Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Playwrights Horizons Over Race-Based Ticket Pricing for “BIPOC Night”
For Immediate Release:
December 22, 2025
Contact:
Edward Blum
edwardjayblum@gmail.com
202-422-9588
(Austin, Texas) – Today, plaintiff Kevin Lynch filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Playwrights Horizons, Inc., alleging that the theater charged different ticket prices based on race in violation of federal, New York State, and New York City civil rights laws.
The complaint is attached.
According to the complaint, Playwrights Horizons offered heavily discounted tickets for a November 6, 2025 performance of the play Practice during a promoted “BIPOC Night,” which the theater described as an event where patrons who identify as “Black, Indigenous, or People of Color” could use a code to “unlock discount seats.” Mr. Lynch alleges that because he is white and did not claim the race-based discount, he paid full price for tickets which was $90 each, while the same seats would have cost $39 each with the promotional code.
The lawsuit alleges that charging different prices based on race is unlawful discrimination in contracting under federal law, specifically 42 U.S.C. § 1981, and violates New York State and New York City public accommodations laws. Mr. Lynch brings the action on behalf of himself, and all others similarly situated who paid more than they would have paid under the theater’s race-based discount scheme.
The American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) is supporting Mr. Lynch.
The lawsuit seeks declaratory relief, class certification, compensatory and punitive damages where available, attorneys’ fees, and other relief.
Edward Blum, president of AAER said, “A theater can stage any play it wants, but it cannot sell tickets on different terms depending on whether a customer is a certain race.”
Blum added, “This case is about a simple rule that should not be controversial: businesses and nonprofits open to the public cannot charge one person more, or another person less, because of the color of their skin.”