Get $5 tickets to Heidi Duckler Dance and Lineage Dance, as well as other shows at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, the Wallis, Center Theater Group, and the Soraya. And these are just six of LA’s 35 theaters, dance companies, music venues, art galleries and museums partnering with TeenTix LA to offer $5 tickets for dance, theater, music, and visual arts in LA.
$5 tickets? So what’s the catch?
The reduced price tickets can be had with a pass from the non-profit TeenTix LA. Passes are free, but as the name suggests, restricted to ages 13 to 19, i.e., teens (but good until the passholder’s 20th birthday). Getting a ticket is simple: present the digital pass (or the optional key ring-sized physical pass) along with an i.d. at a partner organization and pay $5 for a same day ticket. Most tickets are sold as “day of” performance, but some partners allow advance purchase tickets. There are special “2 for $10” days that permit purchase of two tickets, and the second ticket can be given to anyone of any age.
TeenTix LA teens attending a TeenTix LA event – Photo courtesy of TeenTix LA.
Sierra Madre Playhouse’s dance series continues with Viver Brasil Dance Company presenting “Rezas e Folhas” by celebrated Brazilian choreographer Vera Passos. The powerful work unites traditional Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous dances with experimental choreography and poignant storytelling. Passos, a native of Salvador, the capital of Bahia, noted for its vibrant culture, masterfully channels the sacred rhythms of Orixá and Caboclo dances into a contemporary gestural language. Rooted in the spiritual traditions of Candomblé, the work explores themes of healing and transformation, highlighting the vital connection between the body and the natural world. With reverence for ancestral wisdom, “Rezas e Folhas” reflects on the power of cultural and environmental renewal.
d Sabela grimes – Courtesy of Sierra Madre Playhouse.Dance @ the Playhouse
d. Sabela grimes: “Parable of Portals”
9/6/25 7:30 PM at Sierra Madre Playhouse
Experience the distinctive and transformative artistry of d. Sabela grimes, a celebrated trans-media storyteller and movement composer, live at the Playhouse. Known for his immersive performances that blend dance, sound, and visual media, grimes explores themes of Black identity, speculative futures, and socio-historical narratives through dynamic movement and layered storytelling.
For tickets and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit www.sierramadreplayhouse.org. Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.
Viver Brasil Dance Company – Courtesy of Artist.
Dance @ the Playhouse
Viver Brasil Dance Company’s Rezas e Folhas
10/17/25 & 10/18/25 7:30 PM at Sierra Madre Playhouse
For tickets and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit www.sierramadreplayhouse.org. Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.
The innovative non-profit program originated in Seattle and LA is its first expansion. TeenTix LA already has 35 cultural partners, 4,600 teen passholders, with plans to expand that number to 6,500 before the end of the year.
As part of that expansion, TeenTix LA, a theater, and an art center are offering two upcoming events that let teens test drive TeenTix LA before signing up for the pass.
Street Symphony – Photo courtesy of the artist.
The first event on August 31 is a jazz concert, mixer and talk-back at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, a venue that offers a strong dance series. The second event on Saturday, September 6 is an artist-led tour of Pasadena’s Armory Center for the Arts, including the art exhibitions, a collage workshop, plus a private lunch. While neither introductory event involves dance, lots of dance partners are waiting in the wings offering $5 tickets. To attend the $5 jazz concert www.sierramadreplayhouse.org (use code TTLANIGHT). The Armory Center for the Arts event is free, but reservations are required at la.teentix.org.
Already participating arts partners have found that TeenTix LA helps draw coveted young audiences, and feedback from teen passholders confirm the program allows them to explore live performance and art at an affordable price, while the weekly calendar provides a roundup of partner events. Partners accept the TeenTix LA for all events, even if not in the calendar. The program is not limited to LA residents, making it available to teens in LA as out-of-state students or tourists.
Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena – Photo courtesy of the Armory Center for the Arts.
In establishing the program, the Seattle TeenTix founders set out to break down the barriers that prevent teens from accessing art – ticket or admission cost, not knowing where to look for events, navigating transportation around the city, and feeling insecure around arts-going when there was no one in their lives already championing the arts.
Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena – Photo courtesy of the Armory Center for the Arts.
TeenTix LA became the first official new chapter in 2018 when a handful of LA arts and nonprofit leaders recognized an opportunity to make an impact on teens with the TeenTix Pass Program model. A survey of hundreds of teens from across the Los Angeles area reflected that LA teens were excited about the arts and culture the city has to offer but saw barriers preventing them from becoming active patrons of the arts. More troubling, 68% of teens said they did not feel welcomed in arts spaces, however a notable 52% said they’d be likely to attend an arts event if the ticket was $5. That response kicked off a collaboration with the TeenTix team in Seattle. In 2021, after foundation-building for the non-profit, TeenTix LA officially became the first new TeenTix chapter leading local efforts to make the arts accessible for the teens of LA.
TeenTix LA program director Allison Whorton draws on an extensive theater background that includes a New York program that allocated 12,000 tickets annually to New York City teens. Other LA staff bring backgrounds with foundations that support performing and visual arts. The Advisory Board draws on an array of major cultural and performing arts organizations, while a vibrant intern program fuels the program’s lines of communication between the partners and the passholders.
Art workshop at Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena – Photo courtesy of Armory Center for the Arts.
Social media feedback from passholders also provides real time reviews, ideas for programming, and strong evidence the program is working. As 19-year old passholder Emily Tieng reported, “I loved being a part of TeenTix LA because I can tell my peers about the arts in a way that is familiar to them. Typically, I feel as though attempts to cater to teens are out-of-touch or misguided – this isn’t the case with TeenTix LA…TeenTix LA caters to youth in a way that genuinely has their interests in mind, rather than treating them as just another demographic to appeal to. This is tackled by considering major accessibility obstacles that teenagers often face – lack of information, cost, and the fear of being unwelcome in places like theaters and galleries. TeenTix LA sincerely aims to uplift teenagers and enable their participation in the arts. Being a part of the program is empowering because it gives me a platform to share my love for the arts and a way to share that love with other teens.”
Jazz at Sierra Madre Playhouse – Street Symphony’s Jazz and Vocal Ensemble in a program of Classic American jazz standards, West Coast cool jazz, modern pop, and rhythmic soul, plus a private pre-concert mixer, and post-concert artist talk-back. At Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; Sun., Aug. 31, 3 pm mixer for TeenTix LA, 4 pm concert, 5:30 pm post-concert talk back with artists, $5 with code TTLANIGHT. www.sierramadreplayhouse.org
Visual Arts Exhibit/Collage Workshop/Lunch – Private artist-led tour of the current photography and contemporary art exhibits, lunch, and artist-led collage workshop created specifically for TeenTix LA at Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena; Sat., Sept. 6, 11 am tour of exhibits, noon lunch, 12:30 pm artist-led collage workshop, free with registration at la.teentix.org
For a list of current TeenTix LA partners: https://la.teentix.org/partners
For more detail on the program and frequently asked questions: https://la.teentix.org/faqs/
For the weekly e-calendar for LA: https://la.teentix.org/calendar
For more info on how to sign up: TeenTix LA
Written by Ann Haskins for L.A. Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Parable of Portals – Photo courtesy of d. Sabela grimes.
