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At today’s TKTS Times Square 40th Anniversary celebration, celebrity guests Harvey Fierstein and Julie Halston announced a new program at Theatre Development Fund’s TKTS Booth in Times Square – the TKTS 7-Day Fast Pass – whereby TKTS patrons may return to the iconic discount ticket booth within 7 days of their TKTS purchase and walk up to window #1 with their TKTS ticket stub, thereby avoiding the longer lines at peak hours. Thus, allowing them quicker access to purchase same-day discounts or future-performance full-priced tickets. Earlier in the program, TDF announced that the TKTS’ satellite booth at South Street Seaport, which has been closed since Hurricane Sandy, is currently under reconstruction and will be open sometime in July. That Booth serves thousands of theatregoers who work and live in Downtown Manhattan.

About the TKTS 7-Day Fast Pass - Whether you’re visiting from out of town and seeing your first Broadway or Off Broadway show, or you’re a veteran Broadway fan, TDF would like to thank you for being a theatre audience member by inviting you to return to TKTS within seven days of your initial TKTS purchase without waiting on the regular TKTS lines. All you have to do is bring your ticket stub to Window #1, within seven days of that ticket’s date, and you may purchase full- or discount-priced tickets to the available Broadway or Off Broadway shows of your choice.  TDF feels that this will help visitors who are in town for a limited period of time enjoy more theatre during their trip and save a some of their time for more sightseeing.

Operated by Theatre Development Fund (TDF), a not-for-profit service organization for the performing arts, TKTS opened for business on June 25, 1973 and quickly became a mecca for theatregoers from all over the world.  Making theatre affordable with same-day discount tickets and providing an urban fellowship of theatre lovers on Duffy Square (47th Street and Broadway) has helped turn TKTS into one of New York City’s most photographed landmarks. The current TKTS Booth, housed under red glass steps, opened in 2008 and has garnered over a dozen international design awards. The glowing red staircase above TKTS became the first public space in Times Square, and it quickly became a popular respite for locals and visitors 365 days a year.

Open 365 days a year and located at Broadway and 47th Street in Manhattan, TKTS has distributed over 58.5 million tickets to Broadway, Off Broadway, music and dance events in The Big Apple since it first opened for business on June 25, 1973.  These tickets represent over $1.9 billion in revenue from these same-day sales to thousands of stage productions.  The small per ticket service charge (currently $4.00 per ticket) is used to operate the booth and to help fund TDF’s myriad of education, access and service programs. In addition to the satellite booth at South Street Seaport, TDF operates a second satellite booth in Downtown Brooklyn at 1 MetroTech Center.

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND was created in the conviction that the live theatrical arts afford a unique expression of the human condition that must be sustained and nurtured. It is dedicated to developing diverse audiences for live theatre and dance, and strengthening the performing arts community in New York City. Since 1968, TDF’s programs have provided over 85 million people with access to performances at affordable prices and have returned over $2.2 billion to thousands of productions. Best known for its TKTS Discount Booths, TDF’s membership, outreach, access (including its newly formed Autism Theatre Initiative) and education programs — as well as its Costume Collection — have introduced thousands of people to the theatre and helped make the unique experience of theatre available to everyone, including students and people with disabilities. Recent TDF honors include a 2011 Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture, a 2012 Tony Honor for Excellence for its Open Doors Arts Education Program, a 2012 New York Innovative Theatre Award for its support of the off-Off Broadway community and a 2013 Lucille Lortel honor for “Outstanding Body of Work” in support of the Off Broadway community.