So, You Don't Want To Pay Too Much For The Theater...
A brief guide for youths
Hello! This is less of a silly newsletter post and more of a helpful resource! Bon Appetite!
Personally, I love seeing theater, but I hate paying for it because I am (1) mostly unemployed and (2) cheap. Theater tickets can be restrictively expensive and inaccessible, and while I don’t have the power to change that until one of these lovely theaters gives me a job, I have figured out some ways to ensure you and I rarely have to pay full price for theater tickets!
Broadway:
I haven’t tried this because I like having power over what I spend my money on, and also because generally, I try not to spend more than $50 on a theater ticket, unless its something I really want to see, but basically, you give them a day, and they get you a ticket to a random Broadway show for $49-$59.
Rush/Lottery
Rushing a show = going to the theater’s box office day of, to see what tickets they have left. Generally between $30 and $50 tickets. Ticket Lotteries are generally done digitally now, on a variety of sites (TodayTix, Lucky Seat, Broadway Direct etc.) - just look up the show you want to see to figure out what site they use. These vary in cost: Hamilton’s lottery tickets are $10 if you win, Sweeney Todd’s are $25, and other shows are closer to $45.
Sit in the Rear Balcony
Unless the show is really really popular, tickets for the back of the balcony are often around $35-$60. I just saw a show at BAM for $35 and sat in the very last row, and last year, saw Into the Woods in the last row for maybe $60? I think it’s worth it, but not ideal if you have poor vision.
This is a fun, relatively new site that lets you share short reviews of productions! Once you have written two reviews, you periodically get access to very inexpensive tickets (Example: $25 to see Bad Cinderella) to productions on and off Broadway, in exchange for writing 2-3 sentence reviews. It is currently free to make an account, but tickets for the productions often run out quickly!
Warning, if you make a TodayTix account, they will send you So Many Emails. However, it is a good way to enter ticket lotteries or get discounted seats.
TKTS Booth
Self-explanatory. You go in person to Times Square and see what they’ve got.
Off-Broadway:
Ars Nova
This year, Ars Nova is doing pay-what-you-can tickets for their productions (the lowest amount you can do is $5)! This is amazing, and makes me so so excited! Ars Nova does really wonderful and unique work (think Great Comet) so check it out!
Lincoln Center
If you’re between 21 and 35, you can sign up for LincTix and get $32 tickets to various Lincoln Center Productions. These seats are very good - I’m seeing Aaron Sorkin’s Camelot (lol) in a week in the third row!
Manhattan Theatre Club
MTC has a $30 under 35 deal, you just need to sign up for the free membership! MTC is a really neat, really large organization, and I’d love it if their hiring manager would reply to one of my job applications, please, and thank you.
New York City Center
If you’re under 35, you can get $25 tickets to NYCC shows by signing up for Access Tickets! City Center does some really great work, particularly with their Encores! Season, which has recently given us the Into the Woods and Parade revivals on Broadway. Note: these $25 seats are in the back of a very large theater.
New York Theater Workshop
Tragically NYTW does not have a youth membership/discount, but “If you’re under 25, over 65, an artist, or a resident of the East Village and Lower East Side, you can snag a $25 seat via their CheapTix Rush at any performance.” NYTW’s productions are also sometimes available via ShowScore, and I am seeing How To Defend Yourself for $10 that way this weekend!
Playwrights Horizons
At Playwrights, you have two options: (1) if you’re a student or 35 and under, sign up for a Young Membership for $10 or $20 tickets to shows, respectively. Or (2) sign up to usher in exchange for a free seat! I’ve ushered a few times and it is super easy (and they don’t even require you to wear all black lol). I love a lot of the work Playwrights Horizons produces, and the artists they work with.
Public Theater
The Public generally has pretty good ticket lotteries, and if you win the lottery for their Shakespeare in the Park programming, tickets are free! The Public also has $30 tickets available for students if you get them in person or call the box office.
Second Stage
You also have two options at Second Stage! If you’re under 30, get $30 by using the promo code 30UNDER30. Or volunteer usher! I haven’t ushered at Second Stage before, but am super excited about both of their upcoming shows, The Thanksgiving Play and White Girl in Danger.
Signature Theatre
Tragically, this does not apply to me, but Signature has a student membership that allows any student to get $20 tickets (and even bring along a non-student guest for $30). Signature just did what looked like a wonderful production of Quiara Alegria Hudes’ new play, currently has a production of a new Sarah Ruhl play, and has an upcoming Brandon Jacob Jenkins piece. They also do a lot of free community events through SigSpace.
Thanks for reading!
I hope this was helpful, and I’ll update it if I find any other good discounts or memberships! I also apologize if you get my newsletter and do not live in New York lol. Stay tuned for fun thoughts on Shucked, Sidney Brustein’s Window, and more!