Frequently Asked Questions

ABOUT BOOK IT
What is the Book-It Style™ of theater?
What plays have you done in the past?
Where Is Book-It located?
What's Book-It All Over?
I love Book-It—can I volunteer or intern with you?
How can I audition to act in a Book-It show?
I have a compliment, comment, or complaint. Who do I tell?


ABOUT SHOWS
What if the show I want to see is sold-out?
What is a Preview?
Can I bring my six-year-old nephew to see the show?
Do you produce any plays especially for kids?
What is Book-It's Canceled Performance and Inclement Weather Policy?
Will Book-It donate tickets to my charitable event?
I have a compliment, comment, or complaint. Who do I tell?

ABOUT TICKETS
When is your Box Office open?
Do you have ADA accessible seating?
I printed my tickets at home; do I need to change them for real tickets at the Box Office?
I printed my tickets at home—and then left them there—can I still get into the theatre?
Do you offer discounted tickets?
Do you offer Rush or SRO tickets?
What if the show I want to see is sold-out?
How do I get tickets to Previews?
Can I exchange my tickets?
What is Book-It's Canceled Performance and Inclement Weather Policy?
Will Book-It donate tickets to my charitable event?
I have a compliment, comment, or complaint. Who do I tell?

VISITING THE THEATRE
Where Is Book-It located?
What time are performances?
Can I get there on public transit?
Where should I park?
Which theatre entrance is ADA-accessible? What is the closest drop-off point?
Can you recommend area restaurants?
I got to the theatre late, but traffic was awful. Why can't I just take my seat?
I have a compliment, comment, or complaint. Who do I tell?


What is the Book-It Style™ of theater?
Book-It creates world-premiere adaptations of classic and contemporary literature for the stage, preserving the narrative text as it is spoken, not by a single “narrator” but as dialogue by the characters in the production. This technique was developed over the last 20 years and continues to be developed by Book-It artists led by Founding Co-Artistic Directors, Jane Jones and Myra Platt. Performing books instead of plays allows the Book-It theatre experience to spark the audience's interest in reading and to challenge the audience to participate by using their imaginations. Book-It's unique style of acting and adapting books is trademarked.

What plays have you done in the past?
Book-It has produced more than 65 world-premiere adaptations of literature.All adaptations are copyrighted.  For a full production history click here.

Where Is Book-It located?
Book-It Repertory Theatre's administrative offices and performance space is located in the Center House Theatre, which is on the first floor (under the food court) of the Center House at the Seattle Center. We know that the Seattle Center can be a bit tricky to navigate, click here for full directions and a map of how to find us.

Because we share the Center House Theatre with Seattle Shakespeare Company, Book-It generally performs one show a year at an alternate venue. The Nov-Dec 2010 performance of Red Ranger Came Calling will be held just around the corner on the Seattle Center campus at the Eve Alvord Theatre at Seattle Children’s Theatre.

What time are performances?
Mainstage Evening shows begin at 7:30 p.m.
Mainsatge matineés begin at 2:00 p.m.
Family Series shows begin at 11:00 a.m.
Student matineés for school groups begin at 10:30 a.m.

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Do you have ADA-accessible seating?
Yes, the Center House theatre is accessible to patrons with impaired mobility; however, we cannot currently provide online ticket reservations for accessible seating. Please call the Box Office at 206.216.0833 to reserve accessible seating.

Which theatre entrance is ADA-accessible? What is the closest drop off point?
There are three ADA-accessible entrances to the Center House building, but two of them are not very close to our performance space, the Center House Theatre. The best entrance to use is the east side entrance which will bring you right to our doors! Click here for a PDF map which clearly shows the entrance. It is not possible to drive right up to the theatre; the closest drop-off point is the turn-around at the Experience Music Project, located at 5th Ave and Harrison streets. However, there is still about a 200-yard walk from the turn-around to the entrance of the theatre.

I got to the theatre late, but traffic was awful and it wasn't my fault. Why can't I just take my seat?
Book-It does not allow late seating. If you arrive late to a Book-It show, you may watch the performance on a big screen TV in our lobby and then take your seat during intermission. Our theatre is such an intimate size, it is simply too disruptive to both your fellow patrons and the performers to allow late entry. We regret any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate our patrons' cooperation in this matter. Please allow ample time for parking and walking to the theatre. Keep tabs on Seattle Center events, traffic, and parking by calling the Center's hotline at 206.233.3989 or visiting their online traffic center.

