As the director, I am the one to give out the comp tickets.  They are usually sent to someone who has given a gift to the theatre, families (with multiple children) who couldn't afford to take them all out, folks who've never attended a show but I know will come to another and another once they've been, THE PRESS, neighboring theatres who have been kind enough to loan us stuff, etc.  Please don't think I give out tons of tickets for each show ... it's usually limited to less than a dozen.

I give out a few comp tickets.  Generally it is because the receipient has saved the company cash.  For this last show I gave 2 tickets to someone that allowed us to use an expensive piece of equipment (I figured it saved us $175); 2 to a costumer that loaned us about 12 costume pieces; a builder that constructed for us french doors, stair railings and posts, a fireplace and assorted other detailed pieces; and 2 to a marketing person that did a bunch of pro bono work.  Heck of a deal for us!

So it seems that most people are in agreement that the purpose of comp tickets are to a supportive spouse, someone who has hooked you up by providing something that otherwise would have cost you quite a bit and perhaps as currency.

I think our theatre is doing it wrong and I don't like it.

Well I'm sure some comps go out the proper way but here's a recent example.

We've recently started a youth theatre branch. They did a play last fall, had a good audition turn out so they double cast most of the show. They're doing a musical this March and had a massive turn out. The director didn't want to double cast as he found it to be a nightmare last time. The stage is at a local church and not huge so he could only cast 33 of the 81 who auditioned.

He felt bad about turning away so many kids. So the board (cept me) decided that EVERYONE who auditioned would get two comp tickets to our mainstage March show 'Holes'.

Now the youth theatre is funded 100% by Consumers Energy grant and a Kiwanis grant.  Plus their tickets are only $1. Mainstage is nearly 100% ticket sales supported. I just had a huge problem not only with giving away 162 tickets but due to the dangerous precident it could set.

Now when the kids were notified I asked that it be crystal clear it's a one-time offering due to the unexpected turnout and that tickets not be issued, but rather a guest list created so we could track how many took advantage and if additional tickets were sold, but I'm still unhappy.

What does that say to kids? Audition and if you don't make it we'll give you a prize....shoot, we'll give you a prize even if you don't make it? It just feeds that notion of protecting their feelings.

Also the only reason the director wanted a "prize" was because he was too chicken to call back nearly 50 kids to give them bad news. Well I'm sorry, that's the directors job.

This all happened Saturday and I'm still fuming. I should just let it go.

Yikes, giving away that many comp tickets seems a bit extreme.  Our policy is similar to most other posters.  If someone has done something extra special for the production then we'll comp them.  We also give our program advertisers and show sponsors tickets.  The production director gets a couple of comp tickets, no definite number in the words of our feisty retired box office manager, "Just don't go crazy with comps, and we're fine."