How do you make arts venues accessible to people who might want to visit, but can’t afford the price of admission?
For six years, one marquee answer has been the Culture Pass program. Through it, Phoenix-based Act One has offered thousands of Valley residents, especially young families, seniors, veterans and members of the military, an opportunity to expand their knowledge and enjoyment of the visual and performing arts.
Act One provides K-12 students and teachers from Title 1 schools in Maricopa and Pima counties with little or no arts programming the opportunity to attend a live performance or visit a museum through a comprehensive field trip program.
A collaboration between Act One and public libraries and arts and cultural institutions, Culture Pass offers library users Valleywide free admission for two people to participating cultural institutions or theater performances. Library patrons select the venue or performance from the display at their local libraries and have seven days to visit the venue or reserve their tickets.
The Culture Pass program, however, does not include engagements such as special exhibits at the Heard Museum or Phoenix Art Museum. “The performances passes are available for specific performances, and the details vary from performance to performance,” said Geri Wright, Act One executive director.
All the Valley is a stage
“The Culture Pass program reaches individuals in our community who could not otherwise afford to visit the cultural destinations included in the program,” she said.
Act One’s data shows that about half of the Culture Pass users are families with children living at home, nearly 20 percent of users have either active military or veterans at home, and a significant number of users are seniors.
The program builds audiences from these groups and others, Wright says. Culture Pass serves low-income community members, introduces middle income earners to new venues, parents and grandparents are able to introduce arts and culture to their children for little or no cost, and students can supplement classroom learning by exploring high-quality museums.
Using a Culture Pass, anyone can visit a venue before deciding whether to purchase a membership or return with a paid ticket, and program users can check out a pass to share the Valley’s world-class arts and cultural destinations with their out-of-town visitors.
“Culture Pass also enhances the Act One flagship program, as students who have participated in that field trip program can return to that museum or theater or explore a new cultural venue with their families,” Wright said. “This enhances their appreciation of and participation in the arts.”
The Act One field trip program for Title 1 students and their teachers includes teaching materials, tickets to a performance and transportation to a Valley arts venue.
Act One acquired the Culture Pass program in late 2013 after it was founded in April 2009, originally serving 14 arts organizations from 30 branches throughout six city library systems, offering 2,250 passes weekly.
Under Act One’s guidance, the program has expanded in and beyond the Valley. In January 2015, for example, it began at the Sedona Public Library with seven new arts organizations in Sedona, Flagstaff and Kingman joining the program. And, in fall 2015, Culture Pass debuts in the Tucson Public Library system with an estimated 7−10 Southern Arizona arts partners.
This summer, library cardholders can choose from 15 arts and cultural venues available at 43 branches in 10 city library systems, plus libraries on all four Arizona State University campuses. Additionally, 10 performing arts organizations are participating in the program and have passes available throughout the year.
Among the participating arts groups in the East Valley and Valleywide: Arizona Theatre Company, ASU Gammage, Ballet Arizona, Chandler Center for the Arts, Childsplay, East Valley Children’s Theatre, Great Arizona Puppet Theater, Phoenix Symphony, Phoenix Theatre, Theater Works and Valley Youth Theatre.

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