When is your Box Office open?
The Book-It Box Office Summer hours are noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. 
During the season  (beginning in September 2011) the Box Office phone lines are open from noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and noon-6 p.m. on Saturdays when we have a performance. The Box Office window, in the lobby of the Center House Theatre, is open noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and one hour preceding each show. Unfortunately we cannot answer the phones in the hour preceding a show, as our staff are busy handing out tickets and seeing to our patrons in the lobby.

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I printed my tickets at home; do I need to change them for real tickets at the Box Office?
No, the ticket that you printed out at home is all you need to get into the theatre. Just walk right up to one of our friendly ushers, show them your printed ticket and they will show you to your seat. If you have tickets to multiple shows and would prefer not to print them at home, then stop by the Box Office window and we will happily give you a set of traditional theatre tickets.

I printed my tickets at home—and then left them there—can I still get into the theatre?
Yes, of course you can, but you will need to stop by the Box Office window and give us your order information and ID and we will be able to re-print the tickets for you.

Can I bring my six-year-old nephew to see the show?
If you have any questions about the appropriateness of content of the shows we produce, please give us a call at the Box Office, 206.216.0833. You may also consider bringing young theatre lovers to our Target Family Fun Series – which are original adaptations of children's literature.

Do you produce any plays especially for kids?
Yes, Book-It's educational outreach program, Book-It All Over, stages original adaptations of stories for children, young adults, and adults alike. Actors and teaching artists perform stories in the Book-It Style™ touring to schools, libraries, and in community centers in our region. We also present public performances of these touring shows as as part of our Target Family Fun Series For more information and tickets...

Do you offer discounted tickets?
We offer discounted tickets for students (with a valid ID), patrons under 30 years of age, groups of 8 or more, seniors over 60 years of age, as well as for TPS or AEA members. We also participate in Teen Tix and Microsoft Prime discount programs. Click here for ticket prices and discounts. Remember Subscribers can save as much as 10% by purchasing a package of tickets to multiple performances.

Do you offer Rush or SRO tickets?
No, due to the small size of the Center House Theatre we do not have the capacity to offer Rush or SRO tickets. We do offer Tickets on a Stand-by basis when performances are sold out. See the Stand-by policy below.

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What if the show I want to see is sold-out?
When performances are sold out, tickets are sold on a Stand-By basis. The number of Stand-By tickets is determined by the number of unclaimed seats remaining at 5 minutes before curtain. Tickets are full price and must be paid for by CASH ONLY. Stand-By ticket purchasers will receive a numbered card and ticket. Stand-By patrons will be directed by the House Manager to stand in a designated area until Stand-By seating begins. If the patron is not in the designated area when their number is called, the House Manager will seat the patron with the next number. At that time, patrons will be allowed into the theatre in order of Stand-By purchase (on your numbered card) to fill in any open seat. Please note that late-arriving patrons who hold a ticket to that seat have the right to claim their assigned seat at intermission. If this happens, a Stand-By patron may fill in a separate open seat. If all seats are taken, the Stand-By patron may either watch the remainder of the performance on the screen in the lobby or contact the House Manager for a refund. A refund check will be issued within a week of the performance. Stand-By tickets are sold at the discretion of the House Manager.

What is a Preview?
A Preview is essentially a final dress rehearsal of the performance—it's a great opportunity to see a show before anyone else, at a low cost! Book-It generally offers three Previews before Opening Night; the first two are Pay-What-You-Will Previews, and the third is a Final Preview. For Pay-What-You-Will Previews, Book-It reserves the right to stop, adjust, and re-start the play if necessary.

How do I get tickets to Previews?
You may reserve tickets to Final Previews online or by calling our Box Office at 206.216.0833, tickets cost $20 and have assigned seating. Pay-What-You-Will Previews are generally held on the Tues. and Wed. evenings preceding Opening Night (please call the box office to confirm). Tickets go on sale one hour before the performance, and are cash-only at the door with general admission seating. There is a suggested donation of $10 per ticket, with a limit of four per person.

