Getting into Free Shakespeare in the Park usually means a lottery you lose; this is the other door — a limited stack of vouchers handed out on the Cottage B porch at Snug Harbor to whoever lines up, up to two per person. They cover that same evening's Winter's Tale, Daniel Sullivan's production at the rebuilt Delacorte. If you are on Staten Island, this is the shortest line in the city to a Delacorte seat.
What to expect
Find the Cottage B porch on the Snug Harbor campus and join the line along the paths that Public Theater and Snug Harbor staff mark out. Nothing is handed over before the posted start, and distribution stops the moment the vouchers run out. You will need a Public Theater Patron ID to receive one, and the voucher still has to be exchanged for a ticket at the Delacorte box office that evening.
Good to know
- Create or confirm your Public Theater Patron ID at publictheater.org/login before you leave home — no ID, no voucher
- Each person aged five and over can receive up to two vouchers, while supplies last
- Vouchers are same-day only and must be exchanged for real tickets at the Delacorte box office in Central Park that evening
- Seats are assigned at random when you redeem, so being first in the Staten Island line does not buy you a better seat
- Snug Harbor is a short S40 bus ride from the St. George ferry terminal, so budget the ferry crossing into your plan too
- Standing in line does not guarantee a ticket; The Public distributes what it has and no more
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Common questions
Is it actually free?
Yes. The vouchers cost nothing and neither does the performance. You do need a Public Theater Patron ID, which is free to create online before you arrive.
Am I guaranteed a ticket if I show up?
No. Distribution is first-come, first-served and ends when the vouchers run out or when the two-hour window closes, whichever happens first.
What do I do with the voucher afterwards?
Take it to the Delacorte Theater box office in Central Park the same evening and swap it for a ticket during the box office's 5:30 to 7:30 PM exchange window.
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