ARDEN THEATRE COMPANY AND TKTS PHILADELPHIA RELEASE $20 COUCH RUSH SEATING FOR RENT, AVAILABLE ONLY AT THE INDEPENDENCE VISITOR CENTER
ARDEN THEATRE COMPANY AND TKTS PHILADELPHIA RELEASE $20 COUCH RUSH SEATING FOR RENT, AVAILABLE ONLY AT THE INDEPENDENCE VISITOR CENTER
Audience members become part of the show in this immersive, affordable, and up-close experience.
PHILADELPHIA, PA | May 14, 2025—Philadelphia-based Arden Theatre Company (40 N 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA) is thrilled to announce its partnership with TKTS Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation with “couch rush” seating for RENT. Beginning May 15, Arden’s “couch rush” tickets will be available through TKTS Philadelphia for $20. Two rows of couch seating will surround all three sides of the stage, providing up to 25 audience members the chance to be part of the action throughout the performance.
“Our couch seating is inspired by the original Broadway production of RENT that had $20 rush tickets for the first two rows for every performance,” says Terrence J. Nolen, Producing Artistic Director of the Arden and co-Director for RENT. “They wanted to make the show, which is about young people, accessible to young people — and our couch seating will do the same. This is not VIP seating — it will be loud, there will be lights in your eyes — but it will be a unique and more affordable way for people to experience RENT at the Arden!”
Following its Broadway debut in 1996, where it earned four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, and Best Featured Actor in a Musical, RENT further redefined Broadway with this innovative rush ticketing program. Prior to RENT, rush was student ID only and typically in the last few rows of the theatre. RENT’s rush was “first come, first served,” and also ensured enthusiastic audience members would be closest to the stage. With RENT’s growing popularity and long rush lines growing, super-fans, or “Rentheads” as they came to be known, would even camp out overnight for a chance at front row seats.
“As someone who slept on 41st Street overnight to get a $20 rush ticket for the original Broadway production of RENT, I am so excited that the Arden is honoring that special part of RENT’s history with $20 couch seat tickets,” said co-Director Steve Pacek. Hopefully, this gives even more people access to come join us for this rock musical that forever changed Broadway! No day but today!”
The tickets are available exclusively in person at the TKTS Philadelphia booth inside the Independence Visitor Center (599 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA), daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., up to 72 hours before each performance. The production begins previews May 15, with opening night May 21. Due to overwhelming demand, RENT has been extended through June 29. Performances run Tuesday through Sunday, with up to 25 on-stage seating tickets available for each show. Tickets to the hit musical’s six-week Philadelphia run are selling fast. The “couch rush” tickets help to expand access to already sold-out performances or performances with limited tickets available.
“The couch seating isn’t just a fun, immersive twist, it’s a meaningful part of our commitment to making theater more accessible to all. Through our partnership with TKTS and the Independence Visitor Center, we’re reaching new audiences and inviting them to sit in the story, not just watch it,” said Amy Murphy, Arden Theatre Company’s Managing Director.
“Thanks to RENT’s enduring appeal and popularity, tickets are still hard to come by nearly three decades after the production’s Broadway debut,” said Kathryn Ott Lovell, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, which operates the TKTS Philadelphia booth. “We are thrilled to partner with the Arden Theatre to expand access to this iconic musical and offer audiences a new way to experience the show, right here in the heart of Philadelphia’s historic district.”
The TKTS Philadelphia booth opened at the Independence Visitor Center in November 2024, thanks to a partnership between the Visitor Center, Visit Philadelphia, and the Theatre Development Fund. The discount ticket counter offers 30-50% off tickets for live performances within 72 hours to 38 participating live performance partners in Greater Philadelphia. Like the flagship TKTS booth in New York City, all ticket sales are in-person only inside the Independence Visitor Center. The TKTS counter is located at the first booth from the Market Street entrance. Once inside, guests can check the screen to see what’s available and simply talk to the attendant about which show they’d like to see.
TKTS deals change regularly. For updates on the day’s current ticket deals, visit the Visitor Center’s official website or call TKTS Philadelphia at 267-514-4758.
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About Arden Theatre Company
Arden Theatre Company, founded in 1988, is a professional theatre company in Old City, dedicated to bringing to life great stories by great storytellers on the stage, in the classroom, and in the community. To date, the Arden has produced 46 World Premieres. The Arden has developed four distinct educational programs: Arden for All, our in-school arts education program for elementary level students; Arden Drama School, our on-site, tuition-based theatre classes for pre-K through 12th-grade students; Teen Arden, our theatre enrichment program for high school students; and the Arden Professional Apprentice program, a rigorous training program for young theatre professionals.
About Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation:
The Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation (PVCC) connects visitors to memorable, authentic, and fun Philly experiences at our four visitor center locations: 6th and Market, City Hall, Love Park, and the Parkway. It facilitates the operation of the Independence Visitor Center, the primary point of orientation for Independence National Historical Park and the official visitor center of the Philadelphia region, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. PVCC also operates the Philly PHLASH seasonal public transit service, and The Liberty View, a private event space at The Independence Visitor Center overlooking the Liberty Bell and Independence Mall. For more information, please visit www.phlvisitorcenter.com.