In the theater industry, we often talk about the significance of every department — the show always goes on thanks to the collaboration between props, costumes, swings, front of house, and so much more. But there is one crucial piece to the theatrical puzzle: the audience.
Without audiences, what would Broadway be?
That’s why there are teams dedicated to assessing which methods draw in the most theatergoers and continue to ask the popular post-pandemic question: How do we get people back to Broadway to see our shows?
The answer comes in the form of Broadway’s official loyalty and rewards program, the appropriately titled Audience Rewards. Launched in 2008 by Broadway theatre owners Nederlander, Shubert, and ATG (then Jujamcyn), the program’s thesis has always been clear: to reward theatergoers. Nearly two decades later, the premise remains the same, but by providing theatergoers with genuine rewards and compelling incentives, it has become a crucial tool for audience development, helping shows identify and retain theatergoers.
The program functions similarly to an airline’s frequent flyer or a credit card’s rewards program: Theatergoers earn ShowPoints when buying theater tickets, and then they get to spend those ShowPoints on special experiences, merchandise, and even more theater tickets. Better yet, it’s free to join and use.
Whether it’s getting to attend a dance class with the cast of & Juliet or choosing signed Playbills to bid on, there’s an abundance of dream-come-true rewards members can exchange ShowPoints for and, by extension, they get to connect with Broadway in a deeper and more meaningful way.
“We have to invest in people,” says Katie Dalton, president of Audience Rewards. “There’s all this research on how, when a customer gets something that’s free and meaningful and that matters to them, they’re all the more hooked. It’s great for a long-term customer relationship.”
This year, Audience Rewards has focused on enhancing the customer relationship by finessing the technology behind their fan engagement strategies. They completely overhauled the front-facing user experience and modernized the capabilities of the back end. By adding in personalization and customization for members, they’ve strengthened customer engagement, with the first half of 2026 seeing a 25% increase in the number of members purchasing each week. Their members are twice as likely to return to Broadway and become repeat attenders than the average theatergoer.
Audience Rewards has become a bit of a Broadway matchmaker. Beyond just earning and redeeming ShowPoints, members can now interact with a recommendation engine that suggests similar shows to the ones they just attended. Theatergoer meets show, theatergoer falls in love with show, and soon, theatergoer will meet another show to fall in love with.
The personalization is working: 40% of members bought tickets to a show because they learned about it through Audience Rewards.
As it maintains its base of loyal members, Audience Rewards is also focused on widening the funnel of future theatergoers. Through their unique partnership with United Airlines, MileagePlus members can redeem points for special opportunities with Audience Rewards when they fly to New York. Audience Rewards also gets to reach new audiences through United’s channels with targeted communications to New York City travelers, introducing Broadway to a whole new world of potential fans.
“It’s a highly difficult market with lots of competition for people’s leisure and discretionary dollars, so we need to make it worth their while,” says Dalton. “Providing added value keeps people coming back.”
This purpose and growth have earned Audience Rewards recognition from both the loyalty and travel industries alike — with the program being named one of America’s Best Loyalty Rewards Programs 2026 by USA Today and winning a 2026 Loyalty360 Award for excellence. Dalton herself received an NYC Women in Tourism Award in the Ticketing & Technology category.
Even with the awards, Audience Rewards is most excited to be leading the charge of offering producers new ways to engage with the fans who sustain the industry. Building a consistent audience for Broadway shows is definitely worth a standing ovation.
Broadway Direct is a proud partner of Audience Rewards, offering ShowPoints for ticket purchases made on our site.
