ArtsBoston is offering 10,000 subscribers of the defunct North Shore Music Theatre what amounts to more than $600 of free tickets to a dozen ArtsBoston member theaters. In addition to a mailing, the offer has its own web page with full details. ArtsBoston is encouraging these theater fans to create their own sampler series, gratis, in hopes they'll like what they see and come back later with checkbooks and/or credit cards in hand. "I am confident that we can find these dedicated arts patrons a new theatre home," ArtsBoston Executive Director Catherine Peterson said in the announcement.
They'll be able to choose free tickets from these ArtsBoston members: American Repertory Theater (left), Gloucester Stage, The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, Huntington Theatre Company, The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, New Repertory Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, Reagle Players, Seacoast Repertory Theatre, SpeakEasy Stage Company, and Stoneham Theatre. Each theater company has a different offer, ranging from "any show of the 2009/10 season" to two productions of "A Christmas Carol" to a handful of designated performances. (The Salem and Stoneham theaters, among others, have already reached out to NSMT refugees with offers.)
About 4,400 of the NSMT's subscribers reportedly paid at least part of their $200-$300 subscriptions for 2009 before the cash-strapped Beverly venue pulled the plug, having fallen short in last-ditch fundraising attempts. They won't be getting refunds from NSMT, although some may have recourse through their credit card companies. The NSMT provided the subscriber list to ArtsBoston for use in the new offer only, so disappointed subscribers would get something. And the Mass. Cultural Council kicked in some cash for ArtsBoston to market the offer.
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