Canandaigua Daily Messenger
February 15, 1973
Being an avid fan of Bette Midler I rushed to get tickets when I heard she would be in town. 1 asked for two, main floor center, hoping to get in the first few rows, only to find that the “best” available were in the fourth row on the far right. There were none for the center main floor, I was told, because the promoters had taken them for their use. Is the public always treated this way? W.H.
The secretary – treasurer of the Association of Theater Press Agents and Managers says that customarily the promoter of a show will set aside a certain number of seats for his or the performers‘ use.
The performers’ seats are usually part of the contract and are used by the performers’ friends or technicians. Additional seats may be set aside for recording company representatives or local dealers, and others go to the press. For popular performers, he says, as many as 150 seats may be set aside.
A promoter says, however, that the numbers are usually not that high but that because of the large capacity of most houses, holding out 200 seats “hardly makes a dent” even in the choice sections.
