Theatre Bay Area‘s annual Free Night of Theatre program is underway, in which free tickets are available to various shows for performances on or around Oct. 19. The giveaway began midday on Tuesday at their booth in Union Square, with online reservations also available starting that evening. I arrived at Union Square an hour before the booth opened, and already there was a huge crowd. (Never underestimate the power of free art.) I thought I was reasonably early, but by the time I figured out the procedure and picked up a form at the central table, I found out my group letter was “F.” (It’s all very Southwest Airlines boarding.) Here is my hastily shot and stitched-together panorama:
Tickets for my first-choice show, Beach Blanket Babylon, ran out while I was still standing in line, so I got tickets for another show we had intended to see anyway, Broadway with a Twist. We’re also going to see Batboy: The Musical, on Nov. 2; Thom got those tickets once online reservations opened up.
It looks like almost all of the free tickets are now gone, but in any case, Theatre Bay Area is a good resource and sells half-price tickets year-round.
Aside: speaking of free performances, tomorrow night, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m., San Francisco Opera’s production of Rigoletto will be broadcast live to big screens at two outdoor Bay Area locations, Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco and Frost Amphitheater at Stanford University, where the public can watch for free.