First and Second Row Orchestra Seats for "Rent" Available for $20 on Day of Performance Only

Seats in the front two rows of the orchestra (center section) will be made available for $20 on a first-come, first-served basis both performances of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical "Rent" to be performed Feb. 22 and 23 in the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts.

The $20 tickets will go on sale at the Center for the Arts box office at 6 p.m. on the day of performance only and will be available to anyone, cash only, with a limit of two tickets per person. Patrons will not be permitted to line-up prior to 8 a.m. A $1 facility fee will be added to each ticket purchased.

"In keeping with the spirit of the show and the vision of Jonathan Larson (the show's creator), we are happy to be able to offer prime seats to people who otherwise would not be able to purchase them," explained original "Rent" producer Kevin McCollum. "Jonathan was himself a struggling artist and his dream was to create a universal piece of musical theater that's available to everyone."

The tradition of the $20 tickets was started in New York when the show moved to Broadway after a sold-out run in a small downtown theatre. Since that time people have lined up as early as the night before to guarantee their purchase of the $20 tickets. The producers of the show are committed to continuing the tradition of offering orchestra seats for $20 in each city the show will play.

"Rent" will be performed at 8 p.m. on Feb. 22 and 23 in the Center for the Arts. The $20 tickets will be available at the Center for the Arts box office only. For general ticket information, call 645-ARTS or visit http://www.ubcfa.org.