As for House Seats...
Here's the short answer:
Basically a certain block of seats are set aside for each performance for use and/or distribution by the producers. Sometimes actors and/or staff have some seats worked into their contracts. But usually, they are distributed on a first come, first serve basis to those who request them. Producers will also usually hold a few seats for each performance for assorted VIPs.
For instance, for the Indy
Mamma Mia! gathering, I submitted a couple of ticket requests, and then that number of tickets were set aside out of the block of house seats.
They are "house seats", not comps. Full price, not free. But they are usually great seats - front orchestra, center - and you also don't have to deal with processing and handling fees - which can add up to $12.00 per ticket lately!
When house seats are not used, they are then released for public sale. Depending upon the house/theatre/show, they can be released 48 hours before curtain, or as late as 30 minutes before the curtain. *When Steve and I went to NYC last November, I happened to get very "lucky", and just hit the box office right when the available house seats were released. We had 7th row aisle seats for
The Producers - which I purchased that day. The people in front of us had ordered their tickets months in advance. In any case...
I am fortunate to have some decent connections right now for house seats - producers, actors, musicians, assistants - for a couple of shows. One person in particular even lets me request tickets for friends and acquaintances of mine.
And as with any sort of ticket sale transaction, it's all a matter of availability. Even house seats can "sell out".
*A friend of mine in NYC had figured out when
Hairspray would release Harvey Fierstein's house seats - which was sometimes as late at 5 minutes before the curtain! He saw that show at least 10 times from the 6th row, center by just walking up to the box office right before the show and seeing what was available - even on nights when the show was supposedly sold out. Yes, he was out $100 each time he saw the show, but he had great seats!
