Over 400 people lined up in front of the ticket booth in San Francisco’s Union Square on October 2 to snag a ticket to see one of many free shows offered at this year’s annual Bay Area Free Night of Theater.

Through to October 16, over 8,000 tickets for over 120 participating Bay Area theatre companies’ productions were given to the communities, for free. “Free today, live every single day” is the theme for this year’s third annual giveaway.

Theatre Communications Group, a national theatre service organization that coordinates the program nationally, originally created the concept, Free Night. Two years ago, Theatre Bay Area, a prominent regional theatre service organization localized the notion.

San Francisco, North Bay, East Bay, South Bay and Sacramento region were among the areas able to take advantage of a large selection of live performances showing in various bay area theatre venues.

“The idea of giving away free tickets make it more comfortable for people to come see theater,” said Claire Rice, assistance office manager of SF State’s Theater Arts Department.

“People normally associate theater with being expensive, intellectual or boring,” said Rice, 26, who is also a lecturer for the THAR 300 class, Theatre Imagination.

According to Brad Erickson, executive director of Theatre Bay Area, Free Night of Theater 2007 is both an invitation and a call to arms. He invites everyone to experience and enjoy the live arts, and then make it a part of our daily lives.

Benefits such as exposure to theatre and other creative arts makes for more well rounded, socially engaged, tolerant people, according to the Theatre Bay Area Web site. It also states that by participating in the experience, audience members are empowered to find their own voice and create their own roles in the community.

Although Rice has her doubts about the effectiveness of the program, the attempt at delivering theater to a greater audience is a progress.

“It may not be completely effective in gaining a wider range of audience because a large amount of tickets are probably going to people who watch theater and just want to take advantage of the opportunity,” said Rice. “But, it’s a drop in the bucket.”

SF State theater arts and cinema major Finn Gale argues that Free Night does help reach out to the community.

“Since it’s free, people go and they bring their friends,” said Gale, 23.

With the long list of free shows available to the public ranging from well-known productions to smaller, off main-stage productions, Gale said the experience of theater is a good idea.

“I’d go to shows more often if they are free.”

The Web site states a survey done during the application form of last year’s Free Night program that 86 percent of the attendees were taking part in Free Night for the first time and 36 percent at a theater they had never been to before. Over 50 percent of the attendees were not regular theatergoers, suggesting that new audiences were being attracted to Bay Area theatre because of the free tickets.

The survey found the most successful part of the program was that more than a third of the audience said, following their free event experience, they’d be back for more as paying customers.

Free Night of Theater performances begin October 18 and end November 11. Although free ticket reservations are no longer available, half-price tickets are offered for a large selection of shows offered in through Theatre Bay Area.

Since free tickets are no longer available, look for the 4th annual Bay Area Free Night of Theater next October.