A Note About Buying Theatre Tickets Safely

As a new theatre season begins across Central New York, I want to take a moment to talk about something that has become increasingly important for theatre-goers: making sure the tickets you purchase are legitimate.

At Baldwinsville Theatre Guild, and really throughout the local theatre community, we want every patron to arrive at the theatre excited, confident, and ready to enjoy the performance. The last thing anyone wants is for a night at the theatre to begin with the realization that a ticket is not valid.

Unfortunately, social media has made ticket scams much easier.

One of the most common situations we see is someone commenting on a theatre company’s post saying they have tickets they can no longer use and are looking to sell them. Sometimes these posts look completely legitimate. The person may say there has been a family emergency, a scheduling conflict, or that they simply cannot attend.

Unless you personally know the person selling those tickets, I strongly encourage you to be cautious.

The safest way to purchase tickets is always directly through the theatre company’s official website or through the authorized ticketing platform linked from its website or social media pages.

Scammers can create fake confirmation emails, altered screenshots, duplicated tickets, or tickets that never existed at all. In some cases, the same ticket may be sold to more than one person. Unfortunately, the problem may not become apparent until the patron arrives at the theatre.

When someone contacts BTG because they believe they may have been scammed, I always try to help as much as I can. Our goal is not to make the situation more difficult. Our goal is to determine what happened and, whenever possible, help the patron understand whether the ticket they received is valid.

If you ever find yourself in this situation, reach out to the theatre company directly and provide as much information as possible. Send copies of the ticket, receipts, confirmation emails, screenshots of conversations, payment information, or anything else connected to the purchase. In many cases, the theatre can check its ticketing system and quickly determine whether the ticket was actually issued.

I would also encourage anyone who legitimately purchased tickets and can no longer attend a performance to contact the theatre company before trying to sell them online. Every organization has different policies regarding exchanges, transfers, and unused tickets, and there may be an option available that is safer for everyone involved.

For me, this really comes down to protecting the experience of live theatre.

People should be able to purchase a ticket, walk through the doors, find their seat, and enjoy the show without worrying whether someone took advantage of them along the way.

So as you support BTG and the many wonderful theatre companies throughout Central New York this season, please remember one simple rule:

Buy directly from the theatre company whenever possible.

Visit the organization’s official website. Follow the ticket link provided there. And if something about a ticket sale does not feel right, reach out to the theatre before sending money.

Be safe, support local theatre, and continue showing up for the arts in our community.

The actors, musicians, technicians, volunteers, educators, and organizations creating these productions depend on audiences like you — and the cultural landscape of Central New York is stronger because you are part of it.

Kathryn Woods

Managing Director

Baldwinsville Theatre Guild