Video: Broadway Comes Out to Celebrate 50 Years of TKTS

Just yesterday, June 28, TDF’s TKTS, which revolutionized same-day discount theatre tickets for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, marked 50 years in Times Square with a special celebration in front of the red steps. The City of New York presented a proclamation to TDF, which was accepted by S. Epatha Merkerson, a two-time Tony Award nominee and beloved star of Law & Order and Chicago Med. She was joined by emcee Eric Ulloa and the Broadway Inspirational Voices, who performed a medley of songs from Broadway musicals of the past 50 years, arranged by the ensemble's artistic director Allen René Louis. 

"The very first Broadway show that I saw, I got at the TKTS booth. It was Ain't Misbehavin'. So this is full-circle for me," Merkerson told BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge. "I just remember how [theatre] changed my life. That this [TKTS] line is tripled is just a reason why the TDF is important. People want that experience. There's nothing like it!"

Operated by TDF, a not-for-profit service organization for the performing arts, TKTS Times Square opened for business on June 25, 1973, and quickly became a mecca for theatregoers from all over the world. Selling same-day discount tickets and providing an urban fellowship of theatre lovers on Duffy Square (47th Street and Broadway), TKTS is one of New York City’s most photographed landmarks. The current TKTS Booth, housed under red glass steps, opened in 2008 and has garnered more than a dozen international design awards. The glowing red staircase above TKTS was the first public space opened in Times Square, and it quickly became a popular respite for locals and visitors alike.

To date, TKTS has been responsible for  68.6 million admissions to thousands of Broadway and Off- Broadway productions returning over $2.68 billion in revenue to those productions over the past half century. The small service charge (currently $7 per ticket) is used to operate the Booth and to help fund TDF’s myriad School, Accessibility and Community programs