The Society of London Theatre - promoting theatre across the capital since 1908
tkts Ticket Booths
The Society of London Theatre operates two tkts booths in London. These discounted theatre ticket shops offer customers not only half price theatre tickets across a wide range of West End shows on the day of the performance but also offers full price tickets in advance for theatre, rock, pop, sport and other London-based events. The tkts booth in Leicester Square is the original 'Half Price Ticket Booth' and remains highly popular with both tourists and UK residents alike. A second tkts booth opened in Brent Cross Shopping Centre in 2008.
The tkts ticket booths are the only truly official discounted theatre ticket booths in London (despite the garish claims by the many non-official ticket kiosks around London), and are committed to honest, high-quality customer service whilst bringing genuine bargains to customers as well as the ability to purchase tickets in advance at full-price. They are operated by the Society on behalf of the theatre industry, and any profits from their operation are spent in promoting theatre and developing new audiences.
Location
tkts Leicester Square is located at the South side of Leicester Square in the Clock Tower building. It is the only free-standing building in the Square. It was established as 'The Half Price Ticket Booth' in 1980, and was rechristened 'tkts' in 2001. tkts Brent Cross is located next to the customer information desk on Level One of the shopping centre, directly outside Marks and Spencer. For further information visit http://www.tkts.co.uk/
Tickets
The tkts booths offer discounted tickets for a wide range of shows every day. To see details of what's on each day, visit http://www.tkts.co.uk/
The majority of tickets on sale are at half price with a small selection of shows on offer at a 25% discount. Occasionally the tkts booths do sell shows at full price. The booths only sell discount theatre tickets for performances on the same day and to personal callers (ie no telephone or web sales). Both booths also sell advance tickets at full-price for theatre, rock, pop, sport and other London-based events. The tkts booths also sell Theatre Tokens, which are national theatre gift vouchers and are accepted at over 230 theatres across the UK including all major London theatres. For further information, visit http://www.theatretokens.com/
Booking Fees
The Society retains a small booking fee (£3.00) per ticket to cover overheads and administration. The ticket prices quoted to the public at the tkts ticket booth already include this booking/admin fee.
As the Society of London Theatre is a not-for-profit organisation representing the theatre industry, the service or booking fee levied at tkts enables the Society to operate the booths themselves, run a broad range of audience development initiatives and contribute to the Theatre Investment Fund which invests in new productions and supports new producers.
Opening Hours
tkts Leicester Square is open Monday – Saturday from 10:00 until 19:00, and on Sundays between 12:00 and 15:00.
tkts Brent Cross is open Monday - Saturday from 10.00 until 19.00 and on Sundays between 11.00 and 16.00.
Payment
tkts Leicester Square accepts payment by cash (sterling or Euros, for which a 5% commission is charged), credit or debit card (including Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and Solo) and Theatre Tokens. Cheques and Travellers Cheques are not accepted. tkts Brent Cross accepts payment by credit or debit card or Theatre Tokens (NB no payment by cash at tkts Brent Cross).
Booth Users
Around 50% of booth users are overseas visitors to London and 50% are UK residents either living in London or on holiday in London. The highest proportion of overseas visitors comes from the USA, followed by Australia and New Zealand, and Canada. Almost a third of booth users only go to the theatre because they can use the tkts discount ticket booth (i.e. they would not go to the theatre otherwise) which demonstrates the role the tkts booths play in generating incremental audiences for theatres. The ability to buy discounted tickets also increases the frequency with which booth users go to the theatre. In addition, booth users are more likely to “take risks” and see performances they would not necessarily see if they were paying full price.
(Source: MORI research conducted for the Society of London Theatre Summer/Autumn 2005)