There is a common misconception
that you have to pay over $100/ticket for a Broadway show; or that the only deals
are found waiting at the TKTS line in Times Square. The fact is there are a TON of ways to see live professional
theatre without spending a fortune.
STANDING ROOM ONLY
Some Broadway theatres offer SRO
tickets. These spots typically
sell for around $30 a few hours before curtain on the day of the show. Phantom
of the Opera, Jersey Boys, and The
Book of Mormon are just a few of the hit shows that offer this option. You don’t have to be a student and
there’s no age limit. If you’re
willing to stand, you can catch these shows that sell $300 tickets for a tenth
of the price.
STUDENT RUSH
For those with a student ID, discounted
tickets are sold the day of the show, typically around 10am when the theatre
box office opens. Again, these
typically run around $30, but unlike standing room, you get a seat.
GENERAL RUSH
Instead of a student rush, some
theatres offer a general rush in which anyone can purchase one of those cheap
seats when the box office opens on the day of the performance.
LOTTERY
Many hit shows like Wicked and Book of Mormon also offer a lottery. Around two to two and a half
hours before show time you can put your name in a box with whoever else shows
up for the lottery that day and the theatre will draw names for however many
lottery seats they have available.
If your name is drawn you can score seats for as low as twenty some
bucks for that evenings performance.
All of the policies listed above
vary from theatre to theatre.
Check out the articles below from playbill.com to determine the policy
of the show you want to see.
Broadway Discount Ticket Policies.
Off Broadway Discount Ticket Policies.
Some only have student rush. Some have rush and standing room. Some only have a lottery. Almost all of these discounted tickets
must be purchased with cash only. Each
theatre also has its own policy on how many of these discounted tickets each
person can get and what time those tickets are drawn or go on sale.
Know that the popularity of a show
will have a huge impact on the likelihood of you getting tickets. The
Book of Mormon lottery gives away about 20 tickets, but hundreds of people
show up. They also have a standing
room line that starts forming in the morning even though those tickets aren’t
sold until a couple hours before show time. Jersey Boys,
however, also offers standing room and rarely has a line, even when it’s time
for the tickets to go on sale- not because it’s not a great show or it’s
unpopular, but because it’s been around for almost 7 years whereas Book of Mormon is still the latest
craze.
In addition to all of these amazing
deals some Broadway theatre companies offer even more discounts through free
membership programs.
HIPTIX
The Roundabout Theatre Company-
which is always producing Broadway shows, the Tony award winning revival of Anything Goes being among them- offers a
free program called HIPTIX. They
offer $20 tickets, available for advance purchase. You have to be between 18-35, but no student ID required,
just proof of age. Each member can
purchase two tickets, so your older friends and parents can come along as
guests.
LINCTIX
Lincoln Center Theatre, home of the
hit show War Horse and many others,
offers a similar program for 21-35 year olds. These tickets are available for advance purchase and cost
$30.
30 UNDER 30
This is Manhattan Theatre Clubs
version of the discounted ticketing program. Again, you can purchase these cheap tickets and bring a
guest of any age.
In addition to all these programs,
sites like playbill and broadwaybox are always putting out new coupon codes for
Broadway show tickets. The deals
are endless. The best way to find
them is to do a little bit of internet research or go to the theatre’s box
office. These shows perform 8
times a week and they have thousands of seats to fill, they’ll do what they
need to to fill it up, and you can benefit from the discount. So use this information and go see live
theatre. With discounts like this,
Broadway can be an affordable luxury.