May 14, 2025
Provided image/Arden Theatre Company
The Arden Theatre is offering $20 tickets for seats on six couches during its production of 'Rent.' The rush seats can be purchased at the TKTS booth at the Independence Visitors Center.
Theatergoers can catch "Rent" at the Arden Theatre from the comfort of a couch beginning Thursday night.
During each performance through June 22, up to 25 people can sit on sofas at the Old City venue. There are two rows of couches on three sides of the stage. Tickets for the unique viewpoint cost $20 and can be purchased up to 72 hours in advance at the TKTS booth at 599 Market St. The booth is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Terrence Nolen, producing artistic director of the Arden and co-director for "Rent," said the seating is inspired by the original Broadway production, which offered $20 rush tickets for the first two rows of seats.
"They wanted to make the show, which is about young people, accessible to young people — and our couch seating will do the same," Nolan said in a statement. "This is not VIP seating — it will be loud, there will be lights in your eyes — but it will be a unique and more affordable way for people to experience 'Rent' at the Arden."
"Rent," which tells the story of a group of poor artists living in the East Village, opened on Broadway in 1996. It ran for 12 years before closing in 2008, and won four Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. It was also the first show to offer rush seats at the front of the theater — those tickets previously were available for the rows in the back.
"Rent" opens Thursday with previews. The shows run through June 29. Performances take place Tuesdays through Sundays with evening and matinée shows.
The TKTS booth, a new location for the New York City staple that's been around since the 1970s, opened in November. It offers 30-50% off tickets at theaters in the Philadelphia region up to three days in advance of performances.
