How Far Is Too Far for Free Theatre?

This morning I arrived at Central Park at 8 am to get in line for free Shakespeare in the Park tickets.  Turns out I was already more than two hours too late.  I woke up at 6:30 am and left the house around 7 am.  By the time I got to line there were probably more than 300 hundred people there already.  Many of them were curled up in sleeping bags, in blankets, some had set up camp with chairs and Scrabble.  Several of the people at the front of line had slept in Central Park overnight.  I give these people the "Most Hardcore About Theatre" ribbon of the summer.  I love theatre and I love to save money, but I have to admit that at this point in my life the idea of staying up all night or sleeping in park doesn't hold any kind of allure.

I know that it is common to go through great lengths for the cheap rush ticket, the front row lottery seat, and the super elusive star ridden coveted Shakespeare in the Park ticket.  In 1998, while at a pre college program at Pratt I work up at 3:30 am to go into Manhattan with three other students to get tickets to Chicago while Bebe Neuwirth was still in the cast.  We also waited for her and Karen Ziemba outside the stage door and took our pictures with them.  I have a picture of myself with Ms. (Mrs.?) Ziemba - a girl from California or New Jersey must have the picture of me with Ms. Neuwirth.   I've also purchased tickets that allowed me to stand at the back of the theater for The Lion King in London (and the first 15 minutes made me cry because the design was so amazing), for Rent in New York (slightly embarrassing) and rush tickets for countless shows.  I've also been a "student" for about 3 years now - sadly the photo is almost 10 years old at this point - it might be time to give it up.

I'm not giving up yet on the Shakespeare in the Park tickets; if anything I view this as a challenge.  I admit, it also warmed my heart to see that many people that wanted to see a production of Twelfth Night.  I am not quite ready to sleep in the park yet, maybe just take a personal day from work and bring a lot of snacks veeeeeery early in the morning.