area
looks forward to a grand celebration in September 2002 when it moves
into the new Pavilion and marks 20 years in Union Square. Watch for
future announcements about this event.
HALF-PRICE AND ADVANCE TICKETS
TIX sells half-price day-of-show tickets as well as advance full-price
tickets for the SF Symphony, SF Opera, Beach Blanket Babylon, American
Conservatory Theater, Teatro ZinZanni and other arts groups in San Francisco.
As a Ticketmaster outlet, TIX offers tickets to most concerts and clubs.
And it sells Red and White Fleet Bay Cruise tickets.
TIX also processes orders for Theatre Bay Area’s other discount
ticket program, TIX by Mail, which offers half-price tickets in advance
to a wide variety of Bay Area performing arts events. Look for the TIX
by Mail catalog on line at www.theatrebayarea.org.
TIX Bay Area is promoted in numerous hotels and destination spots with publicity in maps, guidebooks, and rack cards and by word of mouth from our local customers and workers within the city. Through bayarea.citysearch.com and its own Web site www.theatrebayarea.org, TIX is able to provide access to events and information about local theatre and cultural opportunities.
TIX Bay Area
Union Square Garage at the Geary Street entrance, San Francisco
(415) 433-7827 recorded information
www.theatrebayarea.org
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 11AM – 6PM. Friday
–Saturday, 11AM – 7PM
Closed Sunday & Monday
