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To build the audience of tomorrow, TDF is offering a free TDF membership to all graduating seniors from NYC public and charter high schools.

Hell's Kitchen on Broadway and the New York City Public Schools Arts Office join TDF as partners.

There will be a graduation party on Wednesday, June 26 in Duffy Square prior to a performance of Hell's Kitchen on Broadway.

May 9, 2024 – New York, NY – TDF, the not-for-profit organization for the performing arts, announced that the sign-up for TDF’s Graduation Gift begins today. To build the audience of tomorrow, TDF is offering every graduating New York City public and charter school student across the five boroughs a free TDF Membership. TDF Membership provides access to the performing arts in New York City—Broadway, Off Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, music and dance performances—at deeply discounted ticket prices.

Joining TDF in this partnership are Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway and the New York City Public Schools Arts Office, who are committed to building a lifelong relationship with the arts for the next generation of theatregoers. Graduating students at all of New York City’s public and charter schools will be sent information about the program and how to sign up from their respective schools. To prove eligibility during the sign-up process, students will be asked to provide their NYC DOE Student ID # (OSIS #) or their school ID. To learn more about TDF’s Graduation Gift, go to: tdf.org/gradgift.

Together with the new hit musical Hell’s Kitchen at the Shubert Theatre, TDF is offering the full house for the Wednesday evening, June 26 performance to the graduates. For this very special performance, seats will be given away to students who sign up for the free membership and choose to enter a drawing to win up to two free tickets. Hell’s Kitchen has just received 13 Tony Award® nominations, the most of any musical this season. Prior to the performance, there will be a graduation party for the students in Duffy Square by the red steps of TDF’s Times Square TKTS Booth, which will include music, an opportunity to take graduation photos and other fun activities.

“At TDF we believe that it is the birthright of every New Yorker to be able to attend the performing arts,” said TDF’s Executive Director Deeksha Gaur. “We have served over 150,000 students through our education programs, and now, we hope to be a part of the lives of New York’s young people as they enter adulthood. We know that our lives are richer for participating in the arts, and we are excited to work with our incredible partners to cultivate these vibrant, life-changing relationships for the next generation of audiences.”

“Our students are surrounded by some of the greatest arts and cultural institutions in the world. Programs like this inspire our students to engage with the arts on an incredible scale, experiencing live theatre that inspires them and provides memories they will never forget,” said New York City Public Schools Chancellor David C. Banks. “I am grateful to our partners at TDF for their commitment to live theatre for our teens and all young adults.”

“We are hugely inspired to be partnering with TDF and the New York City Public Schools Arts Office to bring this inaugural gift of theatre to all of these deserving high school graduating seniors,” said Hell’s Kitchen Executive Producer Aaron Lustbader. “Hell’s Kitchen brings to the stage the story of a 17-year-old native New Yorker at the beginning of her dreams, and is a quintessentially New York story. We can’t wait to experience an entire theatre full of New York seniors who will be able to see a version of themselves and their stories on a Broadway stage.”

ABOUT TDF: Founded in 1968, TDF (formerly known as Theatre Development Fund) is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to bringing the power of the performing arts to everyone. TDF’s mission is to sustain live theatre and dance by engaging a broad and diverse audience and eliminating barriers to attendance. We fulfill our mission with a variety of programs that expand access, cultivate communities and support the makers of the performing arts.

We are known for our theatregoing programs, including the TKTS by TDF Discount Booths (which celebrated 50 years in Times Square in 2023) and the TDF Membership program; TDF Accessibility Programs (including open captioning, audio description, Autism Friendly Performances and the Veterans Theatregoing Program); Education programs (serving more than 10,000 NYC public school students annually) and Community programs (serving 18,000 people in the tristate area); as well as the TDF Costume Collection Rental and Research Programs. TDF envisions a world where the transformative experience of attending live theatre and dance is essential, relevant, accessible and inspirational. To learn more about TDF, go to tdf.org; Facebook/Instagram/Threads: @tdfnyc.

NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS is the largest system of public schools in the United States. New York City Public Schools supports universal access to arts education through school support programs, student initiatives and the ArtsCount initiative, which tracks and reports student participation in arts education according to city and NY standards. Our Arts Office theatre programs highlight the positive impact of theatre on school culture and student well-being and learning. Visit www.iteachtheater.com.

ABOUT HELL’S KITCHEN: Ali is a 17-year-old girl full of fire searching for freedom, passion and her place in the world. How she finds them is a New York City coming-of-age story you've never felt before. Hell’s Kitchen is a new musical from 16-time Grammy® Award winner Alicia Keys, whose songs and experiences growing up in NY inspire a story made for Broadway.

Rebellious and stifled by an overprotective single mother, Ali is lost until she meets her mentor: a neighbor who opens her heart and mind to the power of the piano. Set to the rhythm of the '90s, Hell’s Kitchen is a love story between a mother and daughter. It's about finding yourself, your purpose and the community that lifts you. Come remember where dreams begin.

Don’t miss this exhilarating, joyful, coming-of-age story filled with that New York grit about chasing your dreams, honoring your roots, identity and finding your voice. Directed by four-time Tony Award® nominee Michael Greif, with choreography by Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown, a book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz and featuring Keys’ new original songs and iconic anthems—in a story inspired by her own NY experience—Hell’s Kitchen is the kind of Broadway musical dreams are made of.

TDF would like to thank Gina Leonetti for providing lead funding, as well as Jacqueline LiCalzi, Jill Schlesinger and O'Melveny. In-kind donations provided by Sony Corporation of America and NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.