$15 rush tickets to 9 to 5, The Musical!

9 to 5, The Musical is teaming up with Metropolitan Ministries to offer a $15 rush ticket to the Tuesday and Wednesday performances of 9 to 5, The Musical (Oct. 26 & 27) when you donate a non-perishable food item. All donations benefit Metropolitan Ministries.

This offer is only available 2 hours prior to show time (5:30-7:30 p.m.) and only at the Straz Center Ticket Office. Tickets are best available of those that remain. One discounted ticket per donation.

Donate to Backpacks for Hope and save!

Cats and The Sound of Music are delighted to partner with Metropolitan Ministries to help with the Backpacks for Hope drive. Simply stop by the Straz Center Ticket Office during regular hours between now and Aug. 18 and donate a new backpack. When you do, you'll receive $20 off tickets to either Cats (Aug. 13-15) or The Sound of Music (Aug. 20-22) for select performances*. If you already have your tickets, you're still welcome to donate a new backpack or any other back-to-school supplies that you'd like.

*Offers are valid on the Friday and Sunday evening performances only in price levels 1 and 2. Limit 4 tickets per donation. Not applicable to prior sales. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Subject to availability. Offer valid at the ticket office window only during regular hours (Mon-Sat. noon-8 p.m., Sun. noon-6 p.m.).

MetMin Phantom food drive update

MetMin weighs all of their donations, and guess what ... ?

With all of our efforts, and the generosity of the Phantom folks, we provided Met Min with a TON of food -- literally -- more than a ton, actually -- 2400 pounds! That's almost a ton and a half!

Remarkable!

-sb

Get a $5 ticket with a food donation this Wed. or Thu.!

If you were here last night, or were leaving Downtown between 5:30 and 6:30, you probably saw the line wrapped around TBPAC. All of those folks brought non-perishable items to benefit Metropolitan Ministries food bank, and in return they could purchase a ticket to Phantom for $10.

The drive was a rousing success -- we filled two 55 gallon barrels and three 20 bushel stage hampers! 1,000 people came down, each bringing at least one item and many bringing cases or multiple bags of food.

Since it was so successful, in the spirit of the season of giving, we're gonna do it again!

Tomorrow night and Thursday night, if a patron brings a non-perishable food item to the TBPAC Ticket Office, they will receive a voucher to purchase a ticket to Steve Solomon's My Sister's an Only Child, for just $5. This hilarious follow-up to his previously sold-out engagements of My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish and I'm in Therapy plays in the Jaeb Theater Nov. 19-23.
The show will have you in stitches and you'll feel great because you'll be helping poor and homeless families receive a holiday meal, or perhaps just help them to have dinner one night this week.

In their 2008 fiscal year Metropolitan Ministries:

• Sheltered 101 families
• Sheltered 38 single women
• Served over 20,000 Outreach families with 61,500 children
• Provided over 21,000 families with holiday assistance

Help them continue to bring a little holiday cheer to those in our community who need it most.

SPREAD THE WORD! Send this on to colleagues, friends and family.

-sb

The Phantom has a heart ...

Check this out, from The Phantom of the Opera - what a mensch!

The Phantom of the Opera wants to make it a happy Thanksgiving for all of Tampa Bay. Just bring a non-perishable food item, to benefit Metropolitan Ministries, to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Ticket Office beginning at 5:30 on Monday, Nov. 17, and you'll receive a $10 ticket to the 7:30 performance of Phantom that same night! Subject to availability. Capacity is limited. Limit one $10 ticket per person.

Tis the season for giving!

TBPAC and Hairspray are teaming up with Metropolitan Ministries to make the holidays a little brighter for Tampa Bay families. Now through Sunday, bring any unwrapped gift to the TBPAC Ticket Office and receive $20 off tickets to Hairspray (excluding Friday and Saturday evening and price levels 4 & 5). Donations benefit Metropolitan Ministries.

In total, 14,000 Tampa Bay area families (including as many as 21,000 children) receive services from Metropolitan Ministries during the holiday - 7,000 of these families during the 10 days leading up to Christmas. At their Holiday Center, families are provided with a Box of Hope (a traditional holiday meal with a turkey and all the trimmings, along with enough food for several days) as well as health check-ups and toys for children.

Already have your Hairspray tickets but would still like to make a donation? No problem. Just drop your unwrapped gift by the TBPAC Ticket Office and we’ll happily include it in the donation!

- Angela L.