Hartford Business Journal

10 Hartford Business Journal • December 3, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Frank Rizzo Special to the Hartford Business Journal W hen "Hamilton" completes its Hart- ford tour on Dec. 30, it is expected to gross as much as $12 million, with the lions share going to the production company. So, what will The Bushnell Per- forming Arts Center get out of the Broadway musical's three-week run, as ticket prices soar online into the four-figures? Plenty, says David Fay, presi- dent and CEO of the theater, which includes the 2,800-seat Mortensen Hall where "Hamilton" will be playing before approximately 24,000 patrons during each week of the show's holiday season stay. For one, Fay reports a 50 percent increase in subscribers — customers who buy ticket packages in advance for an entire Broadway series and who also get first dibs on seats. The theater currently has 9,250 sub- scribers, up from about 6,000 several years ago. The boost is significant, especially given that The Bushnell, like many theaters across the country, has dealt with a declining subscription base for the past decade. The Bushnell has also added 525 new individual donors and 1,000 oth- ers increased their giving, boosting the theater's annual fundraising from $1.75 million in the 2016-17 season to more than $2 million for the period ending June 30. "We figured the majority of the bump is over," says Fay, "but we are currently running $150,000 ahead of last year at this time." Fay acknowl- edges the in- creased support may have had to do with fans deciding the best way to get a "Hamilton" ticket was to become a donor and/or subscriber. The Bushnell reserves several thousand tickets for new donors, while at least 50 percent of "Hamilton" seats were made available for single-ticket sales. Fay says the box-office deal for "Ham- ilton" is better than those from other blockbuster shows in years past. At the end of the day, "Hamilton" and other 2018-19 season shows will help the theater achieve at least a projected $1.3 million operating surplus, Fay said, up significantly from recent years. That also pleases Jeffrey Seller, lead producer of "Hamilton," who points to the residual help in subscribers, do- nors and goodwill the show is provid- ing to arts centers across the country. Seller is about to launch the fifth production of the musical in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with creator-star Lin-Manuel Miranda returning to the show before it moves on without him for a series run in San Francisco. This is in addition to its Broadway, London and two touring productions. Talks are underway for Europe, Asia and Australia productions, too. Seller declines to share revenue figures relating to how much "Hamil- ton Inc." has grossed since it opened in 2015. But a conservative estimate is that all productions will have collec- tively exceeded $1 billion in revenue by next year. (The Broadway production alone has grossed nearly half-a-billion dollars so far.) Hot commodity "Hamilton" tickets have been a hot commodity in Hartford. When about 30,000 seats went on sale in September, tickets sold out within hours as thou- sands of fans waited in long lines. Box- office prices ranged from $68.50 to $500. Tickets are still available on third- party reseller websites, but fans will ARTS BIZ 'Hamilton' Bump As Broadway hit musical opens in Hartford, The Bushnell sees a financial boost "Hamilton" third-party ticket prices The popular Broadway musical "Hamilton" opens at Hartford's Bushnell theater Dec. 11. Here's a snapshot of ticket prices as of Nov. 28 on some third-party resale websites for opening night. Sites Lowest price ticket Highest price ticket StubHub $419 $1,065 Tickets-Center.com $621 $1,713 Vivid Seats $378 $967 Source: HBJ research Frank Rizzo The acclaimed Broadway hit "Hamilton" debuts in Hartford Dec. 11. The musical is providing a financial boost to The Bushnell, which has seen an increase in subscribers and donors. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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