Oscar Wilde once wrote: “I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” What he did not regard, it seems, is how few of us actually get the chance to sense another human being doing their theatrical thing. Theatre has changed tremendously since it was a mandatory cultural practise in ancient Greece; it is now a luxury enjoyed only by those with the financial stability to afford expensive tickets – a category that rarely includes students. Fortunately, theatre companies across our fair city have made their art more accessible to us by providing discount tickets. Here is a breakdown of Toronto’s major theatre companies and what they do to make their tickets more affordable:

Factory Theatre
Location: 125 Bathurst Street (at Queen)
Cost: Pay-what-you-can
Caveat: Only on Sunday matinees, only certain shows, available only one hour before curtain, not guaranteed
The first company in Toronto dedicated exclusively to Canadian pieces, many a play premiered at Factory has gone on to enter the Canadian canon. 2011’s highlights included Ronnie Burkett’s breathtaking puppet show Billy Twinkle and a revival of the classic The Rez Sisters, one of many in a series of ‘colour-blind’ productions by director Ken Gass. Pay-what-you-can tickets are sold one hour before curtain, but are only for certain shows and only ever on Sunday. It’s always a good idea to call ahead to see if there are tickets still available and, if there are, to buy them: you may witness the birth of the next Canadian classic.

Theatre Passe Muraille
Location: 16 Ryerson Avenue (At Bathurst and Queen)
Cost: Pay-what-you-can
Caveat: Only Saturday matinees, only certain shows, available only at box office, not guaranteed
One of Toronto’s oldest and most innovative theatre companies, Passe Muraille often appeals to students due to their productions’ willingness to take risks and stray from tradition. Sunday matinees are pay-what-you-can at the box office, but get there early before they’re sold out. In 2012, be sure to check out the premiere of the theatrical adaptation of Marina Nemat’s Prisoner of Tehran.

TOtix / hiptix
Location: Yonge-Dundas Square / online
Cost: Varies
Caveat: Varies
TOtix is Toronto’s answer to New York’s TKTS, a service that offers discounted tickets to plays throughout many of the city’s theatre companies. Their website is updated weekly with new discounts, but many are for one date only and sell fast, so be sure to check regularly. Some discounted tickets are available only in person at their box office at Yonge-Dundas Square.
Hiptix is a service for students aged 15 – 29 that can be accessed through TOtix. It offers severely discounted tickets for shows across the city – usually $5 plus tax, but occasionally up to $15. This is the cheapest way to get tickets to plays at companies that do not otherwise offer student prices or more accessible tickets, and should be taken advantage of in the fullest. The sales record or receipt of any purchase made through TOtix should be printed out and brought with you to the theatre, along with the credit card with which you paid for them and valid ID.

Soulpepper Theatre Company
Location: Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District
Cost: $5
Caveat: Available only one hour before curtain, not guaranteed, requires ID (21 and younger)
Soulpepper is one of Toronto’s fastest growing theatre companies, and for good reason: their productions are consistently excellent. 2011’s highlights included a brilliant production of Death of a Salesman and the world premiere of Double Bill: e.e. cummings in Song / Window on Toronto, as well as setting a Canadian record by mounting nine simultaneous shows in June. Rush tickets are only $5 for students (compared to $60 prepaid full price tickets) and require presentation of a valid student ID. Most shows will not be sold out, but some, such as 2010’s A Christmas Carol, are sold out for their duration. Productions to check out in 2012: Kim’s Convenience, Speed-the-Plow, Endgame, and the triumphant return of Death of a Salesman.

Hart House Theatre
Location: Hart House
Cost: $10
Caveat: Requires valid student ID, only Wednesday evenings, not guaranteed unless purchased online through uofttix
Located in the centre of our fair St. George campus, Hart House Theatre’s annual mix of Shakespeare, contemporary drama, and Broadway musicals draws in a nice crowd of students, alumni, and the theatre-going public at large. Student tickets are $10 on Wednesdays, but only $15 on other days of the week if you can’t make it for the full discount. 2011 hits included Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Macbeth; 2012 will see Cabaret and The Night of the Iguana.

Tarragon Theatre
Location: 30 Bridgman Avenue (at Bathurst & Dupont)
Cost: $12
Caveat: Only on Sunday matinees and Friday evenings, only certain shows, available only one hour before curtain at box office, not guaranteed
Fans of the Oscar-nominated Incendies might be fascinated to know that its English-language premiere occurred at our very own Tarragon Theatre, located in a renovated cribbage-board factory just north of the old midtown rail-road tracks. Tarragon mounts about as many original plays as it does established, so don’t be surprised to see experimental pieces nestled in among the classics on its calendar. $12 rush tickets are available for most shows on Fridays and Sundays one hour before curtain, but they go quickly. In 2012, look for the English-language premiere of The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs.

Canadian Stage Company (CanStage)
Location: 27 Front Street East / 26 Berkeley Street
Cost: $12.50
Caveat: Requires ID (29 and younger), not guaranteed unless purchased online
The only company on this list that offers guaranteed student-discount tickets for pre-order, CanStage is also one of the largest theatre companies in Toronto. Their two locations – the massive Bluma Appel Theatre on Front Street and the smaller Berkeley Street Theatre – offer shows simultaneously, so there’s always a selection. When ordering online, simply enter the code you receive upon registration in the promotional codes box and all prices will be reduced to $12.50. 2011 highlights included Another Africa and Red; 2012 will bring, among others, Beckett: Feck It! and the 2011 Pulitzer Prize-winning Clybourne Park.
CanStage also offers pay-what-you-can tickets to Monday performances beginning at 10:00 AM on the day of. Availability of these tickets is subject to change.

In a city as large, diverse, and artistic as Toronto, naming every theatre company is a nearly-impossible task. Those mentioned above are some of the city’s largest (excluding DanCap and Mirvish, which are notoriously student-unfriendly) but there are many more: Obsidian Theatre Company, Clay and Paper Theatre Company, Necessary Angel Theatre Company, Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, Acting Up Theatre Company, Studio 180 Theatre Company, Second City Comedy Club, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Company, Nightwood Theatre Company, and many more. Some of them offer student discounts to select shows and some do not, but all offer exceptional programming and are worth checking out if you are able.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 1st, 2012 at 1:09 pm and is filed under Arts, Entertainment, General, On Campus, theatre, UT Life, Whimsical. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.