What Does The Bushnell Get Out Of 'Hamilton' Stay?
When "Hamilton" completes its Hartford tour on Dec. 30, it is expected to gross as much as $12 million, with the lions share going to the production company.
So, what will The Bushnell Performing Arts Center get out of the Broadway musical's three-week run, as ticket prices soar online into the four-figures?
Plenty, says David Fay, president and CEO of the theater, which includes the 2,800-seat Mortensen Hall where "Hamilton" will be playing before approximately 24,000 patrons during each week of the show's holiday season stay.
For one, Fay reports a 50 percent increase in subscribers — customers who buy ticket packages in advance for an entire Broadway series and who also get first dibs on seats.
The theater currently has 9,250 subscribers, up from about 6,000 several years ago. The boost is significant, especially given that The Bushnell, like many theaters across the country, has dealt with a declining subscription base for the past decade.
The Bushnell has also added 525 new individual donors and 1,000 others increased their giving, boosting the theater's annual fundraising from $1.75 million in the 2016-17 season to more than $2 million for the period ending June 30.
"We figured the majority of the bump is over," says Fay, "but we are currently running $150,000 ahead of last year at this time."
Fay acknowledges the increased support may have had to do with fans deciding the best way to get a "Hamilton" ticket was to become a donor and/or subscriber. The Bushnell reserves several thousand tickets for new donors, while at least 50 percent of "Hamilton" seats were made available for single-ticket sales.
