The Underground

The organization observes Lincoln Center founder John D. Rockefeller 3rd's mandate that "the arts not for the privileged few, but for the many." Guided by the motto, "Good Plays, Popular Prices, " Lincoln Center Theater makes every effort to keep admission prices low and its doors open to all. The average price of a ticket for a Lincoln Center Theater performance is around $32 and an innovative Membership program allows 30, 000 participants to see any production at the Theater for just $30 to $50 per play from the best seats available.Lincoln Center Theater was re-established in 1985 under the leadership of Chairman John V. Lindsay, Director Gregory Mosher and Executive Producer Bernard Gersten. Since that time, the organization has produced dozens of plays and musicals, seen by millions of audience members at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, and other venues.Lincoln Center Theater also distributes thousands of free tickets each year to culturally under-served populations throughout the five boroughs and regularly offers special performances for the hearing impaired. Other ongoing activities include the Directors Lab, a developmental symposium for new and emerging artists ; Open Stages, an arts-in-education program operated in cooperation with New York City public schools ; Lincoln Center Theater Review, a literary journal available in the Theater's lobbies and distributed free-of-charge to schools and libraries, and the Platform Series of free conversations with LCT artists.In June 2010, LCT began construction on an addition on the roof of the Vivian Beaumont Theater. This addition will include the Claire Tow Theater, rehearsal rooms, office space and a roof terrace. It will be the new home of LCT 3, the programming initiative devoted to producing the work of new playwrights, directors and designers. Through mounting fully staged, modestly budgeted productions, LCT 3 will bring a new generation of artists and audiences to LCT. Completion of the rooftop addition is anticipated in late 2011-early 2012.