Central Florida theme parks enjoy robust annual-pass programs, but will the same idea work for theaters?

In recent days, a couple of local theaters have introduced or refined programs that like a top-tier annual pass to Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando allow unlimited access and other perks.

The all-access pass at Orlando’s Renaissance Theatre and the annual pass at the Hideaway Performing Arts Center in Eustis join similar initiatives at places such as Theater West End in Sanford, which has added a new option to its pass program for “spontaneous theatergoers.”

The goal is twofold, theater leaders say: To build a loyal clientele — and to reward patrons for their loyalty.

“It’s a lot like a Netflix subscription for theater,” said Quinn Roberts, executive director of Theater West End. “That’s how I think of it.”

At his theater and the Renaissance, those who purchase passes are billed regular subscription fees periodically, as with streaming services. At the Hideaway, patrons pay a lump sum for a yearly pass, an option that mirrors local theme parks.

While season subscriptions have long been a mainstay of theaters, including Winter Park Playhouse and Orlando Shakes locally, they generally admit a buyer one time to each show or a certain number of shows, in a particular series produced by the theater.

The Hideaway’s top-tier annual pass, however, admits patrons to every show at the venue: mainstage theater productions, youth performances, concerts, comedy nights and special events. It also includes perks such as free popcorn, early seating and “bring a friend for free” ticket.

The pass costs $349 for the year — but with at least one event every month at the Hideaway, a frequent attendee could come out financially ahead.

Jim Quinlan, who opened the arts center with business partner John Lucey last year, recalled talking with one patron who had bought individual tickets to multiple events over the venue’s first year and thinking, “Thank you, that’s awesome … but you could have saved money.”

The theater, in the Eustis Plaza shopping center at 431 Plaza Drive, also offers more traditional season subscriptions for its theater series.

Saving patrons money also factors into the passes available at Theatre West End and the Ren, as the Renaissance Theatre is known. For one thing, buying a pass avoids all the fees associated with single-ticket purchases.

And the all-access passes at those two theaters raise the stakes by allowing patrons to see as many shows as they’d like — as many times as they’d like. If you have a favorite, you’re welcome to return for another viewing or more.

“It’s an actual steal,” said Donald Rupe, artistic director of the Ren, which has a consistent and full lineup of events, including frequent drag shows, weekly musical evenings and nontraditional theatrical experiences such as the immersive “Nosferatu.”

“A lot of our shows are things people to want to see again,” Rupe said.

At the Ren, season passes cost $50, $100 or $200 per month, each level adding more and more perks. But because a single ticket to “Nosferatu,” for example, costs $60, the lowest level of pass can quickly pay for itself.

“From our end, it is considered a donation that comes with benefits,” Rupe said.

Ren leaders had discussed offering some kind of annual pass for a while, Rupe said, but felt at first that patrons wouldn’t be likely to take a chance on a new company.

“Would people buy a season pass if they didn’t know what the season was?” he said.

Now that the theater, which opened in 2021, has been around several seasons, Rupe said there was more confidence that its critically acclaimed reputation and variety of events would help sell the passes.

“We’ve had people asking for them,” he said. “Hopefully, they trust us enough now to know we have cool things coming.”

Of course, the passes aren’t offered solely out of altruism. They benefit the theater companies, as well.

“There are two main reasons” theaters like the annual-pass idea, Quinlan said. “An influx of cash ahead of time and a guaranteed consistent audience.”

In other words, passes can provide a predictable income stream in a very unpredictable industry — especially as government and grant funding becomes more volatile.

At the Hideaway, Quinlan had 10 people buy special $600 “forever” passes when the theater first opened. He said he’s making a new push to market the current annual passes.

For the Ren, its passes are part of ramped-up fundraising efforts. Rupe said in just a couple of weeks, about 30 have been purchased. And even with a reduction in ticket revenue from repeat visitors, the theater still makes money by selling drinks and merchandise.

“Ticket sales are not going to pay our bills but getting more bodies in the building will,” Rupe said.

Roberts, at Theater West End, said his organization’s passholders have been growing slowly over the years, up to about 40 currently.

The theater’s “all-access prime pass” at $29 per month lets patrons book seats a week ahead. To boost interest in passes, the theater recently introduced an “all-access now pass” for the reduced rate of $17 per month. That lets theatergoers book same-day tickets for any show that has empty seats.

Roberts hopes it will appeal to parents, shift workers in the hospitality industry and others who might not be able to plan far ahead.

Those who do have the passes seem to be getting their money’s worth, said Roberts, who knows one patron who brings his children to youth shows, his friends to mainstage plays and his father to the venue’s concerts.

“Guests have been renewing,” he said. “People seem to like it.”

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