Tuesday, August 26, 2014

What does all-in pricing mean to me?


by John Fraser
John Fraser is the Director of Ticketing at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts as well as a frequent performer with its various Resident Companies.



Yes, it is true. CenterTix is now using all-in pricing. What is that? Well, it’s just a fancy way of saying that all the ticket prices on our website already include all applicable fees. No more choosing a seat at one price and then watching the price go up as fees drop into your shopping cart. Now, with all-in pricing, from start to finish, you see the total cost of a ticket. A ticket which is listed as $50.00 at the start of your transaction will cost exactly $50.00 when you purchase it. You might even discover that you qualify for a discount and pay less.

Does this mean that ticket prices went up? It may look that way. Now that the price includes the fees that used to be added later, it may appear that ticket prices have increased even when they haven’t. But you can shop at ease knowing that the price you are seeing is the price that you will pay. And we believe that an informed shopper is a happy shopper.

So why did we make this change? The answer is simple. We want to make it easier to buy tickets. Decisions that you make about which tickets you want to buy should include the total cost of the ticket, not just the cost before fees are added. Now, you can shop CenterTix and know that what you see is what you pay so you can focus on which seat is right for you.

Tickets can be purchased at www.CenterTix.net

See you soon!

Friday, August 1, 2014

SR Bales Construction: Like Family at the PAC



by Jayna Combs
Director of Development and Marketing

The SR Bales crew is in the house! Or, I should say, on the Atwood Concert Hall stage. They just completed their portion of the Acoustic Project as our general contractor. SR Bales donated all of their labor in-kind. We are extremely grateful to them for their work on this important project for the Center, musicians, singers and patrons alike. SR Bales has worked on many projects here at the Center, including the new pit lift for the Atwood stage, the construction of the Voth Hall and, now, the Acoustic Project. 

Steve Bales said, “We love working on projects here at the PAC; we know that our work is helping to bring performing arts to Anchorage, and we get to benefit from it, too, by seeing great shows here with our families.”

Thank you to SR Bales and all of the generous donors who are helping
to make the Acoustic Project a reality!

L to R: Peyton, Tyler, Steve and Dylan Bales
Carlile trucks will roll onto the loading dock tonight with delivery of the new Atwood acoustic shell. The crews will use the next two months to rig, assemble, commission and tune not only the Atwood shell, but, also, the newly retrofitted Discovery Theatre shell that has been used on the Atwood stage for the last 25 years. On September 27th, everyone’s hard work will be rewarded! The Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, featuring preeminent Russian pianist Olga Kern, will unveil the new Atwood acoustic shell. The retrofitted Discovery shell will be unveiled at the December Alaska Youth Orchestras concert. We hope you will join us in celebrating this new gift to the performing arts community this fall!

To learn more and donate to this important Acoustic Project visit www.MyAlaskaCenter.com/25/acoustic_project.php.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Demystifying Arts Ticketing - Part I



John Fraser is the Director of Ticketing at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts as well as a frequent performer with its various Resident Companies.


Do you ever get lost in the mysterious world of event ticketing? I think we all do, even ticketing professionals. The level of detail required to complete a purchase can make a task which seems intuitive become more than a little daunting. Maybe I can shed some light that will make your future ticket buying experience a little better.

Rule #1 - Make sure you are buying direct.
The world and the internet are full of third party ticketing agencies that want to resell tickets to you. If you are looking for tickets to a sold out show or if you are looking to impress out of town guests with premium seats, ticket brokers can be a life line. But, their services come at a hefty cost. Most third party ticketing agencies charge substantially more than double the ticket price for their tickets. Some reputable ticket brokers know what shows are hot and invest early in a supply of prime seats even before customers come to them for tickets. But, in the Anchorage market, most events do not sell out well in advance of the show; so ticket brokers generally wait for someone to purchase tickets from them before getting tickets to fulfill these orders.

For instance, as I write this blog, single tickets for Les Misérables in Anchorage have not gone on sale to the public through CenterTix. At present, the only authorized seller is the event presenter Anchorage Concert Association who is selling Les Misérables exclusively as part of a subscription package. CenterTix will begin selling single tickets to the show in July. Yet several third party ticketing websites are advertising tickets and even providing approximate seat locations for tickets they haven’t yet purchased (see for yourself online).

Third party ticket agencies get a lot of bad press. They have been blamed for denying children Hannah Montana tickets. In the lower 48, they are frequently accused of buying all the available tickets for popular events and then reselling them at astronomical prices. But, not all third party ticket agencies are bad. Consider GrouponLive. For some shows, they are given an allotment of tickets to sell at half price (much like the TKTS booth in New York City, only better because GrouponLive sells half price tickets well in advance of the show). In Anchorage, we also have KTUU Deals and ADN Deals that occasionally sell tickets at bargain prices. People also successfully buy tickets on Craigslist and eBay. However, be careful when purchasing from individuals. Gauge the repute of the seller. Although fraudulent tickets are somewhat rare in Alaska, we have had to turn away people holding fraudulent tickets that were attained from a sketchy source.

