Bound by budgets, students still have ample opportunity to attend performances in Chapel Hill and the surrounding area with an array of venues offering student discounts.
The ArtsCenter near Cat's Cradle in Carrboro is running a back-to-school offer for UNC students to attend concerts with a 25 percent discount through Sept. 22. The discount promo is STUDENT2019.
Patrick Phelps-McKeown, marketing director for the ArtsCenter, said the goal of the center is to be a community hub where the price of events doesn't deter students from coming.
“We try to have a range of offerings, so we are not excluding anyone who wants to experience world-class quality art here,” Phelps-McKeown said.
While the ArtsCenter charges more for popular artists, they also offer free events, such as movie screenings. On Aug. 31, No Shame Theatre will offer anyone a chance to present their own short monologues, comedic skits, songs, dances or other means of performance. The fee for No Shame Theatre is $5 and will be hosted at the West End Theater in Carrboro.
“On a general level, we try to keep prices for events reasonable for college students and people on a budget,” Phelps-McKeown said. “About half of our tickets are under $25, and a quarter are $15 or less, very reasonable prices for performing arts shows.”
In January 2019, another performance venue opened in Durham — Rhythms Live Music Hall. Victor Graham, owner and operator of Rhythms Live Music Hall, said the venue usually attracts an older crowd because he aims to capture the essence of musical performance that was more present before the 90s.
“We offer exposure to dynamic presentation, and most of our stuff is nostalgic,” Graham said. “When younger people come, they have a ball because they see things in a pure form that isn’t watered down by changes of the times.”
Still, Graham said students who have come have really enjoyed their time. To incentivize student engagement, all students can get a 20 percent discount on tickets at the door.
