New York Theater

How To See As Many Shows as Humanly Possible When In NYC:

Don't Pay Full Price, DON'T use Ticket Brokers:

These days, we buy most of our New York City theater tickets in advance, with discounts wherever possible. You can buy tickets on the day at TKTS, but then you can end up spending hours in line.

The TKTS line can be fun--people-watching, chatting with fun people-- but we decided it’s not the way we want to spend all our days. Since we see shows every night, we’d be standing in line every day!

Wondering What's Showing?
Here’s a great list of the shows that are playing, prices, synopses, showtimes and more:

There’s lots of great info about shows and discounts on Playbill.com.  They have a page of Rush, Lottery, and Standing Room policies, which can sometimes be a good bet for day-of tickets though it’s really a gamble with the really big shows like Book of Mormon or Wicked. If there's a show you really want to catch, you probably want to try to get tickets in advance, so you don't miss out.

Day of the Show Tickets
You can see what shows have been at the TKTS booth lately, which tells you what might be available when you visit. TDF also offers a smart phone app for iPhone and Android phones that offers real-time reporting on listings at the TKTS booth.

*TDF MEMBERSHIP*

If you want that TKTS discount without standing in line, check out the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) memberships. For a nominal yearly fee, you can get access to deeply discounted tickets available online and in advance for hundreds of Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway theatre shows, dance performances and music concerts. Tickets are usually on sale a week or two before the show dates. Although you can't pick your seats, the discounts are fantastic (like $45 for Broadway shows).

Note: you need to belong to one of these groups to qualify and they require proof of eligibility. 
  • Full-time students
  • Full-time teachers and school faculty
  • Recent graduates (26 years of age and under)
  • Full-time union members
  • Retirees (no longer working and 62 years of age or older)
  • Individuals on federal disability
  • Full-time government employees/civil servants
  • Full-time staff members of not-for-profit organizations
  • Full-time non-exempt employees (full-time and eligible for overtime pay)
  • Full-time arts professionals
  • Members of the armed forces
  • Freelancers
  • Full-time clergy
If you are planning on seeing more than one show, TDF membership is well worth the fee. Also, yay for supporting this amazing organization that is "dedicated to bringing the power of the performing arts to everyone."
Buying Tickets In Advance

Besides TDF, there are a few other great places to find discounts on Broadway and off-Broadway shows:

Playbill.com is a great source for all kinds of theater and show news. They have a Playbill Club that gives great discounts on New York theater. You have to join the club to get access to the discounts, but it’s free. 

The offers tell you how to buy the tickets. If you’re interested in any of these discounts, but don’t want to buy online, print them out and take them with you. Usually you can take it to the box office window at the theater (they usually open at 9 or 10 am) and use the discount in person. But you have to have the discount code IN HAND. They’re very strict about that.

Broadway Box is another great discounting site. Note that on Broadway Box, they list all the shows that are playing, whether there are discounts or not. And you have to check the dates on the offers carefully to make sure it applies to the performance you want.

A few sites we haven't tried yet are Entertainment Link offers discounts on Broadway shows that might be different from the other sites.

TheaterMania  also has discount tickets. We've known about the site forever, mainly for theater news, but never bought through them. But certainly would if the price was right!

One more thing to know when buying tickets is that most Broadway theaters are smaller than our theaters here, even the Ordway and the Orpheum. And in New York , what they call the “mezzanine” is what we’d call the balcony. And then the balcony would be the second balcony.  It's a good idea to check the seating chart to see exactly what you're getting.

Have a fabulous time! Got questions? Want advice? Hit us up!