PUBLIC ACCESS THEATER

WE BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THEATER…

…so we are launching PUBLIC ACCESS THEATER— and we need you to be part of it!

Here’s how it works:

1. We make all of our tickets FREE

2. You help us do it by DONATING

This simple, yet powerful approach makes sure everyone can attend!

For more information, read on…

WE MAKE TICKETS FREE

ANYONE CAN RESERVE 2 FREE TICKETS FOR ANY SHOW

No strings attached.

All we ask is that you let us know if you can’t come.

Thats it!

YOU DONATE

IF YOU CAN DONATE, YOU CAN HELP EVERYONE COME TO THE SHOW!

Our shows cost us about $20,000 to produce.

If we charge enough to cover those costs, tickets would be $50 each— which is way too much for most families in Rockford, right?

So, you can see why it’s important for some of us to donate so all of us can come!

There are 5 ways to donate:

1. Become a Member!

With a WSSR Membership, you can reserve more than 2 tickets at a time! Plus, you get things like guaranteed seats, WSSR merch, invites to rehearsals, special events, and more!

2. Ticket Donations!

When you reserve a Free Ticket, you can add a donation for any amount.

Suggested amount: $10 - $50 per person

$10 helps cover costumes

$20 helps cover sets

$30 helps pay the actors

$50 helps someone from our community see the show for free!

3. Donate at the WSSR!

Some people like to reserve free tickets and then donate after the show.

We have a donation jar sitting on the bar for cash donations on your way out. And we are always happy to accept credit card donations.

4. Donate Online!

We welcome your donations of any amount right here on our website:

5. Become a Sponsor!

As Rockford’s only independent brick and mortar theater, The West Side Show Room presents unique performances that both challenge and delight.

If you or your company would like to become a sponsor, please contact us. We have several sponsorship options available and would be happy to customize a sponsorship package that fits your needs.

contact@wssr.org

WHY FREE THEATER?

A MANIFESTO

For too long, theater has only been available to some of us.

This needs to change.

We need to make theater available to all of us. And we can do it if we work together.

Think of it this way:

Public Access Theater is like a library. But instead of books, we are giving the public access to plays.

If you think about it, you can’t just read a play like HAMLET and hope to get it. The only way to truly experience HAMLET is to see it performed live in a theater.

That’s why theater needs to be available to everyone— because right now, only some of us get to have this experience.

If enough of us donate, we can turn some of us into all of us.

And we’ll know we made a difference when we look around the audience and see the room filled with people who might be experiencing a play for the very first time!

FREE TICKET FAQ

Is every ticket really free?
Yes.

Is there a catch?
No.

Should I feel guilty for using Free Tickets?
Definitely not. We want you to feel excited and enjoy an amazing night of theater!

How do I get Free Tickets?
Anyone can reserve two free tickets by visiting the Get Tickets page on our website.

What if I need more than two tickets?
WSSR Members can reserve more than two tickets at a time. For more information about memberships, please visit our memberships page. We also offer group reservations for a deposit

Can I get Free Tickets for my group?
If you would like to make a group reservation for free tickets, we ask that you make a deposit to hold your seats. Contact us for more information. tickets@wssr.org

Can I cancel my Free Tickets?
Yes! Let us know as soon as you can so we can give your ticket to someone else. tickets@wssr.org

What if Free Tickets are sold out?
Come to the Show Room starting 30 minutes before show time and get on our waiting list. Since tickets are free, we expect to have some cancellations and no-shows. We will get you as soon as possible if seats become available.

What if I’m late?
Since tickets are free, you need to arrive at least 10 minutes before show time. If you arrive late, you risk losing your seat to someone on the waiting list. If you are a WSSR Member, you are eligible for guaranteed seating and your seats will be held until your arrival.

If you don’t charge for tickets, how do you make money?
In the nonprofit theater industry, ticket sales only account for 30-50% of the costs of putting on a play. The rest comes from donations, fundraising, grants, and sponsorships. In order to make Free Ticketing work, we have to make up the loss in ticket sales by increasing revenue from the other sources.

Are you a nonprofit?
The West Side Show Room is a tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, and is incorporated as a Not-For-Profit Corporation in the State of Illinois. Our EIN is 47-3553939.

If you don’t charge for tickets, will people value your work?
We believe people value things that are “of value” to them, even if those things are free. For example, many people value Google’s free Gmail service and use it every day. By working hard to create high-quality, relevant, contemporary theater, we believe people will value us.

Do you ever charge for tickets?
All West Side Show Room plays and the Rockford New Words staged reading are offered free to the public. We may occasionally host special events like comedy shows or rent our space to other groups who charge for ticketing. WSSR Members are eligible to receive discounts on any ticketed events.

Why did you decide to offer free tickets?
Anyone can go to any play in the Rockford area and see that theater is not for everyone in our city. There are many reasons for this, including the cost and “financial risk” of seeing a show. By removing the cost barrier, The West Side Show Room believes we will make our community better by attracting and growing a new diverse audience of theatergoers.

What do you mean by “financial risk?”
Free tickets address the “cost barrier” (where people literally cannot afford to go to the theater), but it also addresses the “financial risk barrier” (where people can afford to go to the theater, but choose not to because it represents a risk of time and money). For example, a person might not think twice about paying $200 to see their favorite band play, but they won’t pay $30 to see a play. The reason they will pay to hear the band is because they have already heard the music and know they will like it, so it represents a sound investment. They won’t go see a play because they likely don’t know anything about it, and may not like it— therefore it represents a risky investment. By offering free tickets, WSSR removes the risk.

Do any other theaters offer free tickets?
Yes. Free theater got it’s modern start in 1954 when Joseph Papp created Shakespeare in the Park in New York City. Papp believed that live theater was as important as the public library, and should therefore be accessible by everyone for free. Bread & Puppet Theater of Vermont was founded in 1962 and distributes bread at its free performances. More recently, free theater has been pioneered by groups such as Flux Theatre Ensemble (NYC), Mixed Blood Theatre (Minneapolis), Theatre Battery (Kent, WA), and Intiman Theatre (Seattle), among others.

Is the free ticketing model successful?
Free theaters report an increase in attendance by BIPOC, people with disabilities, young people, and— perhaps most importantly— first time ever theatergoers. Although there is a loss of revenue from ticket sales, free theaters report an increase in charitable giving and support from grant giving institutions.

What if it doesn’t work? Will you go back to charging for tickets?
We are not convinced that charging for tickets would offer a better guarantee of success. As of 2023, the nonprofit theater sector is in crisis. After decades of declines in attendance followed by the shut downs during COVID-19, many theaters are struggling to stay alive— the vast majority of which charge for tickets in the traditional way. We see Public Access Theater and Free Tickets as a radical solution to this crisis that is worth trying.

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Any other questions? Contact us.