TIP ONLINE TICKETING:
A Comprehensive Ticketing Q&A

(all you ever wanted to know about TIP’s new online ticketing ... and more!)

 Theatre In The Park (TIP) is pleased to announce that in March 2006 a new partnership was formed between TIP and Etix, a Raleigh-based international leader in Web-based electronic and automated ticketing system. For our season members we have prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) and answers. We urge you to read this information carefully so that you can maintain a pleasurable theatergoing experience with TIP. We are so fortunate to welcome you as a season member and supporter, and hope our new process will keep you coming back. 

What is Web-based ticketing?

The Etix ticketing system allows TIP to enter reservations into a vendor-maintained database using a secure computer Internet connection. This central system keeps track of patron names, addresses, the performance for which the reservation is made, and the seat numbers assigned for ticketing. TIP can then print tickets on demand. The Etix system also allows patrons the convenience of making reservations and printing tickets at home or at work from a personal computer.

Can Season Members use the print-at-home ticketing option?

Season Members who renew their memberships for the upcoming 2006/2007 Mainstage Season can take advantage of print-at-home ticketing for the shows included in their Season Memberships. No additional charges or convenience fees will be applied to Season Member reservations. This service will be available July 1, 2006.

Can Season Members continue to use the TIP Box Office by Phone after July 1, 2006?

Yes, the same customer-friendly phone service that you have enjoyed in the past for reservations will still be available to our Season Members at no additional charge. Internet print-at-home ticketing is merely an additional option for those who wish to use it.

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Will the Etix system affect my ability to select my seat preferences?

As many of you know, the Ira David Wood III Pullen Park Theatre offers 244 seats per performance. With this intimate arrangement there are few, if any, inferior seats.  We recognize, though, that some of our Season Members have physical handicaps and require front row seating, and that other Season Members have long standing particular seat preferences. Members have long standing particular seat preferences.

 Because Internet ticket purchases assign seats at the time of sale, all seats will now be assigned at the time that each reservation is made, whether by phone, in person, or via the Internet. Our staff uses the same Etix system that you use online, so we are no longer able to hold special requests until the last minute. However, we do have a number of reserved seats. Please read on …

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What provisions, then, have been made for physically handicapped patrons?

TIP has withheld all front row seats (Row AA) from Internet sales for all performances unless no other seats are left to sell. Front rows are now exclusively reserved for handicapped patrons and their parties. Season Members needing front row seating should call the TIP Box Office by Phone for their reservations, and we will accommodate those requests if front row seats are still available. Handicapped seating is not available through Internet print-at-home ticketing.  

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What if I have no physical requirements for the front row, but have a strong preference for particular seats?

Use the TIP Box Office by Phone to make your reservations and make your seat preferences known to our reservationists. We will try to accommodate your request if the seats are not already reserved, or we will suggest the best alternatives. 

The best policy to guarantee your reservation of particular seats for a particular performance is to call us as early as possible. Also, please consider selecting your dates and making reservations with your seat request for all four mainstage shows at one time when you pay for your Season Membership. 

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Other than the ability to acquire my tickets via the Internet after July 1, 2006, what other ticketing advantages may I enjoy with the new ticketing system?

If you make your reservations early enough, we can print and mail you your tickets on request if you wish to have them in hand before the show. By doing this you can verify your tickets in advance and avoid any waiting in line at show time. Mail-out tickets will cease seven business days prior to a performance. You may drop by the TIP office during our administrative office hours (9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday) and acquire your tickets on the spot.Tickets are now on sale around the clock with our Internet Etix presence (TIP Box Office By Phone and administrative office hours are still9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday), so you are able to purchase tickets in the middle of the night, on the weekend, or anytime you'd like. Season Member Internet ticketing after July 1, 2006 will also allow you to make reservations via the Web at no extra cost on Friday after office hours or on Saturday and Sunday, or at any other time that the TIP Box Office by Phone is closed. 

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How do I make an Internet reservation after July 1, 2006.

Visit TIP's Web site, www.theatreinthepark.com; click on the “Tickets” link at the top of the home page. The ticketing page you will be using resides on the Etix server and has easy-to-use instructions on the ticketing screen. Once your tickets have been purchased, you can return to the TIP site by selecting “Return to TIP.” Tickets can also be purchased directly through www.etix.com.   

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How do I change my reservation date if the need arises?

