A $5 Ticket—and a Seat at the Table

TeenTix LA is breaking down barriers to arts and culture, giving thousands of Los Angeles teens the freedom to explore, discover, and become part of the region’s creative community on their own terms.

What if discovering a new favorite play, concert, or museum began with just $5?

For nearly 6,500 Los Angeles teens who have signed up for a freeTeenTix Pass, that possibility is becoming a reality.

TeenTix LA gives any young person ages 13 to 19 access to $5 tickets at participating arts organizations across Los Angeles County. Signing up is free; there is no obligation to use the pass a certain number of times, and it remains active until a passholder turns 20.

But TeenTix LA is about much more than affordable admission. It is about giving young people agency—the ability to explore the arts based on what interests them,

rather than waiting for an adult, school, or other institution to determine what they experience.

“We want young people to feel empowered to engage with the arts on their own terms—to become their own tastemakers and discover what speaks to them.” — Allison Whorton, Program Director, TeenTix LA

Breaking Down Barriers to the Arts

The idea for TeenTix LA grew out of a 2018 convening of Los Angeles arts leaders examining the long-term sustainability of the region’s arts ecosystem. One fundamental question that emerged was: How do you cultivate the next generation of audiences and arts leaders if young people don’t have meaningful opportunities to experience the arts?

Leaders looked to TeenTix, a Seattle-based youth development organization founded in 2004 with a model designed to dismantle barriers to arts participation and empower young people to engage with arts and culture on their own terms.

As Los Angeles explored bringing the model here, conversations and surveys with arts organizations, youth-serving organizations and teens reinforced the need. Cost was an obvious obstacle—concert, theater and other cultural tickets can be prohibitively expensive—but it wasn’t the only one.

TeenTix LA launched in 2021 with a simple proposition: Give teens an affordable invitation into the arts and let them decide where it takes them.

Today, TeenTix LA works with approximately 50 arts partners across Los Angeles County, including Pasadena Playhouse, Center Theater Group, Skirball Cultural Center and specifically arts organizations that represent different cultural experiences and backgrounds such as Latino Theater Company, East West Players and LA LGBT Center. For a complete list of partners click here. Passholders can browse an online calendar featuring thousands of opportunities, including plays, concerts, film screenings, museums, tours and other cultural experiences, and purchase available tickets for $5.

Participating organiz

ations also offer designated 2 for $10 opportunities, allowing a parent or other adult to attend at the same price with their teen.

The Freedom to Discover

That element of choice is essential to the model.

A teen might use the pass every weekend or a few times a year. They can return to an art form they already love—or spend $5 trying something completely unfamiliar.

Whorton has watched that experimentation lead to unexpected discoveries. A group of teens attending a production of Little Shop of Horrors, for example, knew little about the musical beforehand. By the end, some had discovered a new favorite.

Because the financial stakes are low, young people have room to experiment.

TeenTix LA hears from participants who previously experienced theater or other arts primarily through school outings and now have a way to continue pursuing those interests independently. Teen leaders and interns have also shared that they never imagined regularly attending arts events would be accessible to them.

The result is something larger than a discounted ticket. Teens can decide what they like, what they don’t, and what they want to experience next.

Creating Space for Connection

The timing of TeenTix LA’s 2021 launch raised an obvious question: Would young people emerging from the isolation and disruption of the pandemic want to attend arts events?

The answer was overwhelmingly yes.

For teens looking for places to gather, explore their city and share experiences beyond school and home, arts and cultural spaces can provide an important sense of connection and community.

“Young people are looking for third spaces and collective experiences—places where they can get out, explore their city and be in community with others. The arts can be a powerful antidote to loneliness and isolation.” — Allison Whorton

Whether sitting in an audience for a dance performance, seeing a play or exploring a museum, teens have opportunities to be present with others and participate in the cultural life of their city.

From Arts Audiences to Arts Leaders

Youth voice is central to how TeenTix LA operates.

As the initiative’s only full-time staff member, Whorton oversees partnerships, fundraising, community relationships, and promotion of the TeenTix Pass. But teens themselves help shape how the program grows.

Through its internship program, young people serve as ambassadors, introducing the pass to their own communities and networks while providing feedback about what resonates with teens and what they need.

TeenTix LA also serves as a connector, sharing internships, programs, leadership opportunities and other resources with young people through its weekly newsletter.

Looking ahead, Whorton sees opportunities to deepen that youth development work. TeenTix’s Seattle programming offers one possible model, with immersive opportunities such as arts journalism and criticism that allow young people to develop their voices, write about cultural experiences and build skills that can lead toward future employment.

The potential extends far beyond becoming an artist.

The arts can provide a pipeline to a wide range of creative careers while developing skills, perspectives and values that transfer into many other fields. Giving young people a seat at the table in Los Angeles’ arts and culture community means helping them see themselves not only as audience members, but as future creators, critics, professionals and leaders.

Making the Arts Accessible in Every Community

Whorton’s vision is for teens across Los Angeles County to have cultural opportunities within reach of where they live.

Transportation remains another significant barrier, particularly in a region as geographically expansive as Los Angeles. That makes expanding TeenTix LA’s network of arts partners—and strengthening relationships with schools, grassroots organizations and youth-serving organizations throughout the County—an important priority.

The goal is not simply to add more events to a calendar, but to build accessible arts hubs in communities and reach young people who historically have been left out of these opportunities.

Community Partners’ fiscal sponsorship helps TeenTix LA remain focused on that mission.

For a small initiative with one full-time staff member, having support with functions such as grants management, bookkeeping and other administrative responsibilities provides both infrastructure and a network of people to turn to for guidance.

For Whorton, that means spending less time on administrative upkeep and more time building the program, cultivating partnerships and reaching young people.

It also creates natural opportunities for collaboration. With so many Community Partners projects serving young people, Whorton hopes to connect with other project leaders and organizations that can introduce TeenTix LA to teens throughout their networks.

Because ultimately, TeenTix LA’s vision isn’t just about who can afford to attend the arts today. It’s about who feels welcomed, included, and empowered to shape Los Angeles’ cultural future tomorrow.

And sometimes, opening that door starts with a $5 ticket.

Learn more about TeenTix LA.