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TheTKTS ticket booths inNew York City andLondon sellBroadway andOff-Broadway shows and dance events andWest End theatre tickets, respectively, at discounts of 20–50% off the face value.[1] It is owned by theTheatre Development Fund, a non-profit.
New York City's TKTS (which is pronounced phonetically as spelled-out "tee kay tee ess") first opened in 1973 and is operated by theTheatre Development Fund.[2][3]
Currently, there are two locations: one inDuffy Square (at West 47th Street and Broadway, the north end ofTimes Square);[4] and another atLincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the David Rubenstein Atrium.[5] TheDowntown Brooklyn (Jay Street andMyrtle Avenue Promenade) TKTS closed in 2018, and theSouth Street Seaport TKTS inLower Manhattan (replacing the outpost formerly located in the lobby of theWorld Trade Center, which was destroyed in theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks),[6] did not reopen after the 2020 pandemic.
The original TKTS pavilion in Times Square was designed by the Manhattan architecture firm of Mayers & Schiff Associates and was inaugurated by MayorJohn Lindsay.[7] The city had a capital budget of $5,000 to build the pavilion, a sum that was obviously insufficient. But the city did have an "operating" budget, which the architects used in a plan based on renting, rather than buying, the pavilion's parts. The sales booth was housed in a rented construction trailer;[8] the armature around and on top of the trailer was made from rented scaffolding parts.[9][10] Interwoven through the armature was a continuous white canvas ribbon emblazoned with the "TKTS" logo.[11] Foundations could not be dug under the booth because the subway structure is just below ground level. To hold down this giant "wind kite" the architects utilized pile driving test weights (also rented).[12] The pavilion received many design awards, including theAmerican Institute of Graphic Arts' Excellence in Communications Graphics; TheCity Club of New York'sAlbert S. Bard Award for Architecture and Urban Design; and the N.Y. State Association of Architects Certificate of Merit for Design Excellence.[citation needed]
James Gatens ran the TKTS booth.[1] Originally signing up for a 6-month job he ended up running it for 30 years until his retirement in 2003.
The new TKTS Booth and the redevelopment of Father Duffy Square was completed as a partnership betweenTheatre Development Fund, Times Square Alliance, and Father Duffy Coalition. The project began in 1999 with an international design competition sponsored the Van Alen Institute to re-design the popular TKTS Discount Booth.[13] The competition's winner, Australian firm Choi Ropiha, reframed the challenge as a broader urban design response to invigorate and provide a center for Times Square.[14] In 2001 Theatre Development Fund commissioned a feasibility study. New York City-basedPerkins Eastman developed several approaches, and from those a final design, informed and inspired by the original concept, employed glass as the sole structural component for the steps and the TKTS Booth itself would be a free-standing structure within the glass enclosure. Completing the transformation of Father Duffy Square was the work of the plaza's architect, William Fellows of William Fellows Architects (and now with PKSB Architects). The transformation of the square allows for increased pedestrian traffic and more prominence for Father Duffy's commanding statue.
The new TKTS booth for the Times Square location began construction in May 2006[15] and was completed in October 2008. During this time, the TKTS booth was temporarily relocated to the nearbyMarriott Marquis hotel. After many delays,[16] the new TKTS booth opened for business on October 16, 2008, on a renovated Duffy Square, with a ceremony featuring MayorMichael Bloomberg and various Broadway performers.[6] The booth is wedge-shaped, with wide, bleacher-like stairs covering the roof, allowing pedestrians to sit down or climb the steps for a panoramic, unobstructed view of Times Square. According to the Theater Development Fund, the final cost of the new booth was $19 million.[17]
In the 50 years since the booth first opened, there have been 68.6 million tickets sold.[6][18] Theaters release tickets for sale by TKTS throughout the day, with more tickets often available within a few hours of showtime. TKTS accepts cash and credit cards. Waiting times at Duffy Square are normally longer than at Lincoln Center. Available shows are displayed on large signs near the ticket windows. The booth has twelve sales windows.[6]
The TKTS booth in Times Square has won more than two dozen awards for design, lighting, and technical innovation includingAmerican Planning Association, William H. White Award;American Institute of Architects (AIA), Institute Honor Awards for Architecture; American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York State Chapter, Best in New York State;Travel + Leisure, Design Award: Best Public Space; and the Engineering Grand Award inPopular Science magazine's Best of "What's New 2009". At the time, it was the largest load-bearing glass structure in the world, designed by engineers atDewhurst Macfarlane using a plastic film calledSentryGlas Plus fromDuPont.[19]
The TKTS booth, its parent organizationTheatre Development Fund (TDF), and Broadway show producers have been criticized for their claimed 50% off ticket prices.[20] The prevailing belief is that TKTS offers 50% off of the normal sale price of a ticket, when in fact, those tickets are often subject to markups throughdynamic pricing.[21] As Broadway producer Ken Davenport states in multiple articles and seminars, dynamic pricing is applied in theaters to help a show get more money for a seat.[21][22][23][24] There have also been several documented case studies where a ticket found at the theater at full price for $89 toKinky Boots, which is a Ken Davenport production, were sold at the TKTS booth at "50% off" for $75 plus the $5 TDF Fee.[20] The same case studies found similar incidents atChicago,Phantom of the Opera, andJersey Boys.
In an effort to help patrons make the most informed choices, TKTS began listing prices alongside discount percentages at all its booths in October 2018. The prices displayed include service charges, so patrons know the exact total per ticket. TKTS also started offering multiple price points that fall.[25] As a nonprofit dedicated to expanding audiences and making theatre more affordable and accessible, TDF advocates within the Broadway community to secure the best prices for theatregoers who can't afford full-price tickets.[26]
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London's TKTS, originally known as "The Half Price Ticket Booth", is run by theSociety of London Theatre on behalf of the theatre industry. Operating since 1980 inLeicester Square, this discounted ticket booth was rebranded in 2001[27] and offers customers a wide choice of discount theatre tickets on the day of the performance and in advance. There are also full price tickets regularly available through the booth.
Tickets can only be bought from TKTS in person. Each TKTS ticket includes a booking fee of £3 on discount theatre tickets and £1 on full price tickets. All profits made from SOLT, including TKTS, go straight back into the industry. TKTS is also accredited by the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) and all ticket sales are made following the STAR code of practice.
The Society of London Theatre has licensed the TKTS trademark from theTheatre Development Fund, but the two organizations are otherwise unrelated.
There are TKTS booths in Tokyo (opened August 2019)[28] and Philadelphia (opened November 2024) that, like London, license the TKTS trademark.[29]
In New York, hit Broadway shows started using dynamic pricing about five years, says Ken Davenport, the theater producer behindKinky Boots,Spring Awakening, and other shows. Broadway fans can usually get a deal in January, February and September, says Davenport, who also writes about the industry on his blog TheProducersPerspective.com. Tickets are pricier in December and the summer months when more tourists make their way to New York.
