New York City's TKTS (which is pronounced phonetically as spelled-out "tee kay tee ess") first opened in 1973 and is operated by the
Theatre Development Fund. Currently, there are two locations: one in
Duffy Square (at West 47th Street and Broadway, the north end of
Times Square); and another at
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the David Rubenstein Atrium. The
Downtown Brooklyn (Jay Street and
Myrtle Avenue Promenade) TKTS closed in 2018, and the
South Street Seaport TKTS in
Lower Manhattan (replacing the outpost formerly located in the lobby of the
World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the
September 11, 2001 attacks), The city had a capital budget of $5,000 to build the pavilion, a sum that was obviously insufficient. But the city did have an "operating" budget, which the architects used in a plan based on renting, rather than buying, the pavilion's parts. The sales booth was housed in a rented construction trailer; the armature around and on top of the trailer was made from rented scaffolding parts. Interwoven through the armature was a continuous white canvas ribbon emblazoned with the "TKTS" logo. Foundations could not be dug under the booth because the subway structure is just below ground level. To hold down this giant "wind kite" the architects utilized pile driving test weights (also rented). The pavilion received many design awards, including the
American Institute of Graphic Arts' Excellence in Communications Graphics; The
City Club of New York's
Albert S. Bard Award for Architecture and Urban Design; and the N.Y. State Association of Architects Certificate of Merit for Design Excellence. James Gatens ran the TKTS booth. The competition's winner, Australian firm Choi Ropiha, reframed the challenge as a broader urban design response to invigorate and provide a center for Times Square. In 2001 Theatre Development Fund commissioned a feasibility study. New York City-based
Perkins Eastman developed several approaches, and from those a final design, informed and inspired by the original concept, employed glass as the sole structural component for the steps and the TKTS Booth itself would be a free-standing structure within the glass enclosure. Completing the transformation of Father Duffy Square was the work of the plaza's architect, William Fellows of William Fellows Architects (and now with PKSB Architects). The transformation of the square allows for increased pedestrian traffic and more prominence for Father Duffy's commanding statue. The new TKTS booth for the Times Square location began construction in May 2006 and was completed in October 2008. During this time, the TKTS booth was temporarily relocated to the nearby
Marriott Marquis hotel. After many delays, the new TKTS booth opened for business on October 16, 2008, on a renovated Duffy Square, with a ceremony featuring Mayor
Michael Bloomberg and various Broadway performers.
Operations In the 50 years since the booth first opened, there have been 68.6 million tickets sold. Theaters release tickets for sale by TKTS throughout the day, with more tickets often available within a few hours of showtime. TKTS accepts cash and credit cards. Waiting times at Duffy Square are normally longer than at Lincoln Center. Available shows are displayed on large signs near the ticket windows. The booth has twelve sales windows.
Awards and recognition The TKTS booth in Times Square has won more than two dozen awards for design, lighting, and technical innovation including
American Planning Association, William H. White Award;
American Institute of Architects (AIA), Institute Honor Awards for Architecture; American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York State Chapter, Best in New York State;
Travel + Leisure, Design Award: Best Public Space; and the Engineering Grand Award in
Popular Science magazine's Best of "What's New 2009". At the time, it was the largest load-bearing glass structure in the world, designed by engineers at
Dewhurst Macfarlane using a plastic film called
SentryGlas Plus from
DuPont.
Controversy over 50% off claims The TKTS booth, its parent organization
Theatre Development Fund (TDF), and Broadway show producers have been criticized for their claimed 50% off ticket prices. The prevailing belief is that TKTS offers 50% off of the normal sale price of a ticket, when in fact, those tickets are often subject to markups through
dynamic pricing. As Broadway producer Ken Davenport states in multiple articles and seminars, dynamic pricing is applied in theaters to help a show get more money for a seat. There have also been several documented case studies where a ticket found at the theater at full price for $89 to
Kinky Boots, which is a Ken Davenport production, were sold at the TKTS booth at "50% off" for $75 plus the $5 TDF Fee. As a nonprofit dedicated to expanding audiences and making theatre more affordable and accessible, TDF advocates within the Broadway community to secure the best prices for theatregoers who can't afford full-price tickets. ==London==