CWP Season Tickets Explained!
Longtime CWP Season Ticket Holders Susan and Michael B.
by Jim Russell, Managing Director of Carrollwood Players Theatre – August 11th, 2025
It’s a wonderful time at Carrollwood Players. We’re so excited that our historic 45th Season begins in just a few weeks. With the new season arriving soon, it’s the time of year when we receive a lot of questions about our season ticket packages. We hope to answer them all with this blog post!
What Are Season Tickets?
Season tickets at Carrollwood Players are a great way to make an investment in an entire year of quality, local theatre while saving money and receiving additional perks such as reserved VIP seats, unhindered flexibility in how you schedule performances and how you use your package, personalized VIP box office assistance and special advance notice of our programming and events.
We offer three season ticket packages to choose from. Our 8-pack Mainstage package includes admission to each of the 8 Mainstage plays and musicals featured in the season. Our 5-pack Mainstage package includes admission to each of the 5 Mainstage plays in the season, but does not include the three musicals. Finally, our 5-pack Black Box package includes admission to each of the 5 Black Box productions in our season.
Reserved Seating
While most individual ticket purchasers have “general admission seating,” our season ticket holders always receive reserved seats, usually in the first or second row. Or, if you prefer another location, just let us know! If you let us know about them, we’ll also reserve seats for any guests who may be joining you with individual tickets they purchased for a performance.
Scheduling Flexibility
Unlike many theatres, our season tickets are not tied to specific seats on specific performance dates. For example, We don’t require you to choose “first Friday performance” or “second Sunday performance” in advance. Throughout the year, you can choose whatever date works for you for a given production, and if seats are available, you’re all set and we’ll be sure to reserve excellent seats for you. Some of our season ticket holders give us a list of their preferred dates for the entire season. Others reserve dates closer in once they know their schedule. Either way is fine with us! (We do recommend choosing a date at least two weeks in advance.)
Once you have chosen a date, if you need to change it, that’s fine! While the general public is subject to a date change fee, our season ticket holders never are! We appreciate you letting us know ahead of the date you need to change from, but if you can’t, and even if you simply don’t show up (life happens), we’ll happily reschedule you with no fees, no loss of the tickets, and no fuss.
Usage Flexibility
One of the most frequent questions we get is “what if I’m not interested in all the shows in the season ticket package?” No sweat! When you buy one of our season ticket packages, in reality you are simply purchasing X number of admissions in advance. By buying the package, you’re also getting all the perks such as a savings, reserved seats, flexibility, etc.
So, if you buy one 8-pack Mainstage season ticket, you’ve purchased 8 admissions that can be used for any of the productions included in that package. (Most couples buy two 8-pack Mainstage season tickets.) If we’re presenting Waiting for Godot and it’s not your cup of tea, you can skip it and use your “unused admissions” on other productions included in your package. But how? There are lots of ways!
You can bring that house guest visiting from out of town. You can invite a friend to join you. We hope you’ll come to see every show, but to make it clear, you have some pretty awesome flexibility as a season ticket holder!
One couple buys one 8-pack season ticket each year and uses it for both of them to come see half the shows included in that package. Another season ticket holder buys two 8-pack season tickets each year and brings a different friend with her to each show. We will allow you to use up to 4 season ticket admissions to a single performance (until your total admissions for the season are exhausted.) Admissions are limited to the productions included in your package. For example, you can’t use a Mainstage season ticket package to see a Black Box show, and vice-versa. (Many of our season ticket holders purchase both each year.)
Personalized Box Office Assistance and VIP Status
When you become a season ticket holder, you become a VIP at CWP. You’ll have direct access to me and/or one of our excellent box office team members any time you need assistance or want to schedule or change dates. You’ll notice that we’ll learn and remember your name and greet you as an old friend when you arrive at the theatre. You’ve made a commitment to support our community theatre by purchasing a year’s worth of great live entertainment and that makes you very special to us.
In addition to all the hassle free perks of being a season ticket holder, you’ll be the first to hear about theatre news and special events, and you’ll receive our season announcements in advance of the general public.
Be CWP VIPs like sisters Pat and Christine!
How Much Am I Saving Really?
Let’s say you decide against season tickets and buy as you go. Depending on what individual ticket prices you qualify for (adult, senior, student, military, etc.), buying a season ticket will save you from 10% up to 20%. But it’s really about so much more than a dollar for dollar comparison.
If you just buy an individual ticket, you are going to have “general admission” seating. While all of our seats are great, your chances of scoring a seat in the front or second row are small. And if you do, you’re going to pay up to $4 extra for it.
As a season ticket holder, you are guaranteed VIP reserved seating in the first or second row (or wherever you want).
If you just buy an individual ticket, and need to change your date, it’s going to cost you an extra $5. As a season ticket holder, it will never cost you a dime.
If you just buy an individual ticket, you are subject to pricing increases throughout the season. Did you know we raise all individual ticket prices by $3 when a performance is in high demand, or 48 hours before showtime, whichever comes first? Sometimes, we even have to raise all of our individual ticket prices across the board.
As a season ticket holder, your price is locked in for the entire season.
New This Season!
Season ticket holders get free bottled water at every performance. Thirsty? We’ve got you covered and you won’t pay a dime for an ice cold bottled water.
Okay, I Bought Season Tickets. Now What?
You’ll receive a receipt by email. In August, just before the season begins in September, you’ll receive a personalized welcome letter from me with everything you need to know to start using your season tickets. My direct email address and personal phone number will be listed in that email to ensure that you receive personalized VIP service. Admission tickets to shows are completely paperless, and you can schedule a performance (and let us know of any seating preferences) by emailing or calling me. You can also go online and book your season ticket holder admissions using a special season ticket holder code.
When are Performances?
Performances for all of our productions are on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. We sometimes offer a special Saturday matinee or two for extremely popular productions.
The Season Begins in September. Get Your Season Tickets Now!
We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a fantastic season! You can learn exactly what shows are included in each package, and buy your season tickets by clicking HERE.
Please feel free to contact us at boxoffice@carrollwoodplayers.org with any questions you may have!
