Tickets For $9 At Guthrie's Forthcoming 'Level Nine' Initiative

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Guthrie Theater plans to make its ninth floor into a theatrical hub to create a dialogue with the audience on today's issues.

The Tony-winning Minneapolis theater announced Wednesday it has received a $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to underwrite the initiative.

To help provide greater access, all tickets on the ninth floor will be cut to $9. Typical pricing in the studio theater now ranges from $15 to $35.

The Guthrie's ninth level is home to the 200-seat Dowling Studio as well as the "amber box" overlook and a retractable wall between the performance space and its lobby.

Guthrie artistic director Joseph Haj says he envisions Level Nine as a place where the community can come together and grapple with the questions facing it.