If you already have your tickets in hand, we cannot make changes by phone; you must bring your existing tickets by the TIP office to make exchanges.

 Otherwise, call the TIP Box Office By Phone  or come by the TIP office to make any changes to an existing reservation date. Changes cannot be made via the Internet. Please bear in mind that all seats are assigned when reservations are made; you may be giving up your preferable seats for the next best available seats on the date to which you are changing.

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 How do I add or subtract tickets to my original reservation/order?

You must call the TIP Box Office By Phone or come by the TIP office to make any additions or subtractions to existing reservations. Changes of this type cannot be made via the Internet. Since all reservations are assigned seats when they are made, we cannot guarantee that an addition to your party will be seated with your original party. We will make every effort to seat extra patrons as close to you as possible. 

However, if you have delivered Season Member tickets that you cannot use, you may bring them by TIP's box office prior to the performance and receive a Season Member credit for future performances.

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As a Season Member, can I still make reservations for paying guests who may be accompanying me to a performance?

Yes. Season Members who reserve their tickets via the Internet after July 1, 2006 may add a paid reservation request to their order. The paid ticket will be charged the modest convenience fee applied to all non-Season Member Internet sales. You can still call the TIP Box Office By Phone to make these reservations without any additional charge. We encourage credit card payments be made by phone for mixed orders of this type; if your guest must pay at the-door, your party must stand in the box office line before curtain time to make your payment. TIP will no longer allow advance reservations to be made for pay-at-the door patrons who are not accompanied by a Season Member.

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I am frequently part of a larger group of Season Members who like to attend the same performance. How can we insure that we will be seated together?

TIP can no longer match up separately made reservations from Season Members who wish to be seated with other Season Members attending the same performance. Season Members wishing to sit together will need to coordinate their reservations ahead of time and have one individual make a single reservation request for the entire group. This type of reservation must also be made by phone and cannot be made via the Internet.

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How has the new Etix ticketing system affected Season Member reservations and ticketing for the 2006 performances of Briarpatch?

Briarpatch, like A Christmas Carol, is considered a special production and is not a direct part of the Season Member prepaid mainstage series. For both special productions, Season Members are granted an advance purchase period before sales are open to the general public. For Briarpatch, the advance purchase period has expired, and the show is now open to all patrons. Those Season Members who have already made reservations for Briarpatch have received priority seating. 

Season Members may purchase Briarpatch tickets via the Internet (in which case modest convenience fees are applied to each ticket), by coming by the TIP office during office hours, or by calling the TIP Box Office By Phone to make your reservation.   Additional costs do not apply to in-person or phone reservations. However, payment is required at the time the reservation is made since seats are immediately assigned. Walk-up patrons at the time of performance may, of course, pay at the door without reservations.

 All advance Briarpatch tickets not picked up in person are in the process of being mailed out. When you receive your tickets, please check them carefully for accuracy and call TIP right away if there are any questions concerning your order. If the initial order has been filled correctly and you have received your tickets, you must come by the TIP administrative office during office hours if you need to change dates. Adding tickets to your order at a later time must be made by separate reservation, and seating together with the original party is not guaranteed. Briarpatch tickets in hand are non-refundable.

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OK, how does this affect A Christmas Carol (ACC) ticketing this year?

ACC will be performed at Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium from Dec. 5 - 13, 2006. The Season Member advance purchase period will begin July 1, 2006 and extend through Oct. 13, 2006. On October 23, sales will be opened to the general public through the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts (PECPA) box office and TicketMaster (online TicketMaster sales will be available Sunday, Oct. 22). TIP will have no reservation-making or ticket exchange capacity after that date.

 Season Members must make their pre-sale period reservations through the TIP administrative office, and payment is due when the reservation is made. As usual, ACC reservations will be accepted only in writing via mail or by fax. Right now we do not envision using Internet ticketing at all for Season Member ACC ticket sales, but this may be subject to change. Actual tickets will be mailed much sooner this year to patrons and, once in hand, your performance date cannot be changed unless you bring your tickets by in person. Tickets in hand are non-refundable.  

Further detailed ticketing instructions for ACC are included with your 2006/2007 Season Membership renewal information package

 We are looking forward to a great 2006/2007 performance season. We anticipate that the ticketing system change will make the reservation process much smoother and will offer distinct advantages to all of our supporters.

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