So how do you find the real source for tickets? Look for the venue’s website. It will point you to the authorized seller and you will save a lot of hassle and money!

Get tickets for events at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts at www.CenterTix.net

Thursday, April 10, 2014

The Nine Lives of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"



Melissa Weckhorst is the Administrative Assistant for the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and, likely, the first person you’ll see when you come to the Administrative Office. One of the reasons Melissa was so attracted to her job is because of her varied experience in the theatre as an actor, director, stage manager and costume designer. A self-proclaimed theatre junkie, her favorite fix is reading a script, like “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and imagining the voices that make the words come to life.


Like that wily feline on the proverbial hot tin roof, Tennessee Williams’ American classic can be a bit of a moving target. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, noted as the playwright’s personal favorite, has seen a number of revisions and adaptations. Although it premiered in New York City in 1955, the script would see a number of changes before its final version in 1974 for the Broadway revival.

Sticking to the original 1955 version, Perseverance Theatre will be presenting their interpretation in their upcoming production at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. The story, set in the Mississippi delta, is about a husband and wife, Brick and Margaret (often known as “Maggie the Cat”), and their interactions with Brick’s family at the Pollitt family estate. The patriarch, Big Daddy, is celebrating his birthday, but unbeknownst to him and Big Mama, his family knows he is dying of cancer. The Pollitt family is one of “new money,” and the web of deceit the various family members have spun to secure the estate of the family is quickly revealed. Each character’s pursuit to “make the lie true” reveals themes of greed, mendacity, repression and social mores.

Elizabeth M. Kelly as "Maggie" and Enrique Bravo as "Brick"  Credit: Cam Byrnes

Perseverance Theatre Artistic Director Art Rotch knows the themes of cultural upheaval on the microcosm of a family still speak to modern families. 30 years ago, Perseverance Theatre presented Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to a very different Alaska. He says in his program notes, “In the peak of the oil boom, Maggie and [sister-in-law] Mae’s tussle for the land must have resonated very differently than today. Thirty years ago, a young baby boom generation was building the post pipeline Alaska and the movement to end discrimination against LGBTQ people would soon take a back seat to fighting AIDS. Today, the baby boom generation is Big Daddy, and marriage equality is becoming the law of the land. In the midst of all that change, the greatness of these characters continues to captivate as we re-examine their very human hopes, fears, rivalries and alliances.”

Perseverance has also made another interesting choice that echoes with modern audiences: the Pollitt family, in this version, is Latino. It is another reminder that families, like the American Dream, are constantly changing and being redefined with each new generation. Likewise, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will see more than nine lives as it is told over and over again as an American classic.

Perseverance Theatre presents Cat on a Hot Tin Roof April 11 – 27, 2014 at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in the Sydney Laurence Theatre. For tickets, visit www.CenterTix.net or call (907) 263-2787.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Heart of Anchorage -- Heart of the Center



The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (ACPA) and President Nancy Harbour were honored with the Heart of Anchorage award March 29, 2014. The Anchorage Downtown Partnership’s annual awards ceremony was held at the ConocoPhillips atrium with a number of awards given to individuals and businesses well deserving of the recognitions.

The final award given for the evening was the Heart of Anchorage Award. ADP Executive Director Chris Schutte gave hints to the recipient(s), “this person has also overseen large construction projects, is celebrating 25 years of service and 25 since the building opened.” By that point, almost everyone in the room knew that the Center and Nancy Harbour were being recognized with the 2014 Heart of Anchorage award.

Nancy Harbour has worked at the Center even before the Center actually opened its doors to the public. She has served as director of marketing and development, vice president and has been the president for the past 15 years. Nancy is a strong and dedicated leader of the Center and a tireless advocate for the arts in Anchorage and throughout Alaska. Nancy currently serves as a trustee of the Atwood Foundation and a council member of the Alaska State Council on the Arts.

The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating 25 years since the facility opened to the public. Countless actors, singers, musicians and performers of all kinds have graced the three stages of its theatres. And, through all of those 25 years, staff and volunteers of the Center have worked diligently to welcome countless audience members, give patrons a dazzling and magical experiences, support fellow colleagues, make sure the facility is a safe and inviting environment for everyone to enjoy, efficiently manage resources for sustainability and growth, and provide opportunities for young people to experience the magic of the arts, ultimately ensuring that “the show does go on!”

Everyone at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is sincerely honored to be named Heart of Anchorage. 

Read more at the Anchorage Downtown Partnership website: http://www.anchoragedowntown.org/the-downtown-dish/nancy-harbour-performing-arts-center/