Five Ways to Get Cheap Tickets to Broadway Shows
'18.08.2022'
Nadezhda Verbitskaya
Broadway and off-Broadway shows have returned to the New York scene. This is great news for theater lovers who are hungry for performances. In addition, visiting the theater is now more accessible than before. timeout.
Discount Broadway tickets are on sale everywhere, and modern technology makes finding cheap seats easier than ever. If you play your cards right, you could even win seats for sold-out productions like Hamilton. Here are the top 5 ways to get cheap Broadway tickets.
1. Head to TKTS
The classic way to find heavily discounted tickets is to queue on the day of the show at the kiosk TDF TKTS under the red stairs in Duffy Square (47th Street and Broadway). They sell tickets for all productions, except for the most popular Broadway hits, with a 50% discount. If you don't want to watch the musical, the Times Square booth has a Play Express window that will cut down on your waiting time. The TKTS booth in Times Square is open daily from 15:00 pm for evening shows until 11:00 am for morning shows (Wednesdays and weekends). You can buy tickets for performances on the same day, and for matinees the next day.
In addition to the Times Square branch, TDF has another stand at the David Rubenstein Atrium in Lincoln Center (62nd Street Broadway). It's only 15 blocks from the main stand, but there are far fewer visitors. In addition, it is indoors, which is a big plus in inclement weather.
As a general rule, the earlier you get on TKTS, the better. But blocks of good seats are sometimes released closer to the curtain. To see what's available on a given day, download the TKTS app or visit it websitet. You can buy up to six tickets per person at a time. There is a $5-6 fee for a ticket. This is significantly lower than most ticketing sites.
On the subject: Broadway on the couch: a service has appeared where you can watch performances online
2. Shop online or by phone
As great as the resource is, TKTS has limitations. You have to wait there in person, often for a long time, and you can only get tickets on the day of the show. Fortunately, the Internet provides alternative options. Popular Application TodayTix allows you to find discounted tickets a month in advance. Discount offers are listed next to tickets sold at regular prices. Another reliable online source for cheap Broadway seats are New York Show Tickets . Membership there costs $4 per month. Good discounts can also be found in Broadway Box, playbill, theatermania и gold star. And in January/February and September, you can usually take advantage of the two-for-one deals offered by the Broadway Week program. But remember, these discounts usually incur regular online ticket fees ($10 to $15 per ticket) and this can make a big difference to your savings.
3. Hurry to the theater or play the lottery
Many productions offer special same day tickets, in some cases they are the only way to get tickets at a reasonable price. Urgent tickets to Broadway and off-Broadway shows can be purchased for as little as $20. Go to the box office of the theater as soon as it opens on the day of the performance to check. Usually it is 10 am on most days and 11 am or noon on Sundays. Conveniently, several shows offer mobile streaming through TodayTix. (If you don't mind viewings on your feet, you should also consider purchasing standing room tickets.)
Several productions, including Wickedare offering cheap birthday tickets through an old-fashioned lottery where names are drawn at the box office hours before kickoff. But most Broadway shows now run these lotteries digitally. The most competitive are the Hamilton Lotteries (46 places offered for $10 per day), as well as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Both are held once a week on Fridays. To find out which shows offer tickets and sweepstakes, check out the handy Broadway listings or flyer.
4. Visit the checkout
If the show you want to watch is a big hit, you probably won't be able to get a discounted ticket. But there are still ways to minimize the amount you pay. Buying tickets directly at the box office will allow you to avoid cumbersome service fees. And sometimes you can find very good seats that have recently been added back to the ticket pool. Be polite to the cashiers and they will give you some good advice. About the resale market: Sometimes you can get bargain tickets if you want to go to the theater right before the show starts. Even for very popular shows, prices on sites like StubHub and VividSeats can plummet right before the curtain goes up as sellers struggle to unload their unsold tickets. If you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you might get lucky.
5. Become a member of TDF
For $40, you can get an annual TDF membership that allows you to enjoy discounted tickets days or weeks before the show starts. TDF also lets you watch off-Broadway shows for as little as $11 through its OffOff@ 9 program. And most of the city's major theater companies offer membership packages: you pay an upfront fee (say $65) in exchange for discounted tickets all year long. ; What's more, you have the chance to buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public, which can make a big difference when it comes to big-buzz shows. The trick is to pick companies that show consistently strong performance, such as public theater, Playwrights horizons, New York Theater Workshop, Atlantic Theater Company or Ars Nova.
Bonus: Be young
All the major non-profit theaters in the city have programs designed to encourage young audiences. Theatergoers aged 18 to 40 can purchase tickets to the Roundabout Theater Company for as little as $30 per show by joining the program. Hiptix. If you are between 21 and 35 years old, join the program LincTix Lincoln Center Theater, which offers tickets to all performances for $32. Program Manhattan Theater Club 30 to 35, as the name suggests, allows visitors in that age category to buy tickets for $30.