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Can I exchange my tickets?
Book-It does not offer refunds or exchanges for Single Ticket orders, ticket exchanges are an exclusive benefit to our Season Subscribers.  If you are not a subscriber and can't make a show, you can give your tickets to a friend to introduce someone new to Book-it, or you can donate your tickets back to Book-It and receive a full-value tax donation. Did you know there is a 47% gap between income from ticket sales and the cost of the many programs we provide to inspire people of all ages to read? Income from the resale of donated tickets helps us to close that income gap and supports our programs.

If you are a Subscriber and need to change your performance date please call the Box Office at 206.216.0833,  please do not email about ticket exchange. Subscribers may make exchanges from one performance date to another of the same production (up to two exchanges per patron, upgrade charges may apply). It is not possible to make exchanges from one production to another. You must exchange your tickets at least 24 HOURS prior to the date of your ticketed performance. Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded once the performance date has passed. Additional exchanges will be charged a service fee of $5.00.

What it Book-It's Canceled Performance and Inclement Weather Policy?
It is only in the rarest of instances that Book-It might find it necessary to cancel a performance. In the event of extreme inclement weather, Book-It shows will go on as scheduled unless Interstate 5 is closed, or city buildings (such as Seattle Center) are officially closed. Any performance cancellations will be noted on our website’s home page. Additionally, patrons whose emails are on file with us will receive notice of cancellations via email, and we will make our best effort to reach all other patrons who may be affected by such closures or cancellations by telephone.

For best Book-It service, we ask that patrons make sure Book-It has a current email address on file. We will not trade your email address with any other organizations, nor use it for solicitation purposes.

Can I get there on public transit?
Yes! The Seattle Center Monorail can whisk you to the Center from downtown in 2 minutes and fifteen Metro bus routes serve the Center from around the city. TheMonorail  departs every 10 minutes from Westlake Center Mall, at Fifth and Pine Street and brings you to the base of the space needle, just yards from the Center House Theatre. You can also use Metro's new automated Trip Planner to plan your bus trip to Seattle Center from anywhere in the region. The Fifth Ave. and Broad Street stop provides the closest access to the Center House Theatre, although there are several stops on each side of the Seattle Center.Click here for a PDF map that shows the Center House Theatre as well as Monorail and Bus stops.

Where should I park?
There are several parking lots in the vicinity of the Seattle Center, click here for parking and public transportation information. If you are a subscriber, your parking coupons are good for the 1st Ave. N. Garage, which has entrances on 1st Ave N between John and Thomas St, and on Warren St. between John and Thomas. As Book-It does not allow late seating, please allow ample time for parking and walking to the theatre. Keep tabs on Seattle Center events, traffic, and parking by calling the Center's hotline at 206.233.3989 or visiting their online traffic center.

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What's Book-It All Over?
Book-It All Over or BIAO is our renowned educational outreach program. We tour curriculum-based stories and workshops to schools, libraries and community centers throughout the year. Learn more here, or call 206.770.0880 for a brochure. Public performances of BIAO shows are offered in a mini subscription series for the first time this season.

I have a compliment, comment, or complaint. Who do I tell?
Please write to us via our general email at info@book-it.org. Your correspondence will be routed appropriately. Book-It values your opinions and concerns and appreciates hearing from you.

I love Book-It—can I volunteer or intern with you?
Of Course! Book-It loves it's volunteer and interns. Check out our Volunteer page for more information.

Can you recommend area restaurants?
There are many restaurants in proximity to the Center House offering a wide variety of cuisines and price options. We can recommend our dining partners, who offer special discounts to Book-It Subscribers, but also suggest visiting our page on Yelp.com and browsing for nearby restaurants, nightlife and coffee.



How can I audition to act in a Book-It show?
Book-It holds general auditions each spring/summer for the next season, we post our auditions with Theatre Puget Sound. Based on these general auditions, we hold call-back auditions for each production individually. We have limited number of AEA slots for each season, other performers are paid minimum wage. Additionally, we have an acting intern program. Headshots and resumes can be mailed to Book-It, attention: Devorah Spadone. All inquires should be directed to our production stage manager at 206.216.0877 ext. 213.

Will Book-It donate tickets to my charitable event?
Book-It is proud to support the local non-profit community by granting ticket donations for fundraising auctions. Please view our ticket donation policies here.

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