Also see Atlanta (click here), Charlotte (click here), Denver (click here), Los Angeles (click here) or San Francisco (click here).
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Please submit tips for Blitz Theatre-Going in your favorite city. Email the tips to info@playsondvd.com. PlaysOnDVD will be pleased to credit your submissions with a byline.
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Step 1: Pick a Play in Atlanta
Go to atlantahappenings.creativeloafing.com, select “Theater” from the left menu. This will give you the current plays in Atlanta by date. Search for plays for the weekday you hope to be free. Print out a couple of choices and make sure to pick up the addresses of the Theatres as well as the Curtain Times. You can click the plays’ titles in the listing for this time and place information.
Another source for Atlanta Performaing Arts listings is www.atlantaperforms.com, this in turn has a link to "AtlanTIX" with information on half and full priced tickets. (Thanks to Neil Gluckman for this tip.)
Step 2: Book Your Arriving Flight to Land Early or Return the Next Day After the Show
It always seems that my meetings in Atlanta are near the northern circumference of “The Perimeter,” Atlanta’s beltway. Of course, the Airport is on the southern part of town. Since these geographic extremes force a drive through downtown, you might as well hit a play on the way to your Hotel. Book the flight to land about 3 hours before curtain. Planes tend to get stacked into holding patterns around Atlanta, so you will need the extra time.
If you decide to see the play in the evening after your meetings, consider this: You will leave the Theatre at around 10:30PM or so. This is probably too late even for a red-eye flight. (At least it should be!) If you need 8 hours sleep, select a flight the next day that lets you get up around 7AM. If your work ethic requires a good business reason for returning the next day, see Step 5. :-)
Step 3: Getting To the Theatre
Your play will probably be at a Theatre somewhere near downtown Atlanta. Although Atlanta once had some of the worst rush hour traffic in the country, it was not at all bad on my last visit. Nonetheless, you might want to take a look at Atlanta’s rail system MARTA, www.itsmarta.com. Not only do the trains stop at several downtown stations--including the Arts and Civic Centers--they even serve the Airport!
Use www.mapquest.com/directions/ or maps.yahoo.com/dd to get driving directions from your last meeting place--or the Airport--to the Theatre’s address that you picked up from your Web search. You most probably need to go directly from your last meeting to the Theatre to guarantee that you make an 8PM or earlier curtain. Figure you will pick up a Salad or Sandwich for dinner near or at the Theatre if you do not have time for a nearby restaurant.
Step 4: Print Out All of Your Theatre-Related Information
When your last meeting ends, your time to actually hit the show will probably be tight. There will be no time to diddle with a computer. Have every thing you need to Blitz the Theatre on paper.
Step 5: Buy the Tickets at the Box Office just Before the Show
Let us face it; you are seldom certain that you are going to make the show at all. Your last meeting could run late, an important business contact could ask you to dinner at the last minute or your plane could end up circling forever. So, if you wait to buy your ticket until you make it to the Theatre, you can bail out of your Theatre Blitz anytime with no waste of money. Even Shows that are “sold out” frequently have a single seat available just before the show begins, especially midweek. So, your likelihood of getting a seat just before curtain is high. If you like, have an alternative play picked out nearby as a backup plan.
Enjoy The Show!
