Teen Tix, Seattle Center's, innovative arts access program for teenagers, celebrates its 5year anniversary this week with exciting new opportunities, several new Participating Organizations and many successes under its belt.

Teen Tix will launch a new initiative today, Teen Tix Passport to the Arts, where participants can win real currency in the form of gift cards to use at Barnes and Noble, Best Buys, Gap, itunes, Pagliacci Pizza, Starbucks and Target. All registered Teen Tix members may print out or pick up a Passport from Seattle Center to present to Participating Organizations and have stamped. Six stamps qualify Passport holders for various levels of gift cards. The contest runs from May 18 to December 18, 2009.

The number of Teen Tix Participating Organizations now stands at 31. New participants since the fall of 2008 include Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Arts and Lectures, Unexpected Productions, Northwest Film Forum, Seattle Musical Theatre and Washington Ensemble. Recent funders include The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Target and the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture.

About 4,000 teens register for Teen Tix membership each year. The program serves the whole region, with 65% of its members joining from outside of Seattle. Of those from Seattle, 48% live in South Seattle neighborhoods, 38% in North Seattle and 14% are from Central Area neighborhoods. Nearly 4,000 Teen Tix were sold in 2008, up from 2,700 in 2007 and 516 in 2005.

Teen Tix engages young people in the arts in ways that encourage and support further arts exploration. The hope is to expose teenagers to new creative experiences, while building future audiences for the arts. The program has made it possible for over 25,000 registered members, ages 13 - 18, to purchase $5.00 day-of-event tickets.

In addition to affordable access to performing and visual arts, Teen Tix offers a website, weekly e-newsletter, special opportunities to meet artists and learn more about partnering venues, workshops on critical journalism and other on-line options, including a members blog (www.teentix.blogspot.com), for teens to share thoughts and perspectives on their arts experiences.

A primary objective of Teen Tix is to reach underserved youth. Seattle Center partners with several community organizations assisting children and families to help teenagers learn about Teen Tix. It offers incentives, instructions on audience etiquette, and directions and maps to venues - all in order to simplify and demystify the arts experience.

Any teenager 13 to 18 years of age may register for free membership in Teen Tix. Teens from throughout Western Washington have made use of the program. For more information on Teen Tix, click on www.seattlecenter.com/teentix.

About Seattle Center

Seattle Center draws you in. Its vibrant pulse brings together people of all ages and walks of life to create thousands of extraordinary experiences that enrich millions of lives each year. Entertainment options abound -starting with 63 free and low cost public programs and over 5,000 campus shows and events annually. The 74-acre campus, with 17 acres of open space, is welcoming to all -and is home to more than 30 cultural, educational, sports and entertainment organizations. This treasured urban park exists to delight and inspire the human spirit in each person and bring us together as a rich and varied community. The 12 million visitors to Seattle Center each year generate $1.15 billion in business activity and $387 million in labor income for King County. For more information, visit http://www.seattlecenter.com.