Salt Lake City School District patrons can score a "wicked" deal this holiday season — tickets to one of Broadway's hottest musicals and a donation to the district, all in one purchase.

Parents, students and anyone else interested in the smash musical "Wicked" — coming to Salt Lake City in July and August — will be able to purchase tickets to the show this week while simultaneously donating to the district's education foundation.

The sale is expected to raise thousands for the district by selling 900 tickets, according to district spokesman Michael Williams. Previous sales for shows such as "Mary Poppins" and "The Lion King" have netted big bucks ­— about $50,000 over four years.

"For a while we turn our offices into a ticket master," Williams joked.

The sale of traveling show tickets has been used to benefit Utah nonprofits for more than a decade, starting with the musical "Rent," according to Elisabeth Nebeker of MagicSpace Entertainment, which books the Broadway Across America tours. Nonprofits buy tickets at a discounted group rate, then sell them at face value with revenues benefiting their organizations.

For "Wicked," Salt Lake is joined by the Canyons School District, which joins the fundraiser for the first time. The Granite School District now is considering a fundraiser during another show run, Nebeker said.

With school budgets skinnier than ever, districts are turning to fundraisers such as the "Wicked" sale to raise additional dollars for programs beyond the core curriculum, Williams said. Many districts have started their own 501(c)3 foundations to help pay for programs taxpayer dollars will not fund.

The foundation uses the funds raised from touring shows to pay for arts and music programs in the district, Williams said. Schools apply for aid, which they can use, say, to build scenery and make costumes for a musical or secure stage rights.

The sales are nice for districts, Williams added, because they raise a lot of money without requiring parents or students to go door to door selling wrapping paper, cookie dough or any of the other popular fundraising items.

"This allows us to go out and raise money from folks who would be going to see the show anyway," Williams said. "It takes stress off the family."

The proposition was impossible to resist for Scott Harper, who participated in the Canyons fundraiser, which took place last month. Being able to purchase tickets before they went on sale to the public while benefitting his son's school was a big selling point.

"I'm not very good at standing in line or fighting for tickets," Harper said, adding he was able to purchase tickets for all the adults in his family as Christmas gifts. "I was guaranteed to get a seat this time."

Harper saw the smash musical in New York several years ago, and had tickets to the sold-out 2008 tour in Salt Lake, but ended up missing the show when he was sent out of town on business. The missed opportunity made him determined to score tickets this time around. Since he likes to do something to benefit charities during the holidays, purchasing through the district seemed a perfect fit.

Tickets go on sale to the general public and through the district office this week, Williams said. The district will sell its tickets until they are gone, and could receive more if demand remains high.

"We really want to support what the schools are doing," MagicSpace's Nebeker said. "We feel that arts education is critical to our community and future generations."

kdrake@sltrib.com —

Get your "Wicked" tix, help your district

Tickets for "Wicked" go on sale through the Salt Lake City School District Education Foundation this week. Call the foundation office at 801-578-8258 for more information.