Compies List
A few years ago, as theaters in New York were reopening after the pandemic shutdowns, I got into the habit of sharing the comp (free ticket) offers I received from theater colleagues with my friends. The list eventually expanded to almost 300 people, and the offers—which I always got permission to share before sending out—started coming directly from the theaters/producers themselves, as they were seeing good results in both the number of people that signed up through my list and the quality of the audiences I brought in.
With the launch of The Downtown Beat, the Compies List is migrating here, becoming both a subscriber benefit—anyone who signs up for this newsletter, regardless of tier, is automatically added to the list—and a paid papering service for those seeking to distribute tickets to a show.
The kinds of shows you can paper with Compies:
Any and all! Your show does not have to be “downtown” in order to use this list—as long as you don’t mind a downtown audience attending it.
That being said, there are a few conditions:
The show should be open to the public (no private events);
The show should be paid (if it’s already free, you don't need this service);
Your offer should be for free tickets (no discounts or deals).
Why you should paper your show with Compies:
The Compies are an ideal audience for a show that’s looking to build momentum early in its run, since:
Over 97% of them hold an active role in the theater industry, primarily as playwrights, actors, directors, and administrative workers. If they like a show, they can spread the word far and wide!
They include key figures in the New York theater scene, including some of the most exciting artists currently working in the field, as well as artistic directors and literary managers at Off and Off-Off-Broadway houses, agents, and journalists (except for critics—which I do not add, as a rule, so as not to override each show’s press strategy). These folks are influencers!
Over 60% of them are BIPOC, with almost a quarter identifying as Latine, followed by AAPI (16%) and Black (14%) theatergoers. For shows that are hoping to cultivate a truly diverse audience base, the Compies are a great place to start!
64% of them are under 35, bucking the trend of most theater audiences and bringing in fresh eyes to a show! In terms of gender, they mostly align with audience averages in New York: 50% female, 45% male, and 5% non-binary/gender-non-conforming.
(These numbers are estimations from the data available, and are current as of August 2025)
Compie agreements
The Compies are held to two golden rules:
Never being a no-show. If someone is a no-show, please report that to me so that I can remove that person from the list.
Never sharing the offer. If anything doesn’t feel right about a booking, you can verify with me whether that person’s on my list; should they not be, you can reject the booking, and I will investigate who shared.
How to share an offer with the Compies:
That’s as easy as 1, 2, 3:
Fill out this form with your show’s information;
Wait for an email with your quote;
Pay the fee.
Your offer will go out to the Compies after payment is received (or on the date you specified in the form)!
How the fee is calculated (and how to pay it):
In order to create an equitable system where all productions have access to the list regardless of budget, the fee is calculated on a point system that scores two factors:
The seating capacity of the show;
The kind of production (commercial, nonprofit, or independent).
Currently, fees vary between $100 and $500. You can pay directly through apps such as Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, or Zelle, or with a credit card (though in that case, there’ll be a small charge added to cover Stripe fees). Other payment forms can be requested in the form, but they may be rejected.