New consumer ticket buying protections begin Aug. 7

A law that expands protections for consumers against ticketing scams goes into effect Aug. 7. It’s called “Consumer Protection in Event Ticket Sales,” and it was passed in the recent 2024 legislative session.

Gov. Jared Polis endorsed the groundbreaking new law with such enthusiasm that he couldn’t help but invoke the ubiquitous Swiftie Phenomenon of 2023, wherein one must quote as many Taylor Swift song titles as possible in as few words as possible:

“Taylor’s worldwide Eras Tour opened many people's eyes to the ‘Bad Blood’ between Coloradans and ‘Hoax’ ticketing scams,” Polis said. “This bill protects concertgoers from a ‘Labyrinth’ of hidden fees and helps ensure Coloradans don't have another ‘Cruel Summer’ filled with fraudulent tickets. Today, Coloradans are closer than ever to being ‘Out of the Woods’ from scams.”

Acceptable groans aside, this new state law has been described as the farthest-reaching of its kind in the country. Among other things, it requires something called “all-inclusive pricing” and ticket transparency.

What that means is the first price you see as a consumer is the last price you will be made to pay at the end of your transaction. Gone are the days of seeing a concert ticket advertised as $100 (plus fees!) only to discover the hidden fees, taxes and other costs eventually bump your total to, say, $150.

Presenters, venue operators and even scumbag third-party scalper sites must show you up front the cost of the ticket, along with all associated costs. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, for one, is all in.

“Starting Aug. 2, the price you see on denvercenter.org is the price you’ll pay — including the base ticket cost, all fees and the city seat tax to ensure no surprises at checkout,” said Director of Communications Suzanne Yoe.

The new law also requires that all sellers – and resellers – of tickets to concert, sporting and other events must guarantee refunds to purchasers of tickets under certain circumstances.

Most confusingly, and potentially most controversially, the new law prohibits promoters and venue operators from denying you access to an event or canceling your ticket if they discover you bought the ticket through a third-party re-seller.

Yes, a ticket buyer should not be denied entry to a concert because he was dumb enough to pay three times face value to a ticket vulture. But a presenter should be allowed to aggressively go toe-to-toe with profiteers who use bots and other artificial advantages to score large blocks of tickets the second they go on sale – tickets that should have gone to consumers playing fair.

Some presenters such as the Denver Center have their own long-established and widely available terms and conditions that inform potential ticket buyers up front that, yes, they will invalidate all ticket sales found to be bought from brokers. Not to be punitive, but rather to encourage customers to buy directly from them. (And by the way – why wouldn’t you? Buying tickets directly from presenters is almost always the cheapest you are ever going to pay.)

In any event, the new law includes an escape clause that allows presenters like the Denver Center to continue to have their own policies addressing potential fraud or misconduct as long as they “are meant for the safety of patrons” and are readily available in writing.

“As the only authorized ticket provider for events produced or presented by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the DCPA cannot verify authenticity of tickets purchased from any third-party reseller,” Yoe said. “Patrons who purchase tickets in violation of the DCPA Terms and Conditions may have all their tickets canceled.”

The war with secondary brokers wages on.

You can read all of the law’s fine print at leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb24-1378

Three companies moving to Lakewood

Three theater companies are joining forces to become the new resident troupes at the 40 West Arts District’s 59-seat salon theater at 1560 Teller St.: The Three Leaches, The Lab and Flamboyan Theatre.

"This is such a dream come true,” said Three Leaches Artistic Director Melissa Leach, who started her indie “pay what you can” theater company 14 years ago with Amber Irish, passion and a thousand bucks.

“We have always stood by the belief that the arts can and should be affordable to all, and will continue to do a "pay what you can" ticket system with our new space. I couldn't be prouder of the beautiful work we've done and can't wait for the upcoming season.

“We want this space, along with 40 Arts West, Flamboyan, and The Lab, to become a community art hub,” she said. “There is such immense talent here in Denver. Let's help artists showcase theirs by creating a welcoming and affordable space to rent."

The upstart Flamboyan Theatre, founded by Jon Marcantoni, is Denver’s first Puerto Rican theater company. Its first production, “Empire of Solitude,” will premiere Aug. 9-18 at Buntport Theater. Marcantoni says he is looking forward to offering the space as a home for Latin and BIPOC artists. “While we focus on Puerto Rican stories, culture and history, we want our space to celebrate all Latin American peoples as well as diasporic communities from all over the world,” he said.

The Lab on Santa Fe, a 2-year-old initiative started by Joshua Berkowitz, will run the gallery that complements the 59-seat boutique theater in Lakewood. It’s being called “The Lab Off Colfax.”

The space became available at the end of May, when the scrappy, 7-year-old Benchmark Theatre vacated in part because of high production costs.

A big Broadway moment

For Phamaly Theatre Company Artistic Director Ben Raanan, whose company provides a creative home for theater artists with disabilities, every day has the potential to be transformative. One of them surely happened when he was in New York to see the new musical “Suffs” on Broadway.

The cast includes Denver actor and Phamaly alumna Jenna Bainbridge, who I have pointed out many times in these pages is now the first wheelchair user to originate a role in a new Broadway musical. The show, which chronicles the American women's suffrage movement, blew Raanan away. So did the show afterward outside on 45th Street.

“First and foremost, ‘Suffs’ is a show that everyone in America needs to see,” Raanan said. “But seeing Jenna sign autographs for people outside the stage door was unforgettable. Seeing young people push in line to get closer to Jenna was such a vital image for our community. In that moment, the visibility was just as important as the artistry.”

It was a proud moment for Raanan, for Phamaly, for Broadway and for humanity.

If you want to see how one goes from Phamaly to Broadway in action, go see the company’s annual Broadway-scale musical, this year it’s “A Chorus Line,” running Aug. 8-25. Tickets at phamaly.org

City announces ‘Impact Award’

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and Denver Arts & Venues have launched the new Social Impact Artist Award, which will award $50,000 each to three Denver-based artists or art collectives. This initiative aims to support outstanding artistic contributions that champion positive impact and social justice.

The award calls for winners to dedicate $15,000 of their prize money for a socially-engaged project “that reflects our strong commitment to addressing social issues through creative practices.”

Applications are open until Aug. 23, and the inaugural recipients will be announced in November.

“Denver has a proud legacy of artists whose work is guided by the issues, hopes and dreams of the community,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said. “Now more than ever, cities need artists who can imagine new possibilities that reshape and better our country.”

Apply at bonfils-stantonfoundation.org.