The Grunin Center for the Arts offers three great Membership options to enhance your relationship with the Center. Members enjoy discounts on tickets, early access, and special events, and help support our vibrant, diverse, and transformative arts programming.
Memberships and their associated benefits are for a full season (July to June) and are valid for the season in which they are purchased. 2025-2026 Membership benefits will apply to the combined Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 events.
Learn more about each membership level:
River Membership
River Memberships cost $75 for the season, 1 per household.
Benefits
- Sneak peeks at upcoming shows before we announce them to the public
- An OCC Swag Bag filled with goodies
- Early Access – buy tickets to newly on-sale shows 1 day before the general public
- Exchanges—Can’t attend a show? Exchange your tickets to another show within the same series, no questions asked. Exchanges are subject to ticket availability.
- Ticket Discounts – Save 15% off the face value of tickets to shows in the following series:
- Grunin Presents shows
- Family Series shows
- Repertory Theatre Company productions
- OCC Concert Band concerts
- Limit of 4 per show, Max 12 per season (Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 events combined)
Bay Membership
Bay Memberships cost $200 for the season, 1 per household.
Benefits
- Sneak peeks at upcoming shows before we announce them to the public
- An OCC Swag Bag filled with goodies
- Early Access – buy tickets to newly on-sale shows 3 days before the general public
- Exchanges—Can’t attend a show? Exchange your tickets to another show within the same series, no questions asked. Exchanges are subject to ticket availability.
- Refunds – 1 no-questions-asked refund per membership year. Limit to 2 tickets. Rental events excluded.
- Ticket Discounts – Save 20% off the face value of tickets to shows in the following series:
- Grunin Presents shows
- Family Series shows
- Repertory Theatre Company productions
- OCC Concert Band concerts
- Limit of 4 per show, Max 20 tickets per season (Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 events combined)
Ocean Membership
Ocean Memberships cost $375 for the season, 1 per household.
Benefits
- Sneak peeks at upcoming shows before we announce them to the public
- An OCC Swag Bag filled with goodies
- Early Access – buy tickets to newly on-sale shows 7 days before the general public
- Exchanges—Can’t attend a show? Exchange your tickets to another show, no questions asked. May exchange between any event eligible for a Membership discount. Exchanges are subject to ticket availability.
- Refunds – 1 no-questions-asked refund per membership year. Limit to 2 tickets. Rental events excluded.
- Waived fees – waived $4 per ticket fee on all purchases
- Ticket Discounts – Save 25% off the face value of tickets to shows in the following series:
- Grunin Presents shows
- Family Series shows
- Repertory Theatre Company productions
- OCC Concert Band concerts
- Limit of 4 per show, Max 32 tickets per season (Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 events combined)
Here are some FAQs to help you select your Membership!
Why should I become a Member?
Memberships are mutually beneficial relationships. By buying a membership for the season, you are helping support our mission to provide transformative arts experiences at the Jersey Shore. In return, we provide great benefits for a more personal and customized experience with our center.
How long does my Membership last?
Each Membership is for one season. Our seasons run from July 1st of a year through June 30th of the following year, so July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
Whether you buy a Membership in July, October, or February, it expires at the end of the following June. Benefits apply to events within the season for which the membership is for.
We typically publish our brochures for half a season, Fall and Spring. A Membership year spans both of these brochures for a given season.
Why do your seasons span over two calendar years?
The Grunin Center for the Arts is part of Ocean County College. Our operations follow the college’s academic and fiscal calendar, and our seasons follow this academic-style calendar for several reasons, mostly for accounting purposes.
Which events can I use my Membership Discount on?
Membership Discounts apply to events in the following series’:
Grunin Presents Series
Family Series
OCC Repertory Theatre Company productions
OCC Concert Band events
The following series do not provide Membership Discounts:
Afternoon Recital Series
Blauvelt Speaker Series
Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon Series
Rental Events
Do I have to buy all my discounted tickets at once?
No. Your membership is applied to your account in our system, so we keep track of your allotment. Your discounted ticket allotment is for the whole season. You can buy tickets one at a time or pre-buy several events at once—it’s up to you!
Plus, the number of tickets per show is variable based on your needs. There may be a show only you want to attend, and you buy just 1 discounted ticket. You may bring your spouse and another couple for the next show, so you buy four discounted tickets. Membership tickets are flexible to your needs as long as you haven’t hit your maximum for the year.
Can my spouse/partner and I both buy Memberships and get double the discounts?
No. Memberships are limited to one per household, and while you may elect to allow multiple household members to use your benefits, you cannot buy multiple Memberships per year to increase the number of discounted tickets. You may buy a higher membership if you’re looking for more discounted tickets.
Can I extend my benefits to tickets purchased under a different account?
No. Membership benefits are only for the membership holder and the tickets purchased under their account. Tickets gifted to members by non-members do not qualify for membership benefits.
Can I combine my Membership discount with other discounts?
No. Membership discounts are applied to the Face Value of the ticket (Adult, Child, or Senior, where applicable) and cannot be combined with any other promotion or discount, including Group, Military, or OCC Faculty discounts.
If I don't redeem all my allotted discounted tickets, will I be refunded at the end of the season?
No. Memberships are priced based on the value of all the benefits offered. There is no compensation if you do not fully use your Membership for that year.
I like to buy my tickets online. How will my discounts be applied?
Our ticketing system covers this. Each Member has an account with us tied to their email address. When buying tickets, you log into your account. You may choose to set up a password that you remember or get emailed a one-time access link each time you buy. Once you are logged into your account and have an active Membership with remaining discounts available, the system will automatically apply your discount or ticket fee waiver!
The system will limit discounts to four tickets per show and will know when you’ve hit your annual limit.
I don't like to buy online. Can I still buy tickets in person or over the phone?
Yes! Our Box Office is open Tuesday to Friday noon – 5:00 p.m., where our team will be available to assist you with your ticket purchases both in person and over the phone. We can pull up your account and apply your Membership benefits to your orders.
Can I request an exchange or refund online?
For these benefits, no. You will need to call the Box Office and speak to a representative to redeem your exchange and/or refund benefits.
When will I get my Swag Bag?
If you visit us to buy your Membership in person, we’ll give it to you then!
If you buy your Membership online, we’ll have it ready for you at your first event after your Membership purchase.