Update: As someone who values local businesses, I am saddened that my relationship with this venue…read morehas ended this way. I did everything 'right' by buying my season tickets the first day of subscriber pre-sales (September 9th) and selecting a specific seat for my needs. Only to show up for my performance to learn that my seat had been changed. Instead of enjoying a performance of my favorite show, I was forced into a position that shouldn't have happened.
There has been a complete lack of transparency or any communication from the venue, from my seat being changed in January 2026 without my knowledge, to another refund I received 'out of the blue' that I had already attended. Was this unexpected refund for a past show an attempt to cover the taxes and fees they withheld from the first refund? Or was it an attempt to avoid apologizing for the original error?
Over the years, I shared 157 photos and many reviews to support this venue's growth. I have removed most of these photos. I will leave the documentation of my seating error. I also organized group outings to the venue, which led others to purchase tickets.
One person's voice matters. I hope my experience ensures that future subscribers are treated with the respect that their loyalty deserves, rather than being treated as a single seat that can be moved to accommodate a more lucrative sale.
Update: Management stepped up and provided me with a full refund for the season, including the performances I've seen, excluding taxes and fees. This was after the box office called me a liar and unkind, not in the spirit of the show. Kindness starts with respecting your customers and believing them when they have the evidence in hand, with the paper-timed-stamp ticket. I have uploaded photos showing my original September 9, 2025, purchase date and the handwritten seat change forced upon me at check-in as proof." Then, with the Ludus system, they likely know who moved my season seat to sell two seats together. "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."
Theatre Raleigh does not seem to respect its season ticket holders or donors. When I select a seat with my season ticket package, that is the seat I expect to sit in for the show. I specifically chose aisle seats as my preference, and the extra room helps with my knee injury. So I was upset when I arrived at a performance and was told my seat had been moved. Usually, it has been from a changed seating chart, but in my last performance, the actual seat number was changed.
The aisle seat I had purchased on the first day of season-ticket sales was occupied by another patron. It appears that someone at the box office chose to relocate my seat so that two seats were available for sale together when individual tickets went on sale in January. So this tells me that they do not value season ticket holders and are more concerned about another sale.
This was the final straw for me, and I cannot recommend this theatre to others. It feels like a slap in the face as a donor to be treated with such disdain. Granted, I am a low-level donor. When I complained at the show that my seat, purchased in September 2025, had been moved from the aisle, I was told the show was sold out. No, that is not acceptable. I will support and donate to other performing arts organizations that better value and recognize their patrons, and walk away from those that treat me like a transaction. I can no longer donate to an organization that prioritizes last-minute sales over the explicit seat selections of its long-term supporters.