By Jay Harvey

Indianapolis’ performing arts scene has benefited from good deals offered to the public during this recession-plagued season.

Cheaper tickets and other incentives have yielded positive results, and local presenters are learning a lot about what degree of discounts will attract new audiences.

The Indianapolis Opera’s production of “The Pirates of Penzance” filled Clowes Hall during its second performance March 15; the first production on March 13 was 90 percent sold.

“I think what we’re learning,” said executive director John Pickett, “is that lots of people want to experience the symphony or the opera, but that the price point of $25 makes a difference.”

That also was the price that the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra chose as a 10-day offer in January for its remaining Classical and Pops Series concerts this season. The deal produced a 25 percent jump in single-ticket sales compared to the same period last year.

“We took the retail concept of a limited-time offer and applied it in the arts world,” said Mark Newman, the ISO’s vice president of marketing and communication. “We viewed what the economy presents to us as an opportunity.”

That opportunity is to reach out to people who might not set foot inside local arts productions if ticket prices are at their normal levels.

“You get them in the door with the discount ticket and they’re in the house, so then you can explain why what they paid doesn’t cover the cost to run the company,” said Jan Virgin, managing director of Dance Kaleidoscope. “If they like it, they come back and you know you have them. The lower price is not only a great offer, it builds audiences.”

During DK’s production of “American Modern” last month, Virgin used a curtain-speech technique to tell audiences that if each of the 500 attendees gave $1, one dancer could be supported for a week.

The speech worked. Virgin said cash donations were immediate and overwhelming. In July, DK will offer a discount for its production of “All That Jazz,” with $15 tickets.

But how long can these deals last?

“We wouldn’t want to repeat that ($25 offer) with regularity,” said the ISO’s Newman, “but it was the impetus of the idea of loyalty — it’s what helped us come up with the loyalty discount.”

That new feature, as the ISO enters its subscription renewal period, allows patrons to renew their seats at 15 percent off. The ISO is also offering discounts to new subscribers.

“The average person doesn’t realize the economics of the situation,” said Pickett, about the risk of offering performing-arts discounts. “Every time we put an opera on, we’re losing money. Ticket sales can’t come close.”

Arts deals

From those free monthly gallery walks to discounts on attractions at White River State Park, there are plenty of deals to be found in the city.

Here are a few that we rounded up. To find more, check the Web sites of your favorite arts organizations or attractions.

Phoenix Theatre

748 N. Park Ave.(317) 635-2381, www.phoenixtheatre.org.

Supported by Duke Energy, the Phoenix Theatre offers $15 adult-priced tickets ($10 off regular admission) every Thursday — all season long. This program is in its.third year.

You can take advantage of this offer Thursday and April 30 with Jose Rivera’s “References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot.”

Better yet, if you understand Spanish, a free staged reading in that language will be at 2 p.m. May 3.

White River State Park

Downtown Indianapolis www.in.gov/whiteriver

Every first Tuesday of the month — from March through November — visitors to White River State Park attractions get a break on admission prices through a program called Community Tuesdays.

Included are the Indiana State Museum and IMAX theater, the Indianapolis Zoo, the Eiteljorg Museum and more.

During Community Tuesdays, visitors to the Eiteljorg Museum and Indiana State Museum receive a 50.percent discount on admission prices. Tickets to the Indianapolis Zoo are all priced at $7 (half the regular adult price and $2 off for seniors and youth). There’s also a $2 discount on.IMAX tickets.

No Doubt

Verizon Wireless Music Center, 12880 E. 146th St., Noblesville; $80, $39.50 and $10. (877) 598-8703 or www.livenation.com.

Rock quartet No Doubt has been inactive since 2004, but fans can see Gwen Stefani and her band mates July 10 for as little as $10.

That’s admission for lawn seating at Noblesville’s Verizon Wireless Music Center, where complete sell-outs aren’t the norm. There are 6,331 pavilion seats and roughly 18,000 spaces on the expansive lawn.

Concert promoter Live Nation routinely offers “four pack” lawn deals ($99 for four tickets to Def Leppard’s July 23 appearance, for instance). But $10 for every non-pavilion No Doubt ticket may be the summer’s most noteworthy enticement.

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle (317) 639-4300, (800) 366-8457 or www.indianapolissymphony.org.

Happy Hour at the Symphony invites the after-work crowd to attend an hourlong concert at 6 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $20 each with general admission seating — buy three tickets and get one free.

The program, “Musical Visionaries,” features associate conductor Sean Newhouse and pieces by Beethoven, Bernstein, Copland and others.

