Theatergoers across Pinellas County have two weeks to grab a free ticket with every one they buy, as Pinellas County Theatre Week runs Nov. 9 through Nov. 22. The event spans stages in St. Petersburg, Dunedin and Pinellas Park, bundling dozens of performances under a single buy-one-get-one promotion meant to get more people in the seats.
A Countywide Push With a Catch
According to WFLA, the event includes seven theatres running for 14 nights, with a second ticket offered free for every one purchased. The event's own website, Tampa Bay Arts Passport, echoes that framing, stating that “for two weeks every November, seven of them open their doors together.” Creative Loafing Tampa reports that Pinellas County is home to seven professional theater companies and that all seven are taking part in Theatre Week this year.
Whichever number proves accurate, the scale of the offer is substantial. Creative Loafing reports the event includes 36 performances, with buy-one-get-one-free tickets available for every one of them, funded by Creative Pinellas and Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. That public funding matters for the theaters' bottom lines: per the same outlet, the grant means participating companies still get paid for the free tickets rather than absorbing the cost themselves.
Early Demand and Who's Behind It
Demand appears to be there already. Creative Loafing reports that 340 tickets had already been sold by the time of its report, amounting to roughly $5,000 worth of free tickets handed out to the community. The event is produced by Avery, identified on the Tampa Bay Arts Passport website as the organization's founder and the producer of Theatre Week; per WFLA, Avery (listed there as Avery Andersen) also shared a preview of the shows available during the two-week run.
Avery told Creative Loafing that the collaborative spirit behind the event has roots in the pandemic era, saying the shutdown “really opened up a new path to more collaboration between companies.” That shift toward cooperation among Tampa Bay's theater companies is part of what allowed an event spanning multiple venues and cities to come together in the first place.
What's Playing, and Where to Stay
Among the productions included is American Stage's “Meteor Shower,” the Steve Martin comedy presented as part of the company's 49th season at the Raymond James Theatre in St. Petersburg. As reported by Tampa Bay Beacons, the show opened Nov. 4, and its final week of performances falls within the Theatre Week window, making it eligible for the buy-one-get-one deal.
For out-of-towners planning to catch multiple shows, Tampa Bay Arts Passport's website also advertises a room-block rate at Mint House St. Pete. With performances spread across St. Petersburg, Dunedin and Pinellas Park, the lodging deal is aimed at visitors looking to theater-hop across the county without worrying about the drive home each night.
