TicketTrove, a free mobile app, makes it easy for local arts patrons to find shows and buy tickets with just a few taps on your iPhone or iPad.

TicketTrove, which was released this summer on the iTunes App Store, is a one-stop shopping service that allows theatergoers to find the productions going on around them, get their showtimes and purchase tickets straight from the app. It's only available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

"This is a great way to know what's going on around town and on what days of the week," said Kirsten Park, director of marketing for Pioneer Theatre Company. She added it's especially beneficial for arts organizations seeking an application without wanting to program their own.

Eight Utah companies are tied into the app: Deseret Star Theatre, The Grand Theatre, Kingsbury Hall, Park City Performing Arts Foundation, Pioneer Theatre Company, Red Butte Garden, Salt Lake Acting Company, Utah Shakespeare Festival and the Heritage Center Theatre in Cedar City.

TicketTrove users can buy tickets to productions from those organizations from within the app. But the app also lists all entertainment venues around you based on your GPS location, including sports arenas, and shows where they are on the phone's Google Maps function.

"It's nice to have all those things consolidated into one app," said Eddy Dawson, director of information technology for Red Butte Garden. "It brings it all together to make shopping easier for people who want to go out and be entertained."

The app is tied into a box-office management system run by a Calgary company, Arts Management System, that many theaters use to sell tickets, gift certificates or handle donations for non-profit arts organizations, said Tod Wilson, the director of sales and marketing for the company.

The company's software is used by more than 350 performing arts organizations in North America and handles about $750 million in revenue from those organizations each year, he said.

vince@sltrib.com

Twitter: @ohmytech

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