Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • December 3, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 11 have to pay dearly for them. For example, the cheapest available opening night ticket on VividSeats. com as of Nov. 28 was $378. The most expensive ticket for an orchestra seat was nearly $1,000. As for the huge prices that many "Hamilton" tickets command via ticket resellers, Seller says his orga- nization has tried to lessen that im- pact. But he admits, it is a challenge. "There will always be prostitutes and there will always be scalpers and nothing is going to make these two things go away," he said in an inter- view. "What we have tried to do is get as many tickets at the regular price into the hands of our customers as possible. Where we know tickets are going to be re-sold, we then create our own market for it, raising those prices ourselves so at least those dollars go back to the artists who created the show." Around 1,000 patrons will be see- ing "Hamilton" for $10 during its three-week run in Hartford through a daily online lottery system. Several thousand students from Hartford's Title One schools will also see a special performance of the show. Encore? As The Bushnell enjoys its "Hamilton" bump, the big question is what happens next season when the musical isn't on the schedule. Early indica- tors where the musical has played in other cities show that there have been fair-to-excellent subscription renewal rates. Fay said he is playing it moder- ately cautious and is anticipating the subscriber base will drop to around 8,000, but that is still up by several thousand from earlier seasons. Another positive sign, Fay said, is that while subscriber numbers are up, so too are single-ticket sales. "We budgeted with the belief that at least 50 percent of the increase in subscriptions would cannibalize an equal amount of single tickets — and that is not happening," he said. "The level of single-ticket sales actually increased." Even a star-less chestnut like "Fiddler on the Roof," far exceeded its projections by a quarter-million dollars, grossing $1.14 million for its single week run last month, he said. "I've always said there's no better advertising for a show than a pair of tickets in someone else's pocket weeks in advance of the show, which then prompts their friends and rela- tives to go, too," Fay says. But the boost in business is not just about "Hamilton." More shows are touring from Broadway that appeal to a younger and broader audience, Fay says, pointing to musicals like "Kinky Boots," "Dear Evan Han- son," "Beautiful," and "Come From Away." "Frozen" and "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" are expected to bring in a new genera- tion of theatergo- ers, too. "What we are experiencing is a renaissance in the product that is being created on Broadway that is far more relevant to mod- ern audiences than we've experienced in the last two decades," Fay said. Frank Rizzo is a contributing Hartford Business Journal columnist. PDS has been meeting the needs of the construction industry since 1965. Our dedicated team of design and construction professionals welcomes the challenge of serving its past and future customers on their most demanding projects. Munson's Factory Shoppe | Bolton, CT PDS completed exterior renovations to this Munson's Factory Shoppe for a new professional exterior appearance. This work included selective demolition, canopy façade, PVC trim covered columns, wood framing and roofi ng, bead board, water proof parapet, recessed tile for a new sign, LED lighting and two new cricket dormers with shingles. Project Size: 2,500 SF 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfi eld, CT 06002 (860) 242-8586 | Fax (860) 242-8587 www.pdsec.com DESIGN BUILDERS • GENERAL CONTRACTORS • CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS SPOTLIGHT ON: R PDS ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION, INC. THINK • PLAN • BUILD Plan Your Next Meeting at Saybrook Point Inn This Could Be Your Office For The Day Let our professional Meeting Planners customize your next meeting or event. Experience what our unique meeting spaces can offer with team building opportunities and farm to table menus. Located only two hours from New York and Boston. Learn more at Saybrook.com. and Boston. Learn more at Saybrook.com. 2 Bridge Street, Old Saybrook, CT 06475|860.388.0000 Bushnell CEO and President David Fay said we are experiencing a renaissance in the product being created on Broadway that is more relevant to modern audiences. "There will always be prostitutes and there will always be scalpers and nothing is going to make these two things go away. What we have tried to do is get as many tickets at the regular price into the hands of our customers as possible." Jeffrey Seller , lead producer of "Hamilton" on third-party ticket sales. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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