Theater Ticketing Software With Promotion Built In
Promotion, ticketing, audience development and reporting — all in one platform built for theaters, with the flexibility you need and a flat 99¢ ticket fee.
- Public Benefit Corporation
- Flat $0.99 Ticket Fee
- Nonprofit-Friendly Pricing
- Grant & Budget Cycle Friendly
- Audience Growth Focused
Included with membership
Theater Promotion That Reaches Past Your Own List
Upload a production once and it runs all season — on the pages people browse to find theater, in front of audiences who have never heard of your company.
Free performances get the same promotion as ticketed ones.
You upload
Your production
Theater & Performing Arts genre page
Where people browse for theater near them.
Genre banners
Banner placement, targeted by city.
Featured performances
Priority slots, not a chronological list.
Homepage features
Front page in the markets you play.
Cultural News & guides
Guides and interviews that keep ranking.
Season announcements
Your whole season, not one date.
Online Ticketing, Flat 99¢ a Ticket
Affordable for arts fans. Fair for arts producers. Built for how performing arts ticketing actually works.
Flat 99¢ ticket fee
99¢ per paid ticket plus standard card processing. Free performances stay free.
Supports the arts
Lower fees keep more resources with artists and performing arts organizations.
Promo codes & discounts
Codes for students, donors, groups or a single campaign, tracked to every sale.
Your refund policy
You set the rules and approve each request yourself. Buyers can ask up to 7 days before the performance.
Reserved Seating, Mapped to Your Room
Build your seating chart once, reuse it for every production, and control exactly which seats go on sale.
Seat maps you build once
Draw the chart for a venue once, then pick it from a dropdown for every production you stage there.
VIP holds & accessible zones
Hold VIP seats back and release them when you are ready. Mark wheelchair-accessible zones on the plan itself.
Box Office Software for the Window and the Door
Run walk-ups, will-call, comps and scanning from one screen, on the same live inventory as online.
- Look up any order by name or email, then reprint or resend it.
- Scan from a phone or tablet, with live entry counts. No hardware.
- A Box Office API, so orders and entry data reach your other systems.
- Staff roles, so a volunteer can scan tickets and see nothing else.
Main house · Fri 7:30 PM
Live
Checked in
248 / 420
- Scanned · Row F, seat 12
- Will-call · found by name, resent
Same inventory as online
Built for How Theaters Actually Work
Box office, door and everything between — theater management software for the whole run, not just the sale.
Email your attendees
Message everyone holding a ticket to a performance — a cast change, a weather call, a thank-you after closing.
Presales & early access
Open a show to donors, subscribers or partners before the public on-sale.
Dynamic pricing
Let price move with demand across a run, instead of setting one number months out and hoping it holds through opening weekend.
Guest checkout
Buyers check out without creating an account or remembering a password.
Comps & attendee lists
Add comps for press, cast and sponsors by hand, and see the full attendee list for every performance.
Grant compatible
Visibility, reporting and sponsorship records in the shape funders and boards ask for.
Donations Collected at Checkout
Invite a gift inside the checkout people are already completing, reported with your ticket sales.
- A gift can be added to any performance, or given on its own.
- Standalone gifts from people not buying a ticket.
- Donation totals in the same reports as ticket sales.
- Orchestra, Row F × 2
- $84.00
- Ticket fee 99¢ × 2
- $1.98
Add a gift to support the company?
- Gift
- $10.00
- Total
- $95.98
Reported with your ticket sales
From First Impression to Door Scan
Most ticketing reports begin at checkout and end at the sale. Yours covers the whole arc — what drove demand, what sold, and who actually turned up.
- See what drives demand — impressions, clicks, saves and engagement before the sale.
- Track sales as they happen — tickets, revenue, occupancy, promo codes and campaign performance.
- Measure real attendance — check-ins and door scans, not just tickets issued.
- Understand your audience — where they come from, how they grow and what brings them back.
- Export it for your board and funders, alongside fees, refunds and payout activity.
Support From People Who Know the Arts
Real-person help
Real people who know what a season, a run and a grant deadline are.
Guided onboarding
We walk your team through setup and your first upload.
Ongoing assistance
Help through the season, not just the first week.
Resource library
Asset specs, the media kit and grant-cycle guidance, published rather than requested.
Theater Ticketing FAQ
What does theater ticketing cost on CultureOwl?
A flat 99¢ per paid ticket plus standard card processing. There's no percentage fee, and free performances carry no ticket fee.
Is there a percentage fee on theater ticket sales?
No. The fee is the same 99¢ whether a seat costs $15 or $150, so you keep more of every higher-priced ticket.
Can a theater company start without paying?
Yes. Start Free includes three months of discovery and up to 20 event uploads, so you can list your next productions before you commit.
Does CultureOwl support reserved seating?
Yes. Build the chart for your venue once and reuse it for every production you stage there. Audiences pick their own seats on any device.
Can I sell a multi-week run as one production?
Yes. Add every performance date to one production, so audiences see the full run and pick a night.
Can I run presales for donors and subscribers?
Yes. Open sales early to a chosen group before the public on-sale, so your supporters get first choice of seats.
How do comps work for press and cast?
Add comps for press, cast and sponsors by hand, and check those guests in at the door alongside paid tickets.
Can ticket prices change by performance date?
Yes. Set ticket types, prices and capacity per performance, so a Saturday night and a Tuesday preview can be priced differently. Prices are yours to set and change — nothing adjusts them automatically.
Can audiences donate when they buy theater tickets?
Yes. Add an optional gift at checkout, and people can also give without buying a ticket. Donation totals appear in your reports alongside ticket sales.
Who handles refunds, us or CultureOwl?
Your team does. Refund requests arrive in your dashboard and you approve or decline each one, and you can also transfer or amend an order. Buyers can request a refund up to 7 days before the performance — that cutoff is set by CultureOwl.
Do you sell at the box office and scan at the door?
Yes. Box office sales and mobile check-in run on the same inventory, so the count is always current.
Where will my shows be promoted?
On the Theater & Performing Arts genre page, genre banners, featured performance and homepage placements, season announcements, and Cultural News stories and guides.
Is theater promotion really included, or is it an add-on?
Placement across CultureOwl's discovery pages and editorial is included with membership. Extra paid campaigns are optional.
Who sees theater listings on CultureOwl?
People browsing for culture: theater, dance, music and arts events near them, not every kind of event.
Can I switch theater ticketing platforms mid-season?
Yes. Many companies list upcoming productions on CultureOwl while current shows finish on their old system. Our team helps with setup.
Is CultureOwl a good Eventbrite alternative for theaters?
For theaters that want a flat fee, reserved seating and built-in promotion, yes. Compare fees side by side on our Eventbrite alternatives page.
Fill More Seats for Every Performance
Ticketing, promotion and donations in one place, for a flat 99¢ per ticket.