All news

Bolshoi to sell tickets by passports only via Internet – director general

As of now, it has been decided to sell 396 tickets a day at a price of 100 roubles for the poor. Officially, the biggest ticket price is about 3,000 roubles

MOSCOW, November 17 (Itar-Tass) — Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre will sell tickets by passports only via the Internet and to persons entitled for fringe benefits only, the theatre’s director general Anatoly Iksanov told a news conference at Itar-Tass on Thursday.

According to Iksanov, passport data will be needed to book theatre tickets via its website. “The scheme is as follows: tickets are booked on the Internet three months before a performance to allow those who are entitled for fringe benefits to buy the tickets first,” he said. The rest of the tickets are to be sold over the counter. In his words, it is a common practice at Milan’s La Scala. “Moreover, in Italy they have gone still further – the booked tickets are sold only on the performance day to make the chances for their re-sale more scarce,” he noted.

As of now, it has been decided to sell 396 tickets a day at a price of 100 roubles for the poor. Officially, the biggest ticket price is about 3,000 roubles.

No passports will be needed to buy tickets at ticket counters or via specialized agencies.

According to the Bolshoi website, any theatre-goer may book two tickets by e-mail not later than three months before the performance. Booking applications from families with many children will be considered individually. On a specially appointed day, booked tickets are to be purchased at the theatre’s ticket office upon presentation of a passport. The Bolshoi director general believes it will not cause queues.

“After booked tickets are bought out, outstanding tickets will be available at the theatre’s ticket office, on the Internet, at ticket counters and agencies,” the website says.

The Bolshoi administration warns theatre-goers against buying secondhand tickets.