“Membership has its privileges” was a credit card company’s advertising slogan in the 1980s, and Youngstown Playhouse is using that philosophy with a new option to lure theatergoers.

The Playhouse announced a “Spotlight Member Program” that will provide access to all Playhouse-produced shows (at both the Playhouse off Glenwood Avenue and The Playhouse Downtown theater on West Boardman Street) and discounts to other events at its three performance spaces.

Operations Manager Tyler Stouffer said, “When I started my position here, I thought, ‘How can we better serve our patrons? How can we give them a better experience? How can we give them more perks, get them more excited about coming back again and again?’ I started doing some research and thinking about what we could maybe play with, and this idea of a subscription-based membership is kind of new, especially to the area.”

Annual memberships are $150 for a single, $300 for a couple and $600 for a family (four people). Monthly plans are $12.50 single, $25 couple and $50 family. (Processing fees add about 5% to the price.)

Membership includes complimentary admission to one performance of each Playhouse-producted show, 20% off additional tickets, 20% off admission to most non-Playhouse shows at its theaters (such as Millennial Theatre Company and Rust Belt Theater Company performances), early reservation access, recognition in Playhouse programs and a welcome package with a lanyard and ID. Annual membership holders will get Main Stage seats in tier one (those closest to the stage). Monthly members will have access to tier two seats.

Members also can transfer their tickets for one show to another person, and Stouffer said the theater is working with local businesses to provide special discounts at area restaurants and other establishments.

The goal is 100 members.

“I’m hoping it encourages people to come check out shows they might not have otherwise,” Stouffer said. “If they have the membership and they say, ‘Well, I have a ticket anyway, let’s go support and check it out.’ Hopefully, (it will) broaden people’s horizons and maybe take chances on things they wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Outside groups and promoters who rent the theaters won’t be required to offer the 20% discount, but the early response has been encouraging.

“Most rental clients that we have are actually excited about that, because it’s additional marketing, it gets more people in the door,” Stouffer said. “I won’t necessarily require that for future rentals, but it will be highly encouraged, and I’m thinking a lot will take (advantage of) that.”

Stouffer also isn’t worried about those who might try to exploit the system, buying a monthly membership for $12.50 in a month that might include multiple shows with a single ticket price of at least $15 each.

“I’m just excited that people want to see theater,” he said. “If they’d like to just join for one month, we’d love to have them, and hopefully we give them some great entertainment, and they’ll want to come back and continue their monthly membership. That’s the goal.”

Spotlight doesn’t replace the flex passes the Playhouse has offered in the past, but the theater has tweaked that option as well. Flex passes had tiered pricing, the same as Main Stage single tickets. But for shows at the Moyer Room and The Playhouse Downtown, where seating is general admission and tickets are less expensive, that tiered pricing made less sense.

All flex passes now will be $80 and include four vouchers that can be used for any Playhouse production in the three performance spaces.

The Playhouse also is taking over ticket sales in-house instead of using the Stambaugh Auditorium Association’s Experience Your Arts website and the DeYor Performing Arts Center box office.

The Playhouse box office at 600 Playhouse Lane will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and tickets also can be purchased by phone by calling 330-788-8739 during those same hours. Online sales will be handled by Ludus and can be accessed at youngstownplayhouse.org, where Spotlight memberships and flex passes now are available.

Tickets for shows that were already on sale — MTC’s “Dear Evan Hansen,” the play “A Woman Known” and “BANG BANG: The Ultimate Variety Show” — will stay on experienc eyourarts.org.