By GINA KINSLOW
Glasgow Daily Times
GLASGOW —
An announcement detailing the entertainers who will perform this season at the Plaza Theatre was released Friday.
The announcement listed only two acts, instead of the six or eight as it usually would. The reason for the short list is theater officials are hoping to reserve a majority of its budget to attract more popular acts at a lower price as they travel through the area while on tour, said Steve Jones, theater director.
Additional shows will be added later, and individuals who purchase theater memberships will be allowed to purchase tickets to those shows in advance of the general public, he said.
The first two major shows are country/folk recording artist Mary Chapin Carpenter and the classic rock band Kansas.
“We tried to get some things we haven’t had before and we tried to get some bigger names,” said Jones, theater director, adding the theater’s board of directors wanted to bring in a classic rock band. “We think Kansas appeals to a lot of people. Even my teenage son knows Kansas.”
Carpenter will perform on Oct. 9. A date for the Kansas performance has not been set.
Jones explained the band did not want to commit to a Plaza performance so far in advance, in the event they are invited to tour with another band.
Also, new this season is how tickets to performances are sold.
Instead of offering Plaza fans a season subscription, the theater is offering a membership to the theater. With the membership model, patrons are required to purchase a $25 per seat membership and tickets to two major shows, Carpenter and the planned Kansas performance.
“We’ve had a lot of people to request flexibility in their season,” said Jones, explaining the reason for the change.
In the past some shows did not appeal to everyone, and therefore some season subscribers didn’t attend those shows, which left gaps in seating.
A membership to the theater will allow patrons to choose which shows they want to attend, he said.
Theater memberships went on sale Friday. Tickets for Carpenter’s performance go on sale at 8 a.m. on Sept. 11, and can be purchased online.
“We won’t know when tickets go on sale for Kansas until the date is set,” Jones said, because the concert date for Kansas has not been confirmed, patrons will purchase a membership, plus tickets to see Carpenter. They will eventually have to pay for the second show, too, he said.
Memberships will be sold at the theater only, and cannot be purchased online.
For more information about the new theater memberships, call the theater at 361-2101 or visit the theater's website at www.plaza.org.
