Broadway
Ticket Bargains
We love going to the
theater, but we hate to pay full price.
Paying more than $100 (plus a handling
surcharge and a credit card fee) for one
ticket is outrageous! We figured that
there must be a better way. And there is!
Join the Club And
Save
One of the best kept secrets
in the theater world is the discount
ticket series run by the Theatre
Development Fund.
This program was designed to help
students, teachers, union members,
retired people, the clergy, members of
the armed forces and other performers
afford the theater. You pay an annual fee
of $25 to be added to their mailing list,
which will alert you to upcoming
bargains. You can buy up to 9 tickets for
each show you attend at less than $30 per
ticket for Broadway shows and major music
and dance performances; you will also be
eligible to purchase TDF vouchers which
serve as admission to over 400
experimental and Off-Off Broadway
theatre, music and dance groups. A set of
four TDF vouchers is only $28.
Audience
Extras, a
promotion service, offers their members
free tickets (for a $3 processing fee) to
over 1,000 different entertainment events
each year, including dance performances,
concerts, movie premieres and sporting
events. They do not specifically focus on
Broadway shows (although in the past,
they have offered tickets to many
Broadway performances), but their
extremely low prices and the variety of
their selections make the $115 membership
fee worthwhile.
The Hit Show
Club
distributes discount coupons (usually for
25-50% off) which can be redeemed weeks in
advance or up to one hour before a
performance. There are three ways to
redeem coupons: 1) walk to the box office
at the theatre with a printedoffer in
hand; 2) phone the number listed in the
offer and mention the code provided; or
3) purchase online at the Hit Show Club
web site. The normal service charges
apply to ticket purchases made by phone
and on the web.
Another option is to check
out Broadway
Bucks, a
free subscription service which also
offers coupons for discount tickets (up
to 50% off).
Go With A Group
If you tend to go to the theater with a
group of friends or relatives anyway,
invite a few extra people along and sign
up for a group discount. Discounts of
10-20% are usually available for groups
of 20 or more. You can order tickets by
calling the box office directly or by
calling 1-800-833-3121.
Standing Room Only
Many places still offer low-priced
tickets to theater-goers who are willing
to stand at the back of the theater to
see a sold-out show. But don't worry --
it is rare to have to stand for the
entire performance since there are
usually at least a few no-shows whose
seats you can take. Discounts can be
considerable: standing room only tickets
are usually only about $20. Call the
theater in advance to see if standing
room only tickets are available.
The Best Seats For A
Low Price
Many theaters reserve a block of seats at
the front of the house for friends of the
stars and other people connected with the
show. If these tickets are not being
used, they are usually sold off by the
box office shortly before curtain time.
There may be a line of people waiting for
the tickets with you, but with luck, you
will be rewarded with the best seats in
the house for a fraction of the full
price.
Savings For Students
(and others)
If you are a junior or high school
student, check out the High 5
program: participating theaters
offer tickets for only $5! Incidentally,
High 5 isn't just for theater: tickets
for hundreds of New York's best dance,
music, film, museum and spoken word
events are also available through this
program. Best of all, there is no
enrollment. There are no applications to
fill out, and no lines to stand in. All
you need is some form of school ID. Each
student may be accompanied by one adult
-- just buy one extra $5 ticket. That
means a parent, teacher or mentor can tag
along.
Another good program for
students, as well as teachers and
librarians, is the School
Theater Ticket Program,
which provides discount coupons to
musicals and plays on and off-Broadway,
events at Lincoln Center (including Opera
and Ballet) and other events in New York
City.
Take Your Binoculars
There is usually a
considerable range in the prices of the
best seats and the worst seats. For
example, prices for Showboat
tickets several years ago ranged from $35
to $75. So we saved the $40 and sat in
the rear mezzanine. Use your binoculars
during the first act for a better view of
the stage and to scout out empty seats
with a better view that you can move to
after intermission.
Getting In For Free
If you are willing to swap some time in
return for watching a show for free,
ushering might be just the thing for you.
Policies vary from theater to theater and
even from show to show, but generally all
you have to do to get in for free is
arrive well before the show starts, hand
paying customers a program and escort
them to their seats.
Some theaters already have
long lists of available ushers (and your
name will go to the bottom of the list),
but you still may be needed as a
last-minute fill-in. To get on the list,
simply make a quick phone call to the
theater. The best time to call is on
weekdays from 10 am to 4 pm.
The Old Standby
Although most people know about TKTS,
it's worth a mention. At the TKTS booth,
you can buy tickets the day of the
performance at prices up to 50% off (plus
a service charge of $3). There are two
locations:
TKTS at
Times Square Theatre Centre
47th Street & Broadway
Hours:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
for 8 pm performances: 3 pm -
8 pm
Wednesdays and Saturdays
for 2 pm matinees: 10 am - 2
pm
Sundays for matinees:
11 am - 3 pm
Sundays for evening performances:
3pm TO CLOSING
TKTS at Lower
Manhattan Theatre Centre at South Street
Seaport
(the corner of Front and John Streets,
the rear of the Resnick/Prudential
Building at 199 Water Street)
Hours:
Monday - Friday 11:00 am to 6:00
pm
Wednesday matinee tickets are
available on Tuesday ONLY
Saturday 11:00
am to 7:00 pm
Sunday matinee and evening
tickets will be sold on Saturday.
Please note that there are no
tickets for Saturday matinee
performances available on Saturday
CLOSED SUNDAYS
The problem with TKTS is
that tickets for the show you want may
not be available at the location you go
to and you can wait in line for hours
(lines usually form well before the booth
opens). Be sure to bring cash or
traveler's checks since credit cards are
not accepted. Your best bet is to go on
weekdays when more tickets are generally
available and the crowds are somewhat
smaller.
|
