What pays for a theater?

Not to put too fine a point on it, you do.

Primarily through ticket and subscription purchases, it's the individual patrons who keep a theater alive. The best "fundraising" program in the world is no substitute for loyal ticket buyers who come year after year, and bring their friends and their families.

But as the trope from every fund appeal you've ever gotten says "your ticket purchase does not cover the full cost of our programs."

If they did, every theater would have "downtown" prices, not just for the best orchestra seats, but also for those seats up in the corner of the balcony. The half price tickets for kids, and the subsidized ones for low income and special populations would be a distant memory.

To support these seats, and to keep other prices down, we rely on a long list of sponsors. These include the individual patrons who give us gifts from $10 on up to ones with lots and lots of zeros (wow, thank you!), the retailers and restaurants that help with promotional sponsors and patron discounts, the foundations who support the arts, and our corporate sponsors, who offer cash support in exchange for promotion.

With the new season just weeks from Opening Night, we want to take a moment to thank our sponsors, and to urge you to patronize these businesses first when making your purchasing decisions! A complete list of our sponsors and Dining Partners is on our website. You'll also find them all listed in the program booklet for every show.

Next time you're at one of these wonderful businesses, tell them thank you!