No more tickets at TKTS? Not to fear. Visitors heading to Times Square to see a show can now be a part of one.
In a modified cargo box four feet wide and nine feet tall, the Theatre for One has enough space for one performer and one audience member.
Tickets for the Theatre for One don't have a barcode - the theater uses the same number dispenser as a grocery store. Tickets are free, and doled out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Audience members step into a cushy red booth to watch dance pieces, stand-up comedy, monologues and the like - performed by a single actor. Each performance lasts about five minutes.
The theater’s Creative Director, Christine Jones, believes that the Theater for One equalizes the relationship between the performer and the audience member. “You’re just much more likely to really look at somebody and stay in the moment with them,” she says. “And that mutual investment heightens what’s happening in the moment.”
Jones says that the theater still requires a robust staff, like any other performing arts center. She employs a stage manager, technical director, lighting designer, and two stage crew.
The Theatre for One will be in Times Square, at 46th and Broadway, through May 23rd.