Harlingen theater ticket holders to receive refunds

HARLINGEN - All is not lost for ticket holders to Harlingen's canceled spring theater season, a casualty of Hurricane Dolly.

Patrons of the Broadway in Harlingen Spotlight Series will be able to get a refund under a policy approved by the City Commission on Friday.

If patrons have their tickets, a receipt or a credit card slip that shows they paid for the tickets, refunds can be processed beginning Monday, Mayor Chris Boswell said.

"The hurricane was outside of our control," Boswell said. "We're going to do what is right for our citizens. We'll deal with the (theater production) company later."

Beginning Monday and continuing through the end of March, Spotlight Series patrons can take their unused tickets and proof of purchase to the Municipal Auditorium box office, Joel Humphries, city director of arts and entertainment, said in a statement Friday.

"All Spotlight Series ticket holders will have to do is provide proof of purchase, such as a credit card receipt or other receipt detailing how much they paid for their season ticket package, and the name of the individual who purchased the tickets, turn in their unused tickets and sign an assignment of claim form," Humphries said.

They should receive a check in about 10 to 14 days, he said.

"There has been a barrage of letters, a press release and other misinformation surrounding the Broadway in Harlingen Spotlight Series season," he said.

Humphries mentioned that a letter from Theatre Council Productions Inc. in Chicago - the company that had planned to bring the Broadway shows here - was issued without the knowledge or approval of his staff or the city.

"That letter went on to say that ticket refunds were not available," Humphries said. "That statement ... is simply not correct."

Hurricane damage repairs have begun and he and his staff "anticipate the day when our Municipal Auditorium is again the cultural heart of our community," Humphries said.
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FYI
For more information on theater ticket refunds, call the Harlingen Arts and Entertainment office at 956-216-5990 or visit the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium box office on Fair Park Boulevard.