Envisioned as a way to rejuvenate the theater district in 1973, the TKTS booth in Times Square — now housed in a red staircase — has sold 68.6 million discounted tickets, generating $2.68 billion in revenue for Broadway and off-Broadway productions.
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023.On a recent Sunday afternoon, business was booming at thebooth on Times Square. As street performers dressed as Elmo and Iron Man enticed visitors to snap photos nearby, a long line snaked around the booth, with people waiting to snap up theater tickets at a dramatic discount. Visitors congregated and chatted on the bright red staircase that was added to the booth in a 2008 makeover.
“The city was depressed, and Times Square was a disaster,” said Bob Mayers, the architect who helped design the booth and its famous all lowercase logo. Still, doubts remained, says Victoria Bailey, the TDF's current executive director. “There really was a sense that this wasn't necessarily going to work – that Times Square was so rough, who was going to come?” she said.
“It proved what I think has always been the case, and will always be the case: that there are people who want to go to Broadway, who can't afford a full price ticket,” Bailey said. “Shows like ‘Phantom’ and ‘Chorus Line,’ this is unscientific, but my guess is over time, the booth was responsible for five or six years of their run, at least,” Bailey said.
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