by Nicole Peradotto
The Buffalo News
June 7, 1998

If you can't make the rent, you may still be able to make "Rent."

A limited number of $20 seats in the first two rows of the orchestra will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for all performances of the rock opera when it comes to Shea's Performing Arts Center from Tuesday through June 21.

"In keeping with the spirit of the show and the vision of Jonathan Larson (the show's creator), we are happy to be able to offer prime seats to people who otherwise would not be able to purchase them," said "Rent" producer Kevin McCollum.

"Jonathan was himself a struggling artist, and his dream was to create a universal piece of musical theater that's available to everyone."

Twenty-eight tickets will be sold at the discounted rate for each show.  Otherwise, orchestra seats cost $45.   Theater-goers may purchase the discount tickets only with cash at Shea's on the day of the performance, two hours before the show.  There is a two-ticket limit person.

The $20 ticket policy has been a tradition with "Rent" since the Pulitzer Prize winner moved to Broadway after a sold-out run in a small New York City theater in 1996.  Around the country, theater-goers have lined up as early as the night before the show to guarantee themselves a discount ticket.

No one will be allowed to line up outside Shea's before 9 a.m.  "It will be interesting to see what happens here," said Melissa Shea, the theater's senior marketing manager.  "We may have coffee and doughnuts available, just in case."

While the Tony Award winner, about a group of struggling artists typically attracts a younger audience, "Rent's" producers do not recommend it for children under age 17 because it deals with sexuality, AIDS and drug use.  Ultimately, the decision is the parents', said Meghan McQuestion,   Shea's marketing director.

If children under 17 want to buy tickets, Shea's will decide on a case-by-case basis, she added.