Student Blog: Guide to Affordable Broadway Tickets

Are you a college student interning in New York for the summer on a budget, but you want to see a lot of theatre? Or are you moving to New York in the fall and planning on seeing as many shows as possible? Luckily, it is possible to see almost any show without breaking the bank! Since I am in New York for a day or two every week for one of my internships, I have been catching at least one show every week, but always for under $60 with quality seats. Usually, I can even keep the price under $45. Since Broadway is super expensive, this seems impossible, yet there are many programs that offer affordable tickets which college students should take advantage of. Here are a few of my tips on scoring affordable Broadway (and Off-Broadway) tickets:

1. Lottery Tickets

Most Broadway musicals and a few Broadway plays and Off-Broadway productions offer a digital ticket lottery where you can enter for the chance to purchase deeply discounted tickets. Many people know of the famous, competitive Hamilton lottery ticket where $10 gets you the front row, which is the best deal on Broadway, but not all lotteries are hard to win. In fact, I have won quite a few this summer which has allowed me to see Moulin Rouge for $34 in premium mezzanine seats, Phantom of the Opera for around $40 in the third row, and more. There is no cost of entering a lottery, and it does not require you to purchase tickets if you win. Most lotteries will have you enter 1 day before the performance, and you will find out later that day if you won, then you will have a limited time to purchase tickets. However, not all lotteries have the same rules, so some require you to enter 2 days prior or release results on the day of the show. Be sure to keep your email notifications on so you do not miss a lottery win! All Jujamcyn Productions have their lotteries on luckyseat.com, some Nederlander Productions have their lotteries on lottery.broadwaydirect.com, and some Shubert productions have their lotteries on broadwayboosters.com. Additionally, the TodayTix app offers some lotteries for Broadway and Off-Broadway productions and Wicked has an in-person lottery a couple hours before every show which is significantly easier to win than the digital lottery since you must be present to claim your ticket(s). You do not get to choose your seats with lottery tickets, and they may be split up or partial view, but I have had great seats every time I purchased lottery tickets.

2. Rush Tickets

Many Broadway and Off-Broadway productions offer rush tickets which are around the same price as lottery tickets. A few productions, such as The Minutes, The Kite Runner, and Between The Lines, have rush tickets on the TodayTix app available every day at a specific time until they run out. If a production offers rush tickets at the box office, then you do not have to pay fees which can make it cheaper than lottery tickets. The one challenge about a rush ticket is in the name: you need to rush to the box office or the TodayTix app at a certain time in order to get you tickets. If you are doing digital rush, I suggest setting an alarm 2 minutes before tickets get released so you can be on the app and ready to purchase the second the tickets get released. If you are aiming for an in-person rush, you should try to get to the box office 20-30 minutes before it opens. If you are trying to get tickets to The Music Man, you will need to get there around 6 AM since it is one of the only ways to get tickets under $100! Nevertheless, some of the shows that have been around for a while or are not popular have rush tickets available all day long. Check out your favorite production's website or the TodayTix app to see if they offer rush tickets. You do not get to choose your seats with rush tickets, and they may be split up or partial view, but I have had great seats every time I rushed a show. Sometimes even better than lottery tickets!

3. TDF

The Theatre Development Fund is dedicated to making the performing arts accessible to everyone and has two great programs to get discounted tickets. One of the most famous ticket purchasing methods, even with tourists, is the TKTS Booth in Times Square (which I have shockingly never tried yet). You can get amazing tickets anywhere from 20 to 50 percent off on the day of the show, or the day before for matinees. The one catch is you need to stand in line and hope the show you are trying to see does not run out of TKTS tickets. The other program is the TDF Membership where you pay a yearly fee to have access to deeply discounted tickets to Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and other productions ranging from theatre to dance to music and more. You do not get to choose your seat location, but they give you the best available seats at the box office one hour before the show. Also, there is only a $4 fee on every order, not per ticket, and you can get up to 9 tickets. TDF has very popular shows including Phantom of the Opera, Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, and more.

4. Standing Room Tickets

If there is a way to make money, Broadway theaters will find a way, and that way is standing room tickets. For a cheap price, you get to stand and lean against a bar at the back of the theater to watch a show. While this sounds uncomfortable, I have heard many good experiences about standing room tickets. Check out your favorite production's website to see if they are offering standing room. Usually standing room is only available for sold out performances at select shows an hour or two before showtime, and sometimes box offices are willing to offer you a seat if there are a few random single seats left.

5. Go to the Box Office Near Showtime

That leads to another tip: go to box offices close to the time of the performance and see if they are willing to make any deals. You would be surprised; if you are willing to wait until the day of the show, many box offices will give you incredible seats for cheap. If there are still many tickets within an hour before showtime, they likely will not be able to sell them and are willing to offer them at a discounted price to at least make some profit.

6. Student Discounts and Non-Profit Programs

Most of the theatrical non-profit organizations in New York offer discounted tickets for students and young professionals. Roundabout offers different programs for college theatergoers under 35, high school students, first few previews, and more. They even offer student rush tickets, military discounts, and more, so be sure to check out Access Roundabout. Second Stage Theater also offers a great discount program, in addition to rush tickets, called 30 Under 30 which offers $30 tickets to theatergoers that are 30 years old or younger. Similarly, Lincoln Center Theater has $32 tickets for 21-35 year olds called LincTix. Besides non-profit discount programs, some shows offer student discounts such as Wicked, so check your favorite production's website to see if they offer any student discounts.

7. Show-Score Member Nights

If you review 2 shows on Show-Score, then you get access to Member Nights which are "free" tickets to select new Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. Well, they are not entirely free since you have to pay a fee of $12, but that is next to free in this market. There are not usually many options since producers often give out limited tickets to preview performances in order to generate buzz around a show. Even if you cannot get tickets to a show, this is still a fun website to learn about general opinions around shows and see if you would like a specific show.

8. Promo Codes

If you are unable to get tickets with any of the above options, or prefer buying your tickets far in advance, then you should look for promo codes. Check out BroadwayBox, Playbill, or BroadwayWorld for special offers to select shows. While these discounts are not amazing, they are great if you want to plan ahead and secure your tickets. Sometimes the box office allows you to use promo codes in-person, so this is a good method to save on fees. Also, be sure to search online for promo codes for SeatGeek and Ticketmaster. Tickets to Jujamcyn shows can be found on SeatGeek and tickets to Nederlander shows can be found on Ticketmaster. Since these websites are not Broadway specific, they often have promo codes allowing you to save a few dollars on shows.