Manhattan's South Street Seaport will be the new downtown location for the popular discount theatre-ticket service run by the Theatre Development Fund.
The TDF Lower Manhattan tkts Ticket Booth is aiming to open a temporary seaport location for business by mid July and a permanent space by August. The exact dates will be announced shortly.
Since Oct. 11, 2001, one month after TDF's tkts Booth in 2 World Trade Center was destroyed, tkts has operated from a trailer at Bowling Green Park Plaza. Originally operating in the park on a temporary, short-term basis, the Department of Parks and Recreation allowed tkts to remain through the end of June. That tkts location closed Wednesday, June 26.
The tkts South Street Seaport will operate like tkts in Times Square (Broadway and 47th Street), selling same-day discount tickets to Broadway, Off-Broadway, music and dance productions. The permanent location, currently under construction within The Seaport will be at the corner of John and Front Streets, and will open in August. Until then, tkts will make its home in a temporary location at South Street Seaport on the ground floor of Pier 17, opening in July. There will be a gala celebration at the time of the opening of the permanent John and Front Street location in August.
"TDF is thrilled to have found such a terrific home for our Lower Manhattan tkts Ticket Booth," said Victoria Bailey, TDF's executive director, in a statement. "Right after September 11th, we made a commitment to staying downtown. We are extremely grateful to the Department of Parks whose generosity allowed us to act on that commitment by providing us a home at Bowling Green Park Plaza for nearly nine months. I do believe that our continued presence downtown provided a degree of healing to many. Everyone connected with South Street Seaport has been welcoming and accommodating, and we look forward to serving the thousands of tourists, workers and residents who come there every day." John F. Breglio, the chairman of the TDF board, said, "Immediately after 9/11 we found it imperative to make our services available to all of the brave people who lived, worked and visited downtown by re-opening as quickly as humanly possible. It was TDF's way of helping all New Yorkers begin to recover and to return services to those who have been most severely affected by the tragedy. With our presence at South Street Seaport, one of New York City's greatest destinations, we know that we will be making tickets available to the greatest number of theatregoers downtown."
"I can't imagine a happier marriage of two great downtown destinations than tkts and South Street Seaport," said Carl Weisbrod, president of the Downtown Alliance."Theatre Development Fund was the first organization to re-open near Ground Zero (at Bowling Green Park Plaza) just one month after their World Trade Center booth was destroyed on September 11. We wish them much success in their new home."
The Seaport attracts over 10,000,000 visitors a year.
The hours of operation for the tkts Ticket Booth at South Street Seaport are 11 AM-6 PM Monday-Saturday; 11 AM 3:30 PM Sunday.
At this tkts location only, matinee tickets must be bought the day before. For example, Wednesday matinee tickets must be bought on Tuesday; Saturday matinee tickets bought on Friday; and Sunday matinee tickets bought on Saturday. The tkts locations on only accept cash or travelers checks.
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In 1974, just one year after tkts first opened on Times Square, the first Lower Manhattan tkts Booth found it's home at 100 William Street. In 1983, tkts moved to the concourse level of 2 World Trade Center.
In the past 29 years, the sales from both tkts Discount Tickets booths totaled 58,811,215 tickets at discount prices to an audience of New Yorkers and visitors. Revenue of nearly $1.1 billion has been returned to thousands of performing arts productions.
— By Kenneth Jones
