Ticket prices at the Plaza Theatre spark questions — and explanations

When the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre announced its reopening late last year — highlighted by a “glamorous gala” featuring Wicked star Cynthia Erivo — some local residents hoping to get a first look at the newly restored venue were taken aback by ticket prices ranging from about $250 to $1,500. Weeks later, tickets to a speaker series that started at $35 to $55 the previous year had more than doubled.

The sticker shock has carried over to other shows on the Plaza’s calendar, prompting questions from some residents about affordability at a city-owned theater that benefited from public investment. Theater operators and city officials say the pricing reflects the cost of booking performers in a 700-seat venue and is comparable to other performing arts spaces in the Coachella Valley, with a mix of premium events and lower-cost community programming.

For some residents, those explanations have not eased concerns about the cost of attending shows downtown. Richmond Curtiss, a Palm Springs resident who frequently drives to Los Angeles with his husband to see live performances, said several Plaza events felt “prohibitively expensive.”

“We were excited that the Plaza Theatre was going to be bringing top-level entertainment to our town. We thought maybe we could become more theater-goer type people who don’t have to travel so far,” Curtiss said. He pointed to an April Billy Porter show as one example, calling ticket prices a “multiple” of what he would expect to pay in Los Angeles. Tickets for that show range from about $95 to $250.

Small venue with big-name acts

Plaza Theatre officials say those prices reflect the economics of booking performers in a relatively small venue — and are not out of step with other theaters in the region.

The Plaza’s ticket prices are in line with venues such as the McCallum Theatre, according to John Bolton, general manager of the Plaza Theatre and senior vice president of Oak View Group, which operates the venue under contract with the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation.

Bolton cited Pollstar data showing average ticket prices of $133.93 at Acrisure Arena, $101.17 at Agua Caliente Casino venues and $92.68 at the McCallum Theatre over the past 36 months. As of mid-December, the Plaza Theatre’s average ticket price sold was about $92, he said.

Premium pricing for certain events, Bolton added, is often driven by artist fees — particularly for high-profile performers in an intimate space.

“You expect those kinds of prices for a grand opening, gala concert like that, because the artist fee is not inexpensive — especially when you’re in a very, very intimate space,” Bolton said.

Artist fees play a central role in ticket pricing at venues like the Plaza, where those costs must be spread across fewer seats than at larger arenas.

“If you’re taking an artist fee of $1,000 and dividing it by 700 versus dividing it by 7,000, you get a very different average price,” Bolton said. “Everybody would love for ticket prices to be 50 bucks, but not every artist is going to agree to make those economics work in a 700-seat theater.”

Balancing access and economics

Palm Springs City Manager Scott Stiles said the City Council was aware of those dynamics as the theater reopened, while also emphasizing the importance of keeping at least part of the Plaza’s programming accessible to local residents.

“It was really important to the council that they involve lots of concerts that are community-oriented concerts,” Stiles said. He cited a showing of the movie “Camille” for $19 as one example, while describing the $1,200 opening-night gala as a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.

Stiles emphasized that the city does not set ticket prices. Those decisions are handled by the Plaza Theatre Foundation and Oak View Group, whose goal, he said, is to fill seats and sustain the venue over the long term.

“At the end of the day, they want people in the theater, going to it and supporting it,” Stiles said, adding that the operators are “pretty good at figuring out pricing.”

He also noted that ticketing fees can vary depending on where tickets are purchased, with the box office sometimes offering lower-cost options than third-party sellers. In fact, tickets can be purchased directly at the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre box office, which operates inside the theater’s main entrance on event days, opening at 11 a.m. and remaining open until the start of the performance.

The Plaza Theatre offers different rental rates for nonprofit groups and for-profit promoters, and those groups are responsible for setting ticket prices that cover artist fees, rental costs and other production expenses.

Public investment with broader goals

The theater first opened on Dec. 12, 1936, with a screening of the Greta Garbo film Camille, and later became a cultural hub and longtime home of the Palm Springs Follies. The building closed in 2014, and restoration efforts launched in 2019 gained momentum after a $5 million donation from former Frasier producer David Lee, followed by an additional $2 million anonymous contribution.

The city owns the theater, while restoration efforts were overseen by the nonprofit Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, led by former City Councilmember J.R. Roberts. Millions of dollars in city funds — including Measure J money and budget reserves — were used in the restoration.

From the city’s perspective, Stiles described the Plaza as a long-term investment in downtown vitality and tourism. He said a significant share of theatergoers come from outside Palm Springs, supporting nearby businesses, hotels and city tax revenues. The project is expected to bring at least $21 million a year in economic impact, with sales and hotel taxes contributing to support for local businesses.

“It would be wonderful if we had a magic wand and could make ticket prices be what people think they should be. But the reality is, it’s a function of what it costs to produce that event for the night.”

— John Bolton, general manager of the Plaza Theatre

“The benefit to us comes from a thriving downtown helping our hotels with tourism,” Stiles said, adding that national media coverage has helped reinforce Palm Springs’ cultural profile.

City spokesperson Amy Blaisdell similarly described Plaza pricing as “on par” with other local venues, pointing to $20 tickets for events such as a Queens of the Stone Age film screening and a commemorative showing of Camille.

“It would be wonderful if we had a magic wand and could make ticket prices be what people think they should be,” Bolton said. “But the reality is, it’s a function of what it costs to produce that event for the night.”

Tickets are currently available for shows through mid-May, including what Bolton described as “entry-level points of pricing.” Curtiss said he and his husband were able to secure tickets to see comedian Matteo Lane, paying about $75 per ticket — a price he said felt more in line with what they had hoped to find.

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