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How in the world do people score cheap Broadway tickets? The TKTS booths do not seem cheaper; one time I did rush at the box office and it was the same price as full price. Other than lottery, what do people know that I don’t know?
First, a reality check: Yes, it’s true that many seats at this season’s “Othello,” starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, are priced at $921. But it’s also true that that show is an outlier — the average ticket price on Broadway this season has been $129, and about one-quarter of the 40 shows now running on Broadway have an average ticket price below $100.
That said, ticket prices are indeed higher than they once were, and a subject of concern for the industry, widely acknowledged and little addressed.
I can’t tell you that I know of some secret strategy for getting a steal, but with a combination of flexibility, persistence and luck, you can reduce your cost.
Start at the source
Your first stop should be the official website for the show you want to see. Click on the button that says “tickets,” and that will take you to the show’s official ticketing provider. Buying that way should help you reduce fees and avoid both scalpers and scams. The fee savings can be considerable; last I looked, the same prime seat at a Saturday matinee for “The Great Gatsby” was priced at $248 via the show’s website, but $313 at broadway.com, a site that says it caters to premium ticket buyers.
If you are in New York and can get to Midtown, you can do even better by going to the box office. There are no service fees (there is still often a $2 building restoration fee), and the employees can help you find the lowest price performances or seat locations.
Exercise caution when buying on the secondary market — sites such as StubHub and SeatGeek are reselling tickets, often for speculators. Prices can be considerably higher than face value. One exception that some of my colleagues recommend: Theatr, a consumer-to-consumer resale app that bars upcharging, meaning tickets are not supposed to be sold for more than face value.
In recent years, the TodayTix app has become an increasingly popular way to buy tickets. Its model has shifted over the years, and now its primary advantage is convenience — it has a user-friendly interface that facilitates price comparison; it has four seasonal sales each year; and it has a free, tiered, rewards program with which frequent buyers earn credits for future purchases.
The Broadway theater owners also have a free loyalty program, Audience Rewards, that works somewhat like a frequent-flier program — you earn points whenever you buy Broadway, Off Broadway or Met Opera tickets from an authorized seller, and those points can be redeemed for ticket discounts or for fan events. Some of my colleagues tell me they have found it challenging to use the points for shows they want to see, but the program says there are many ways to redeem points at all times.
Deal and discounts
The most well-known way to get discounted tickets is at a TKTS booth, which can be found at the longstanding location in Times Square, as well as at Lincoln Center (and there are licensed locations for local shows in Philadelphia, London and Tokyo). The lines can be long; the tickets are mostly same-day (matinee tickets can be purchased the previous day), and I hear the questioner’s concern that TKTS prices still aren’t low enough, but they are lower than face value — all tickets sold at the booths are discounted for between 20 percent and 50 percent off full price (plus a $7 service fee). And the vast majority of Broadway shows periodically make tickets available at a discount through TKTS.
The booths are run by a nonprofit, TDF, that also has a membership program that offers deeper discounts on Broadway and Off Broadway tickets. The membership fee is currently $42, and makes most sense for regular theatergoers who are often in New York. Eligibility is limited, but many people qualify, including students and teachers, military personnel and veterans, government and nonprofit workers, clergy, retirees, artists, union members, freelancers, anyone under 30, individuals on federal disability, and hourly workers eligible for overtime pay.
Another way to save money is to buy tickets for performances during Broadway Week, which is a twice-a-year program run by New York City Tourism + Conventions that offers two-for-one ticket deals to most Broadway shows. Despite the name, the program actually runs for two to three weeks, and generally happens in late summer (just after Labor Day) and late winter (often starting in February). There is also a twice-a-year Off Broadway Week that works similarly.
Broadway shows also offer occasional discounts. If you know you want to see a particular show, sign up for the marketing emails — yes, it can be a drag to get promotional material in your inbox, but, also, sometimes there are specials.
Show-specific discount codes, which can be used to get lower-priced tickets, are circulated by direct mail or email or on social media, and can be used for purchases at the box office or online. Fans share some codes on Reddit (here is the Broadway subreddit; look for a discounts thread) and BroadwayWorld (here is the chat board; look for the discounts discussion).
And yes, many shows have last-minute, lower-priced seats available by lottery (usually, but not always, awarded online the day before the performance) and rush (usually sold the day of the performance on a first-come-first-served basis; some are in-person only and some are online). I suspect that the reader who says they bought a full-priced rush seat didn’t actually get a rush seat, but a regular-priced ticket that had been released when another patron canceled.
You can find a list of lottery and rush policies at sites including bwayrush, broadwayonabudget, and Playbill; some can be entered via the TodayTix app, Telecharge, Broadway Direct or Lucky Seat.
One other tip for those in their 20s and 30s: the four nonprofits with Broadway houses all have discount programs for young adults (age requirements vary). (You can find these programs beyond Broadway too; here’s New York City Center.)
Be strategic, and realistic
To state the obvious: Pricing reflects demand. Hot shows cost more than those that are less buzzy. Performances during crowded holiday weeks are more expensive than those when tourism levels are lower.
“As with any other attraction or ticketed event, seasonality matters,” said Oliver Roth, a producer and pricing consultant. “If you can see a show in an off season, you’ll get better prices and better inventory.”
Tickets are most expensive during peak periods — especially the days around Christmas and New Year’s, Thanksgiving week, and the week of New York schools’ spring recess. Tickets are least expensive when tourism in New York is lowest — generally late winter and early fall.
Tickets also tend to be more expensive on weekends than on weeknights, and early in the week is often less expensive than later in the week. If you have some flexibility, compare prices for several different performances for the show you want to see.
Also: Ticket prices change over time. They are often less expensive when a show is first announced, as producers seek to build momentum, and during previews, as producers seek to build word-of-mouth. If you wait until a show becomes a hit, or until the final days of a big star’s run, expect to pay a premium.
My colleague Laura Collins-Hughes shared some tips late last year. Feel free to share your suggestions in the comments.
Michael Paulson is the theater reporter for The Times.
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