Show must go on for Melbourne theatre company catfished over ticket sales

The Upstage Theatre Company in Melbourne's south-east was recently victimized by a catfishing scam involving ticket sales for their production of Jesus Christ Superstar. A person posing as a representative from a local church contacted the theatre company, requesting 157 tickets for their matinee performance. Co-founder Scott Hili believed the request was legitimate, booking the seats and even opening more space for them.

However, as the date approached, the individual behind the scheme vanished, leaving Upstage Theatre Company with 150 empty seats and a loss of $7,500 in ticket sales. The incident left Hili and his husband feeling betrayed, as the theatre company had been funding the community with their own money. Police confirmed they had received a report about the fraudulent ticket reservation, but determined it did not meet the legal threshold for a criminal deception offence.

Nonetheless, they encouraged theatre companies to review their booking and ticketing policies to prevent similar incidents. The Victorian Drama League also shared the warning with its members, emphasizing the financial struggles many local theatre companies face.