The Roundtable Ensemble


Subsidized Ticket Program

Recognizing that the high price of tickets limits theatergoing, especially among the young, The Roundtable Ensemble dramatically expands access to live theatre by providing free admission to its productions to underserved communities, creating a broad audience that is both culturally and economically diverse.

Through our subsidized ticket program and building on the partnerships we began with our first production in 1999 and continuing with each following production, we have been able to provide thousands of free tickets to those who have little or no access to professional theater. These seats are targeted for non-traditional theatergoers such as disadvantaged young people, inner-city students, the mental health community and various other community organizations, helping to create a new appreciation for live theater and making professional theater a vital part of their cultural landscape.
 
The Roundtable Ensemble believes young minds are eager to be challenged by complex and rich artistic work. We believe the youth of our city are hungry for direct and personal experience in the life beyond their community, and we know that live theater can open new ways of relating in and to that community, revolutionizing their thinking about the life they see around them. Following the journey of a well-crafted play, the children of our city can explore alternatives to the choices they will make in their own lives, potentially opening whole new vistas of choice as they create and shape their futures. 

Our subsidized ticket program is the core of our inner-city youth initiative. With this program, middle school and high school students in New York City's five boroughs receive introductory materials about the play and author, and the creative process. They then attend a performance followed by a question and answer discussion, helping them learn about culture, history, reading and writing. Through our subsidized ticket program, underwritten by our partners in the business world, our Board of Directors and our generous individual supporters, hundreds of inner-city youth will experience the magic of professional theater, many for the first time. 

The aging in our city are a group of people that are sometimes forgotten in our fast-paced lives. At The Roundtable Ensemble we have seen the difference that a thought provoking play makes in the lives of our grandparents and other elders who have participated in the exciting conversations that follow any of our productions. To have both the youth and the aged participate in the same discussions is an event that adds to all of our lives. 

The success of this program is growing with each production and we anticipate even greater accomplishments in the future. The Roundtable Ensemble has been working hard to expand our subsidized ticket program since our successful launch with CANDIDA. With increased funding we will be able to provide opportunity to greater numbers in the future. 

Believing that no one should be economically excluded from experiencing the joys of live theatre, The Roundtable Ensemble provides free access to professional theater to those groups that are normally not exposed to it, helping these underserved audiences develop a new appreciation for live theater and making professional theater a vital part of their cultural landscape. Among the organizations benefiting from The Roundtable Ensemble's subsidized ticket program are: Boys & Girls Club of New York City, Mount Vernon High School, Project Return, Morris High School (Bronx, NY), Fountain House, Hudson Guild Senior Center, Hospital Audiences Incorporated, In God's Love We Deliver, Robert Lewis Stevenson High School, Greenwich Senior Center, Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation, Gay Men's Health Crisis, Community Lounge Senior Services Center and High Five Tickets to the Arts.

Know of a group to sponsor for our next production? 
Email us at info@roundtableensemble.org and Share the Stage !