Box Office Blog!

Well it’s almost the end of the second week of sales and it’s all go, go, go here in the Box Office! We’re selling tickets left, right and centre, by phone, fax, post, over the Internet and even in person! Phones are ringing, tickets are printing, and there is a real buzz around the Box Office.

Working in a box office is always an interesting experience - you get the opportunity to meet new people and talk about theatre all the time! It’s always curious seeing what combination of shows people are interested in, and with this years programme being so extensive and diverse, people are spoilt for choice! As well as the programme being bigger than ever this year, our spread of theatres involved in the Festival has grown too. With the Pavilion Theatre only a short DART or bus journey away from the City centre, it is a great addition to the Festival.

Another exciting new addition to the Festival this year is the Student Friend membership scheme. Just because you’re a student living off baked beans and toast, and saving your washing for the weekend trip home to Mammy and Daddy, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to enjoy the Festival! Introducing (cue trumpet fanfare) the Student Friend option! For €45 any person carrying a current student card can become a Student Friend. As a Student Friend you are entitled to a complimentary ticket chosen from a selection of performances, a special discount on tickets for the vast majority of shows in the Festival, two Festival Club passes (the place to hang out during the Festival and rub shoulders with the casts and crews of the Festival shows - and maybe even have a little dance!). During the year you will be invited to special Friends nights out including trips to the theatre, at discounted prices, and talks with the casts and crews of current productions. And we can’t forget the infamous Friends theatre trip, usually to London, this gives the Friends an opportunity to let their hair down and experience what’s happening on the London stage at the time. Always an unforgettable trip! To become a Student Friend or any of our Friends categories call our Friends co-ordinator, Sarah Baxter on 6730652 or our main box office number, 6778899, or come in and visit us in the box office!

Shows are selling fast and this years Festival is on course to beat all box office records, and with such a great programme who can be surprised? What a way to celebrate half a century of dynamic, creative, inspiring and exciting theatre!

Deirdre McClean
Box Office Manager

A week of record sales!

Well we opened the Box Office last Monday, and what a week it has been! Sales have been coming in thick and fast! All shows are booking very fast, and many performances have already sold out - which is quite a result!

The first week of public sales is always really interesting. Early trends begin to emerge indicating the hot tickets, and its always fascinating to see what audiences are going for. After working on the shows for so many months now, it's so interesting to see if the productions we expected to be popular end up doing the business!

The Marketing Department has also been busy on other fronts. Our new campaign - What Will You Think? - has now been officially launched, with the first press ads appearing last weekend. Get ready to see lots of different faces from the campaign plastered all over the City as the campaign really starts to take hold!

We're recording two ads on Monday - one for TV and one for the Internet, so we're dying to see how they work out. We've got lots of other things in the pipeline too - from bus-backs to giant billboards, so hopefully nobody will be able to live, work or pass through Dublin without knowing the Festival is in town! We also really want people to know that the Festival is for everyone - so that's why we have so many 'faces' in the campaign; people from all different walks of life. To use on old cliché, there truly is something for everyone!

Today we've also just received delivery of the brochure for the three Gala Nights that we'll be running during the Festival - Traces, Radio Macbeth and The History Boys - so we'll also all be busy dealing with enquiries and bookings for these. No rest for the wicked!

So, with less than five weeks to go 'til Opening Night, there's no sign of the madness abating! So, here's to shows continuing to sell like crazy so we can all sleep easy at night!

Ross Keane
Director of Marketing & Development

We're open!

After a long few months, the Festival has launched its full programme, and what a programme it is. 33 shows from 13 countries, something definitely for everybody.

After shocking half of Merrion square with our lunchtime photocall with the wonderful Pan Pan who had skiers and swimmers from their Festival show The Idiots entertaining all lunch goers, it was time to officially launch the Festival by throwing the party of the Summer in a fabulous marquee in the square, the wine flowed, the sun shined, Neosupervital entertained the masses until the park keepers kicked us out!

Its now finally time for all the world's hungry theatre goers to get their mits on tickets, incredibly shows are already sold out so get online and avoid disappointment!

Shauna Lyons
Marketing Assistant