Fourth Annual Free Night of Theater Returns to Portland This October

This October, the Portland Area Theatre Alliance (PATA) presents Portland's fourth annual Free Night of Theater, a national movement celebrating the magic of live performance. More than 20 theater companies in the Portland area will join hundreds across the nation in reaching out to new audience members with the opportunity to attend live theater completely free of charge.

The program kicks off with an "Enter-to-Win" ticket request lottery running now through September 23, 2011. Tickets are available for performances on Friday and Saturday evenings in October, from October 1-29, and can be requested through Portland's Free Night of Theater website (http://freenightpdx.com).

Free Night of Theater's goal is to attract new audiences to Portland's vibrant and thriving theater community. All participants are encouraged to select theaters that they haven't visited before.

"Since 2008, Free Night of Theater has been an innovative way to explore Portland's dynamic theater community," said PATA President Michelle Kopper Seymour. "We invite all Portlanders to join us in experiencing the magic of live theater, risk free!"

Free Night of Theater is presented by PATA in conjunction with Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for professional theaters. Since its national launch in 2005, the program has introduced more than 250,000 new theatergoers to the thrill of live performance. In October 2010, more than 600 theaters across the country offered 55,000 free tickets to more than 1,800 performances in 21 states.

This year, Portland will join other participating cities in launching a brand new "Enter-to-Win" ticketing lottery system. After registering, participants will be asked to select the top five performances that they'd like to see, then enter to win those tickets. The lottery entry period runs from now through September 23, when all entries will be finalized and the drawing will begin. On September 28, participants will receive an email letting them know if they've won tickets. Tickets to each performance will be awarded in pairs.

PATA's Free Night of Theater will also coincide with the Oregon Cultural Trust's Oregon Days of Culture, which honors the role of arts, humanities and heritage in our everyday lives.

Portland Area Theatre Alliance (PATA), now in its 23rd year of operation, is an alliance of individual theater practitioners, producing companies, associated businesses and audience members. PATA provides opportunities for networking, the sharing of resources and advocacy. Its goal is to increase the quality, quantity and professionalism of theater produced in Portland and the surrounding areas. PATA's current membership numbers nearly 400 individuals, theatre companies and associated businesses. PATA is also the presenting organization for Fertile Ground, the annual City-Wide Festival of New Works. More information at www.portlandtheatre.com.

For 50 years, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for American theatre, has existed to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional, not-for-profit American theatre. TCG's constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to nearly 700 member theatres and affiliate organizations and more than 13,000 individuals nationwide. TCG offers its members networking and knowledge-building opportunities through conferences, events, research and communications; awards grants, approximately $2 million per year, to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and serves as the US Center of the International Theatre Institute, connecting its constituents to the global theatre community. TCG is North America's largest independent publisher of dramatic literature, with 11 Pulitzer Prizes for Best Play on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning AMERICAN THEATRE magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. Its many publications offer a national resource for reference, opinion and debate on theatre and the performing arts today. In all of its endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre. More information at www.tcg.org.