Blog/Theatre Ticketing

Theatre Ticketing System Requirements: A Complete Checklist

Every feature your school or community theatre needs in a ticketing platform — organized into a checklist you can use before committing.

Ryan Pullman

Founder & Lead Developer at Metorox Software LLC — 13+ years of full-stack development experience building custom software, WordPress plugins, SaaS platforms, and digital marketing solutions for small businesses. Learn more about Ryan →

Published: April 22, 2026Updated: April 22, 202610 min read

Theatre ticketing system requirements checklist

Choosing a ticketing system for a small venue is harder than it sounds. Most platforms are built for arenas and festivals. You need something that fits a 200-seat auditorium, not a 20,000-seat stadium.

This checklist covers every requirement worth evaluating — from seat maps to security. Use it to compare vendors side-by-side before signing anything.

1. Seat Map & Venue Layout

✓Interactive drag-and-drop seat map builder

✓Support for curved rows, balconies, and accessible seating

✓General admission and reserved seating options

✓Visual seat selection for ticket buyers

✓Ability to block or hold specific seats

2. Payment Processing

✓Stripe or Square integration (no merchant account needed)

✓PCI-compliant payment handling

✓Support for refunds and partial refunds

✓Box office / cash payment tracking

✓Transparent per-ticket fee structure

3. Ticket Types & Pricing

✓Multiple ticket tiers (adult, student, senior, child)

✓Comp ticket management

✓Group discounts and promo codes

✓Season pass or multi-show bundles

✓Early bird and last-minute pricing options

4. Mobile Check-In

✓QR code on every ticket (email and print)

✓Scan-to-check-in with any smartphone

✓Real-time attendance count at the door

✓Works offline or on slow Wi-Fi

✓No special hardware required

5. Reporting & Analytics

✓Per-show revenue and attendance reports

✓Seat popularity heatmaps

✓Sales trends over time

✓Exportable data (CSV or PDF)

✓Dashboard accessible to non-technical staff

6. Security & Data

✓PCI DSS compliance for payment data

✓SSL/TLS encryption on all pages

✓Customer data isolation (multi-tenant safe)

✓Regular automated backups

✓Role-based access for staff accounts

7. Setup & Support

✓Onboarding assistance or guided setup

✓Responsive email or chat support

✓Documentation and help articles

✓No long-term contract required

✓Free trial or free tier available

CurtainCall Checks Every Box

CurtainCall Ticketing by Metorox was built specifically for school and community theatres. Drag-and-drop seat maps, Stripe/Square payments, mobile QR check-in, per-show reporting, and PCI-compliant security — all included.

Plans start at $39/month with a free Community tier for small venues.

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