‘Hamilton’ lottery provides opportunity to win $10 tickets

Julianne Kerver
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 02:46:08 +0000
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For its 25-show run later this month, “Hamilton” will hold a lottery for $10 tickets at all of its Columbus shows. Credit: Courtesy of Columbus Association for the Performing Arts

If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing “Hamilton,” but the high price tag discouraged you, don’t throw away your shot.

The Columbus Association for Performing Arts is hosting a digital lottery in which 40 tickets for each of the 25 Columbus showings of “Hamilton” at the Ohio Theatre will be sold to winners for $10 apiece. The lottery begins with the performance on Jan. 29, and ends with the final showing of the blockbuster musical on Feb. 17.

“Hamilton” is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rap, jazz, R&B and blues-filled acclaimed musical about one of America’s Founding Fathers and has quickly become a mainstream staple of Broadway and musical-theater culture since its 2015 debut.

Such high demand results in an even higher ticket price. Remaining tickets at the box office range from as low as $115 for balcony seats and $1,219 for floor seats, while resale tickets on Ticketmaster vary between $152 for the balcony and $3,332 for the floor. Dropping ticket prices to $10, the lottery will make attending the show much more affordable. The section for the lottery seats has not been announced.

“The lottery is something the show itself is doing nationally through its app,” Lisa Minken, marketing manager for Broadway in Columbus, said. “Hamilton feels that it gives a chance for as many people as possible to have low-cost access to see the blockbuster production.”

Winners can purchase up to two tickets for the show. If not claimed by 4 p.m. the day prior, the tickets are forfeited.

Minken also said that while the lottery for discounted tickets isn’t unique to “Hamilton,” it’s the first to use its very own app versus a strictly online system.

The first lottery opens up on Jan. 27 at 11 a.m., with the remaining lotteries starting two days before each show. To enter, fans can download the official “Hamilton” app or visit hamiltonmusical.com/lottery. Notifications for winners and nonwinners alike will be sent via email and text message at 11 a.m. the day before the performance.