Buying Broadway Tickets Within Budget By Al Terry Of course, the most common way to buy tickets is through the box office of the theaters. Through the box office, you can either buy tickets in advance or for the day of the performance. If you purchase your tickets, by phone, or through the online resources of the theater concerned, you will still need to pick up your tickets from the ‘will call’ at the box office. This is all very fine, and you will have to pay the face value of the tickets.
For those who know, they have means to buy their tickets at slightly reduced prices than the face value of the tickets.
Below Face Value Tickets
Many shows on offer tickets at special prices for specific groups, such as for students and children. These special priced tickets are for specific locations within the theater. There are also certain programs on offer, where through an annual subscription, you have access to inexpensive or free tickets for a variety of shows. Take a look at some of the ways to avail tickets below face value:
Group Tickets – Most or Off-Broadway theaters offer tickets en bloc at a discount,
which could be as much as 15 to 20 percent. ‘Group’ may vary from theater to theater as well as from show to show, but would normally be referred to as between 10 to 20 people. You can check the show’s website to find out whether group discounts are on offer or not. There are a number of ticketing agencies that deal solely in group sales of tickets.
Student Discount Tickets – Many theaters provide students’ discount tickets for particular shows, especially during the preview period. Details for such ticket sales can be obtained from either the theater’s website, or from the box office.
Lottery/Rush Tickets – A limited number of lottery tickets are sold prior to the show time. About 3 hours or so before the start of the show, lottery cards are distributed. The winners are announced about 2 hours before the show. These are tickets sold at reduced prices. There are certain discounted seats available that the producers are keen to sell. Not all theaters and neither do all shows offer such rush/lottery tickets. You need to check the show’s website or the theater’s box office. These tickets are available for cash only.
Standing Room Only (SRO) – For certain shows, certain theaters offer standing room only tickets. These are certain designated places in the theater, especially at the back of the auditorium, where one can watch the show, standing up. Such SRO tickets are only sold once the show has been completely sold out. These tickets also come highly discounted. You need to check the show’s website, or check with the box office to see if such tickets are available.
If you happen to be a senior citizen, certain theaters do offer senior citizen discounts for certain shows. These are some of the ways you can procure inexpensive tickets.
