I love Broadway. I also love a deal. Since moving to New York, Broadway has become a bit of an obsession and where a significant amount of my money goes.  So as a result, I’ve had to learn how to find cheap tickets to not go broke. I’m not about to miss out on seeing a show when I want to see a show and neither should you! Here are my secrets to finding discounted tickets.

TDF
For someone like me, who lives in NYC and sees shows regularly, TDF has been the best. It costs $35 per year for access to deeply discounted tickets to popular shows, on and off Broadway.  There are eligibility requirements to join, however I think most people can find a category that will allow them to qualify. Once you are a member, you can buy up to 9 tickets per order, so your friends can also benefit. Typically tickets for Broadway shows are between $39-45 each, and Off Broadway shows are even cheaper.  I can honestly say that I haven’t had a bad seat using TDF and have seen tons of great (and some not so great) shows with my TDF membership. It’s worth every penny.

Today Tix
The Today Tix app came out a couple of years ago and has been a game changer for last minute Broadway tickets. You can purchase discounted tickets for the same day or for a show up to 30 days in advance. Sometimes the discounts are pretty good and sometimes they are just okay.  But they typically have access to many shows, so it’s a nice option to have if you are looking for last minute tickets. My only complaint about Today Tix is the additional fees they charge, which are $12.50 per ticket. When you add in the fee, sometimes it’s actually cheaper to buy the tickets directly, so make sure you price check both ways.

TKTS
TKTS now has locations in South Street Seaport, Lincoln Center and Brooklyn, in addition to their main Times Square location, under the giant red steps. It’s a great way to get discounted tickets the same day, but it does require waiting in line. However, the locations outside of Times Square are much less crowded.  TDF offers discounts up to 50% off regular priced tickets.  And bonus, you can check online to see what is available before you go.  Fingers crossed they are still there when you get to the window.

Rush/Lottery
Almost every show has some sort of rush or lottery tickets available daily.  This is a great way see a show that is really hard to get tickets to (i.e. Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, etc) for cheap, as most tickets are in the $40 range.  For lotteries, of course there is no guarantee you’ll win. But if you are persistent, it will happen. This coming from someone who has won the Hamilton lottery twice, both times with the original cast when it was at it’s peak. It CAN happen! On the other hand, you can almost always guarantee getting rush tickets if you are willing to get there early enough and wait in line.   Rush tickets are available daily, when the box office at the actual theater opens, for either general rush (for anyone) or student rush (a student ID is required).

One of my favorite websites for checking what each show offers is Broadwayforbrokepeople.com.  They will have the link to the website to enter the online lottery, or the information for rush tickets (general rush vs student rush).  There is also a smart phone app called Broadway Lottery, that will store your information for easily entering each lottery daily.

Cancellation Lines
Most shows will offer cancellation line tickets as an option for getting same day tickets.  Again, this requires waiting in a line, but for those hard to get tickets, it’s a good option. The box office will release cancelled or unclaimed tickets a few minutes before the show starts to people in the cancellation line. It’s risky because you won’t know how many tickets there may be, if any, but it’s worth a shot.  However, be aware that getting tickets via the cancellation line will require paying full price.

Broadway Roulette
Broadway Roulette is a relatively new ticketing program.  It’s a really great option for someone who hasn’t seen much and just wants to see a Broadway show.  To get tickets, you select the date and time you want and pay for the ticket ($45-ish each).  When you enter, you can select whether you want tickets to a play or a musical.  If there are a few things you’ve already seen or a show you aren’t interested in seeing, you are able to tell them 3 shows to be removed from the options. I assume it’s like Vegas roulette at that point, and they spin the wheel to decide what tickets you get. Then on the day of the show, you will receive a text and/or email with the name of the show you are going to see. It’s actually very exciting when the message comes! When we did it, we got tickets to Bandstand, which we really liked.  Our seats were also great, side orchestra, about half way back.

Ticketmaster / Telecharge
Sometimes the easiest way to get tickets is directly.  I have found that often the regular priced, rear mezzanine tickets are cheaper than the discounted ticket offers for orchestra or front mezzanine seats.  And because Broadway theaters are small, rear mezzanine seats are still decent. However, if you live in the NYC area, I’d suggest going directly to the theater to purchase tickets, so you don’t have to pay the online fees both websites charge.

Broadway Box / Theater Mania / Playbill Club
All of these websites offer discount codes for Broadway shows.  The discounts may be on certain seats and dates, but if you have flexibility on timing and are not set on seeing something specific, you can likely find a discount on a great show.

A warning:  Do NOT buy your discounted tickets from broadway.com. They charge insane ticket fees and you will most definitely pay more than you should.

 

Many people think they can’t afford seeing a show on Broadway, so they don’t bother looking for tickets, but you can! Take advantage of the amazing theater available in New York, whether you’re visiting or a resident.  It’s the best city in the world for it.  To quote NPH in his closing rap at the 2011 Tony Awards, “Now go see a mother f***-ing Broadway show!”