Free refreshments will be served, and vocalist Brenda Williams will entertain.

The Children’s Museum

3000 N. Meridian St. (317) 334-3322 or www.childrensmuseum.org

The Children’s Museum has offered an “Access Pass” for a number of years to Indiana families with at least one member who is 18 or older and who are part of the TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) program.

The pass, which was expanded in March to include Conner Prairie, offers admission for $1. Through Aug. 31, foster families can sign up for a free membership to the museum.

Indianapolis Museum of Art

4000 Michigan Road (317) 955-2339 or www.imamuseum.org

For the IMA’s current special exhibition, “European Design Since 1985: Shaping the New Century,” the museum has lowered admission prices for adults and seniors to $10 and $8, $2 less than past special exhibitions. Visitors also save 10 percent in the IMA Store and Design Center with their tickets.

Memberships also are less expensive than ever, including $5 off new memberships (student, individual, family and sustaining levels) and $10 off new reciprocal memberships (associate, advocate and patron levels).

IndyArts Card

www.indyarts.org/discounts.aspx

Sponsored by the Indianapolis Arts Council, the IndyArts Card offers discounts, coupons and other deals to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, as well as performances.

For example, you’ll get discounts for shows presented by the Children’s Theatre Institute, Indianapolis Civic Theatre, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Children’s Choir and at venues such as the Warren Performing Arts Center.

The card is free; get it online or at the Artsgarden, Washington and Illinois streets.

Dance Kaleidoscope and Indianapolis Children’s Choir

Lilly Hall, Butler University, 4600 Sunset Ave. (317) 940-9640 or www.icchoir.org.

The popular modern dance troupe will be the choir’s guest at Hilbert Circle Theatre for two performances at 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday for the annual “Voices of Youth” concert.

IndyArts Card holders can buy one ticket and get one free. This deal will be redeemable in person at the ICC offices Monday through Friday, or 90 minutes before the show.

“We have offered a $2 discount in the past, but really wanted to give card holders a bang for their buck this time,” said ICC marketing director Laura Neidig.

Two tickets in advance are $11, and two tickets at the door are $12 when an Arts Card is shown.

Indianapolis Art Center

820 E. 67th St. (317) 255-2464 or www.indplsartcenter.org

The Indianapolis Art Center is offering $1 off admission to the Broad Ripple Art Fair (May 16 and 17) to anyone who purchases tickets in advance or mentions indy.com.

Membership benefits have also been enhanced — exhibition openings and hors d’oeuvres have always been free, but drinks will now be free, too. And in May, members also will get monthly deals from art supply store Prizm.

Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art

340 N. Senate Ave. (317) 634-6622 or www.indymoca.org

A “Bring a Friend” promotion, featuring 2-for-1 memberships, is being offered by iMOCA. Individual memberships usually cost $30, while dual memberships are ordinarily $50.

The membership grants patrons free access to openings and special events, educational series, and a 10 percent discount in the gift shop.

Summer Celebration

Indiana Convention Center, 100 S. Capitol Ave. (317) 925-2702 or www.indianablackexpo.com.

Indiana Black Expo will depart from a tradition of presenting a ticketed concert on the final Saturday night of its Summer Celebration event.

Instead of paying $50 or more to see a show, attendees will be able to catch an assortment of acts amid Summer Celebration’s health fair and consumer exhibits.

Eric Benet, SWV, the Sugarhill Gang, Whodini, Doug E. Fresh and Alex Bugnon will perform July 18 at.the Indiana Convention Center.

An on-sale date for tickets — $10, or $8 if purchased in advance — hasn’t been announced.

Lucinda Williams

8 p.m. June 9, the Vogue, 6259 N. College Ave.; $35, or $30 if tickets are purchased in advance. (317) 259-7029 or www.thevogue.ws

Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is offering a discount on CDs and clothing sold at her concerts. Her tour will mark down CDs by $5 and clothing by $7.

Williams, who issued her “Little Honey” album in October, says the discounts are a response to surcharge fees attached to her concert tickets.

Indiana Repertory Theatre

140 W. Washington St. (317) 635-5252 or www.irtlive.com

There are several deals at IRT — from a 50 percent discount on tickets one hour before performances to a referral-based program.

But the best deal has to be “Pay What You Can” program, which allows patrons to pay what they can afford. A minimum of $5 per ticket is suggested, and purchases are limited to preview nights and four tickets per person.

Preview nights for “Rabbit Hole” are April 21-23; for “Interpreting William,” May 12-14.