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ticket Policies and discounts

Refunds and Exchanges

If you are unable to attend your ticketed show, we are happy to exchange your ticket for another performance or offer you a ticket placeholder that is good for any show for a calendar year from the issuance date.

If you cannot attend a performance due to a COVID illness/exposure or restrictions with travel, we are offering a flexible rescheduling and refund policy. Otherwise, we do not offer ticket refunds for events happening in less than 30 days. We are also unable to retroactively apply discounts to any order, so please ensure all discounts are applied to your order before you complete the check-out process.

Please get in touch with our Box Office! (tickets@americanshakespearecenter.com or call 1.877.MUCH.ADO)

Group discounts

Three’s a crowd, but ten is a group! Qualified groups receive a special group rate.  Learn more.

Blackfriars Circle Memberships

Join the Blackfriars Circle and have access to tickets before they go on sale to the public—at a discounted price! Memberships don’t lock you into a specific number of performances. Your benefits can be applied to as many or as few performances as you would like throughout the year while providing you with additional opportunities, content, and engagement.

PAY-WHAT-YOU-WILL PREVIEWS

The very first preview performance in a production’s season run is always Pay-What-You-Will. Advance reservations are not available for PWYW seats. Instead, please arrive at the Blackfriars Playhouse 30-60 minutes before curtain to join the line and claim your seat on a first come, first served basis. PWYW donations will be accepted after the performance. See the Summer 2023 PWYW Schedule.

Local rush

Live nearby? Take 50% off tickets for performances on Wednesdays and Thursdays if you live in Augusta County, Albemarle County, Charlottesville, Waynesboro, Staunton, Bath County, Nelson County, Highland County, Rockingham County, Harrisonburg, or Rockbridge County. The week of your preferred show, please call our Box Office (1.877.MUCH.ADO) or stop by the Playhouse to reserve your local rush tickets. Please bring a local ID when you attend your show. (Seating subject to availability, limit 8 per customer)

Blue Star Theater

The American Shakespeare Center values military personnel in our community and country, and is devoted to ensuring their access to live theatre. ASC is proud to welcome military personnel, veterans, and their immediate families to the Blackfriars Playhouse at a discounted price. Learn More

YOUTH ADMISSION POLICY

ASC welcomes children seven and older to the Blackfriars Playhouse throughout the year.

Children three and older are welcome to A Christmas Carol during the Holiday Season and sensory-friendly performances of our 90-minute productions. See event pages for more details.

Some of our plays contain material unsuitable for children. Call the box office for specific information about any show in the season.

Playwrights welcome

Playwrights Welcome is a new program to provide free access to theatre for Dramatists Guild of America Members, developed by Samuel French along with Dramatists Play Service, Dramatic Publishing, Music Theatre International, Playscripts and Rodgers and Hammerstein. For more information on this national program, please click here.

To receive a ticket through Playwrights Welcome at our theater, you may either visit the box office or call to book your ticket the day of the performance (1.877.MUCHADO), when you arrive please present your Dramatists Guild membership card at Will Call. One ticket per member, per production, is allowed, based on availability.

PHOTO POLICY

In compliance with our agreement with Actor’s Equity Association, photos are not permitted during the performance or musical pre-show/interlude. Please Note: By entering the Blackfriars Playhouse, you acknowledge that you may be photographed or filmed; and, you agree that the American Shakespeare Center may use any resulting images for marketing or promotional purposes.

PLEASE BE ON TIME

Unlike other theatres, we don’t hold the curtain. We start on time every time. Latecomers are not guaranteed their purchased seats and will be seated at the discretion of the house manager.

cancellations

We make every attempt to continue performances as scheduled. In the event of a cancellation, you will be contacted both via text (if we have your cell number on file) and through the email you provide during your ticket purchase with the cancellation announcement.  In the email you will receive options for your tickets—you may request to move to a different performance, to receive a refund, move to a placeholder good for a year, or opt to make a tax-deductable donation with the cost of your ticket.

SEVERE WEATHER POLICY

Performances continue as scheduled unless we experience a loss of power or extremely dangerous conditions at the Blackfriars Playhouse. Please see the above paragraph for information on how we will contact you if a performance is cancelled.

If we are able to continue a performance, for patrons who cannot travel safely, we waive our standard exchange fee and gladly issue replacement tickets for another performance of the same play, pending availability.

Please contact the Box Office within 24 hours after your missed show to make arrangements.

OTher Questions?

Visit our General FAQ page to find answers to all our more frequently asked questions.