I’ve been to over 40 Broadway shows and have never paid over $100.

By the time I was twenty-three years old, I had already been to forty Broadway shows. When I’m writing this I have more lined up, but I have a confession to make: I’m not rich. All these years I’ve been an undergraduate student, who moved to New York City from Baltimore, and I don’t come from a family that has any money at all.

But I love theater, and I knew that my budget was tight. Once I started working in theater, that’s when I really began to understand that there are so many options for filling seats, and I’ve pretty much seen every show I’ve wanted to see throughout the years.

Most of the time I spend around $60-$70 on a ticket. The most I’ve ever spent was on my Merrily We Roll Along ticket, which was $92 for a balcony seat on a Wednesday matinee.

I’ve been to a good chunk of Broadway theaters and know my way around, and, as you’ll see in one my tips, that unless you’re super particular about seeing people’s faces, most seats are actually really nice in a Broadway theater.

That said, let’s get right into it!

Rushes and lotteries are the two most basic ways to get discount tickets—or TKTS if in the city.

If you’ve been through the rodeo of trying to find cheap Broadway tickets, you probably already know about the lottery systems and what it takes to get a rush ticket. Some shows do them completely digital and take entries the week before, some only do it the day before.

Know what days are the least common for people entering though—if you can swing a Wednesday matinee, that’s probably a really good opportunity to go see something and win these opportunities.

Do your research—some shows, like Wicked, offer an in-person lottery that’s easier to win. But that means you have to be in person.

The other key thing to remember is that super popular shows, like Merrily We Roll Along, are going to be absolutely impossible to win at the lottery. There’s always a chance you might win, but you have to think that there are some people who have been entering these kinds of shows’ lotteries for months.

If you’re in Times Square or Lincoln Center (LC is probably the better location because there’s less of a crowd), then you’ll have the opportunity to buy leftover seats at a discounted price the day of.

But it’s worth noting a last ditch effort is go to the box office the day of or right before the show. They might cut you a deal, or at the very least you don’t have to pay the fees that come with online showings.

TDF is an incredible subscription if you qualify.

I don’t live in New York City, but I still have a TDF subscription for it I go up to the city. I was told by everyone I worked in theatre with to a get one, and I’ve found the subscription pays for itself immediately whenever I go up to the city and see a show.

For $40 a year, you basically get the chance to buy seats for shows that aren’t selling well. The way TDF works is that the day of the show they look at what seats they have available, then they give you the best seats.

I’ve sat front row at Topdog/Underdog in previews, I’ve been put in the most expensive premium seats, and I’ve only been given a lesser quality seat once for Shucked.

The caveat is that the shows on TDF typically aren’t selling well and you need to check often to see what’s been updated and added. Sweeney Todd, during its run, popped up every so often, and Hadestown has been a consistent show on there at the time of writing this in November 2023.

If you’re younger or older, nonprofit theaters have special programs with discount tickets.

This is how I’ve seen several shows throughout the years, as many don’t realize the typical audience for theater are people who are older. They’re expensive tickets, and a lot of people tend to know that. So theaters like Roundabout for example have a program where if you’re under a certain age (such as thirty), they’ll sell you tickets in the orchestra for $30.

I’m in my twenties while writing this, so I’ve been able to consistently get tickets at several nonprofit theaters because of this.

It’s also worth noting that some nonprofit theaters also allow people to volunteer usher in exchange for seeing the show for free. I’ve done this a couple times as well due to knowing some people who were already in the system, and I’ve seen several Broadway shows and whatnot because of it. For this tip though, you might have to have an in with the organization or ask them directly.

Do your research on where the seat is.

I’ll admit: I don’t care where I sit sometimes. When I have to buy a ticket full price I often note down the seat number, then Google the theatre name with “view from my seat.” There are many sites dedicated to showing what the view is like through pictures, and I pick wisely solely because of these kinds of sites.

For example, I’ve sat back row for several Broadway shows in the balcony and have thought the view was really good (like at the Music Box, or the Lunt Fontanne when I saw Sweeney Todd, which I was second to last row). Sometimes because of the kind of show it is you might even want these balcony views.

One of my most successful stories is that when I saw Parade when it opened, I sat in a partial view seat in the orchestra. It was five rows back from the stage but to the far right side, and the only thing that honestly made it partial view was the fact you couldn’t see the projections of who someone was on the back wall.

Everything else was perfectly fine, and this was a show where I wanted to be closer because of how heartbreaking it was. The only time my judgement failed me overall was when I saw A Strange Loop at the Lyceum; do whatever you can to avoid the balcony there. It wasn’t good at all.

Sometimes the tour is just as good in your local city.

Those from out of town, this is for you. Some shows you really don’t need to see on Broadway unless you’re super into the novelty of it. My dream was to always see Hamilton on Broadway, but then I went to see the touring cast at the Kennedy Center for only $60.

I was so glad I did that, because I felt like that I didn’t care for the show and got the same experience basically. It wasn’t worth paying Broadway prices again and my Hamilton itch had been scratched in the end.

Many of those working on touring casts also work on Broadway, so go see them!

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