CMU Drama Shows
CMU Drama has two types of shows, Mainstages (also called Subscription Series) and Studio Series. Mainstages are our major productions, such as the yearly musical (effective 26-27 season, SOD will be doing two musicals a year!), and the shows that take place in the Choskey, our major venue. Studio Series are the shows that take place in the Rauh, a small black box theatre in Purnell. You can see what shows we are doing each year, along with the type of show they are, on our website.
How to see a Studio Series
Studio Series runs on an online ticket-drop system. The day before the performance at noon, about 90 tickets will drop; however, this is a fluctuating number depending on how we set up the venue and how many cast reserves there are. These are known to sell out within minutes, but I have been able to get almost every single show!
Here is the timeline I follow:
- 11:55 am: Log into the website. Keep in mind that the tickets do not drop on the normal CMU Drama website. You must go to our university ticket website. Use your Andrew ID to log in. After you log in, navigate to the show performance.
- 11:59 am: Start refreshing the website until the clock hits noon.
- 12:00 pm: Select how many tickets you want in the sidebar; it should have a dropdown. Click confirm. Check out as quickly as possible. Just because you selected your tickets does not mean they’re being held.
How to see a Mainstage
Mainstage tickets become available at the beginning of the school year, but do not typically sell out very fast, with the exception of mainstage shows performing in the Rauh. Unfortunately, our policies have changed recently and Non-SoD students no longer get free tickets. SoD students are not likely to give them out freely either, as we only get two per show. You can either purchase these for $11 at the box office in Purnell, or online at our university ticket website.
Playground
Enjoy new student-made work that is some of the best, and worst, theatre you will ever see? Come to our yearly student festival of new work, Playground! This is typically the week before fall finals week, and performances are pretty much all day on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It changes year to year on how tickets are sold, but typically they get posted on the university ticket website about a week prior. In the 25-26 year, we had walk-in only for Chosky shows, and a digital drop a week prior for Studio Series. If you’re interested in learning more about tickets, keep an eye on our website!
Each show is individually sold, and all performances are free!
The Waitlist
For all free performances, including Studio Series and Playground, CMU Drama runs a waitlist that begins 30 minutes before the house opens, typically at 7pm. You’ll go to the box office and ask to be placed on the waitlist. If anyone doesn’t show up and we have spare seats, the Box Office will start pulling names in order of sign-ups, so it’s first-come, first-served. You are not guaranteed to get into the show whatsoever, and your party may be split. Seating in the Rauh is open, so you’ll still be able to pick your seat from what’s available. Waitlist is not available for shows in the Choskey.
CFA Performances
(UNFINISHED)
Trust Arts Performances
Trust Arts offers discounted tickets to most of their events, it really depends on the show. I’ve gotten anywhere from 10% to 50% off tickets using this, and unfortunately it doesn’t matter when you’re buying it, so if you see a ticket at a good price buy it immediately if you want. It’s pretty easy to get to their theatres, it’s all in the arts district in downtown Pitt. To get down to them, use the 61 or 71 lines, most will stop near it, and there’s a 4 minute walk to the main theatre.
You can buy tickets online, but they will refuse to sell you them at the discounted price in person. To buy them, go to this website and click the CMU logo, then select the show you want. The discount will not apply unless you specifically do that, and they will not refund you the difference if you don’t originally apply it (learned this the hard way!). Make sure to bring your CMU ID with you to the theatre, while not likely, they do random checks for tickets purchased through this system, especially for older students.
The shows are really worth the time to go see it, and I highly recommend the touring Broadway shows! They are very similar to the level you would expect on Broadway, and I haven’t left one ever feeling scammed out of my time.