Planning visits to the theatre with friends or family is always exciting, but resellers can squash your enthusiasm with price markups if you’re not careful. We work hard to ensure all visitors have a great experience from start to finish, and how you get your tickets plays a major role in that. Continue reading for our top five tips to make sure you’re getting the best seats at the best price, directly from THT.
1. Start with the right website.
When browsing for tickets to an event, always start with the venue’s official website. As you can see below, a Google search for “Hadestown tickets Worcester MA” does not necessarily return THT as the first, second or even third result. Closely examine the web address listed with the Google ad or result to ensure you are headed to the right website.
Unauthorized ticket resellers typically have large budgets that allow them to out-bid nonprofit organizations like THT, guaranteeing they have top billing in searches.
Notice how the first three results are all ads by unauthorized ticket resellers and not linking to TheHanoverTheatre.org. Above each result headline, you can see “Ad” in bold next to the website. You can see that the fourth result, however, is an ad for TheHanoverTheatre.org and links directly to the theatre’s website.
Always be sure you are on either TheHanoverTheatre.org or tickets.TheHanoverTheatre.org. You will know you are in the right spot when you see our logo in the top left corner and our nonprofit statement in the footer.
If you don’t remember the theatre’s web address, an easy way to get to the official website is to Google “The Hanover Theatre” and either click on a result that specifies TheHanoverTheatre.org or click on the website button on The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts business profile. When on desktop, the business profile typically displays on the right-hand side of the screen as shown below. On mobile it should appear at the top of the results, though it could appear beneath any ads.
2. Be price aware.
We always list ticket prices or price ranges on event pages. While tickets closer to the stage or on an aisle can be more expensive than others, Broadway always starts at $39 in the orchestra with top dollar tickets up to $129. Resellers have been known to try and sell these same seats for up to $700 a piece!
When looking at the unauthorized ticket website example below, it is evident that you cannot interact with the seat map or select specific seats. Instead, they list large ranges of seat locations. Just above the seat map at the top of the screenshot, you can see that they do have a disclaimer that they are a resale marketplace. Also… those prices are wild!
These are all red flags that you are not on the theatre’s official website.
When looking at the same performance on THT’s official website, you can see that you are able to not only navigate between sections but also select specific seats. Not only that, but the pricing listed is consistent with other shows in the Broadway Series.
Use your best judgement: if the ticket price seems ridiculously high, it probably is.
3. Closely inspect your tickets.
When you buy a ticket from THT, you can choose to receive your tickets via email with the Print at Home / Mobile delivery method. Resellers typically alter these tickets by removing key information to avoid suspicion with unsuspecting consumers.
As pictured below, THT’s Print at Home / Mobile tickets typically have your name, a 6-digit order number, the exact seat location (section, row AND seat number) as well as the ticket price printed on them.
Ticket reseller websites almost never let you select specific seats and will sometimes have a disclaimer that they do not own the tickets yet. A popular resale site even recently listed tickets for seats that don’t even exist. If you check THT’s seat map, you can plainly see that there is no row DD in the Loge. Not only that, but these sites have also been known to sell tickets that aren’t available to the public yet.
4. Ask for help.
Whatever sticky situation you may find yourself in with a reseller, THT’s customer service and sales staff will do their best to help you fix the problem. While we cannot refund money you paid to a reseller, we can supply you with any necessary information to cancel charges on your credit card and do our best to get you into affordable seats so you can still see the show.
The ticketing office’s regular hours are Monday through Saturday, 10am-6pm. Customer service and sales staff can be reached by phone at 877.571.7469 or visited in-person at 2 Southbridge Street in downtown Worcester.
5. Sign up for THT emails.
It is no secret that the best way to make sure you are in the know and receiving new show announcements, special offers and important show-related communications is to sign up for THT’s email list! Simply fill in your name and email address in the form below.
Footer Form
If you have an account, you can also log in and update your communication preferences directly. For more information and troubleshooting, please visit the theatre’s FAQ page.
Disclaimer: Occasionally, THT works directly with verified ticket sites, like Goldstar and TodayTix, to make tickets more accessible to a broader range of ticket buyers.
