Hello all! I know this is a bit unusual for a frugal subreddit, however I work on Broadway and don't often see any suggestions for how to get cheaper theatre tickets, and I wanted to make a guide to help people who want to see a Broadway show, and not pay an arm and a leg. If you (or someone you love) loves Broadway, this is the post for you!
So there are a couple of different ways to go about it, and I will list them here:
1) Rush tickets and lotteries
Many Broadway shows offer rush tickets, or lotteries for the frugal theatregoer. Rush tickets you usually have to get up early and stand in line at the box office the morning of the show. Most places you will need to show up an hour or so before the box office opens at 10 AM, but some more popular shows you will need to get there 3 or 4 hours before to have a chance at the tickets. There are a limited number of tickets (generally around 20) and each person can buy 2, so if you really want to see something, get there early. The BroadwayWorld message boards have threads on each show that people talk about how long they waited at the box office if you want to do some preemptive research. Some shows are Student Rush only, and you will need a student ID, so make sure to check each show's policy for their rush and lottery tickets before you go. Here is a link that has a breakdown of all the shows.
A ticket lottery is exactly what it sounds like. Some are in person and you will need to go to the theatre 2 hours before showtime to enter and put your name in the bucket, and some are online or through an app (Hamilton has its own app because it was so popular it kept crashing the website). Again, check the policies for each show as it will vary. It is important to note that sometimes these tickets are standing room, or "partial view" where you might be sat off to the side and can't quite see the whole stage. Some of these old theatres have horrible sightlines, so the producers use rush tickets as a way to fill those seats. However, most of these tickets are between $20-$40, so it is a great deal if you want to see a show without paying an arm and a leg. I saw most of the broadway shows in college using rush or lottery tickets, and as long as you know that going in, it'll be good. Standing room isn't a mob of people standing in the back of the theatre, it is going to be designated numbered spots with a dividing wall in front of you to lean on, so it's not that bad. I have seen a lot of shows this way, just make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
2) Discount ticket sales
Increasingly there are different companies offering discounted broadway tickets, and if you know where to look, you can get a good deal. TKTS is the most famous one, and often has discounts on certain shows up to 50% off! You cannot purchase online, and need to go in person to buy these tickets. The main store is in Times Square, but it can get really crowded, so I would recommend going to the South Street Seaport location instead.
TodayTix is an app that also has discounted theatre tickets for various shows. You can download the app and check out what they've got. They do slap some fees onto the price after purchase, so make sure to keep an eye out for that. You do not get to select where your seats are, so it can be a mixed bag. I have used it for years and have gotten excellent seats every time, but it's not a guarantee.
With TKTS and TodayTix, you usually cannot purchase tickets for shows more than a week in advance, so this and lottery and rush tickets are more of a last minute gamble, and not a good option if you want to buy tickets to Wicked for your daughter visiting NYC in 6 months.
If you want to plan farther in advance, some shows have discount codes good for 2 for 1 tickets, or a discount for certain days of the week, etc. BroadwayBox has a good list of those codes, and if there is a show you really want to see, I would recommend following their social media pages as any promotions they are running will be posted there. Now, it's important to note that you will not be able to find discount codes for the new and highly popular Broadway shows (Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, Frozen, etc) but if you want to see a show that has been open for a while, or isn't quite as popular as the broadway beasts, you can get a good deal if you are willing to wait.
3) Discount ticket clubs
Some theatre companies have tickets that you can only purchase if you are under 30. LincTix has cheap tickets for young people if you sign up, but they are only good for Lincoln Center shows (currently playing host to My Fair Lady). Again, this will usually not apply to larger broadway shows.
General tips and tricks:
To maximize your chances of getting cheap tickets, try and pick days and times of year that aren't as popular. Wednesday matinees or weekday nights for example. The months of January-April are a slow time for theatre, so consider getting your tickets around that time. Now, that's not to say you can't get cheap tickets for peak tourist times if you will be visiting the city in June or something, but your likelihood goes up if you pick off days and slower times of year.
If you want to see a show that was on the Tony awards, there are a few things to consider. If the show won, there will be a price surge to coincide with the rush of popularity. However, if a show did NOT win, sometimes the ticket prices will drop. A lot of producers use the tony awards to gauge whether it is worth it to keep a low selling show open or not, and if they don't win, a lot of shows close right after the tonys, so you might be able to get a good deal in the last few weeks of the show.
Regional Theatre and tours:
Increasingly regional theatres and tours are offering lotteries and discount student tickets for theatregoers. Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton are both offering ticket lotteries for their touring productions, and some theaters have half off tickets on wednesdays. Just because you can't get to broadway doesn't mean there aren't ways to get cheaper tickets if you look for them.
Sorry for the essay, but I hope this helps! Broadway can be incredibly expensive, but there are ways to work around it if you are going to see a show. I will make sure to update this if I think of anything else I missed.
November 05, 2018 at 10:16AM
