Broadway on a Budget

How Broadway Ticket Prices aren’t Stopping Young People from Seeing their Favorite Shows.

Since I spend half of my life in New York City, one of the questions I continually get asked is “how do you see so many Broadway shows?”. Since seeing my first show in 2014, I’ve seen a multitude of Broadway and national tour performances. The prices for these tickets are definitely in the high price range, so the question remains: how is it possible to see so many shows?

Many Broadway shows have taken part in new innovations that have made it easier than ever to see these extravagant shows, you just need to know where to look.

Broadway Lotteries

Lotteries are the easiest way to see sold out and/or expensive shows. Most broadway and off broadway shows participate in a Broadway Lottery for most, if not every performance. If you win, you are given the chance to buy 1 or 2 tickets for a discounted price, usually around $40. Online Lotteries can be entered once per performance and you are notified whether you’ve won or not. The best part of these lotteries, there's no entrance fee! You only pay if you win. While most shows have adapted to the online lottery, some still do it in person. In-person lotteries generally require you to be there a couple hours before the show for a live drawing. The downside to lotteries, you could lose and not get tickets to the show you want to see and if you win, you cannot choose where you sit. However, I have sat in plenty of partial view seats and for $40, I would happily do it again! Also, if you don't win, try again tomorrow! This lottery ticket approach takes dedication. I can’t tell you the amount of hours my mom and I have spent entering lotteries and checking our emails for notifications saying if we’ve won or not. While spending my summer in New York, there was nothing better than my mom telling me to run home right after school because she’d won a couple of lottery tickets.

Some of the playbills from shows I saw over the summer

Student Rush and General Rush

Rush tickets are usually the cheapest option, but it is not for the faint of heart, especially in the winter months. While studying in New York City in January, I was introduced to Student Tickets. This requires you to get up at the crack of dawn to be at the theatre at least an hour before the box office opens to try and get the first couple of tickets sold that day. Theatres usually put aside a group of tickets for these hearty souls and give great discounts to students and/or the general public. These tickets are also around the $40 range.

Standing Room

While standing in the back of a theatre for a 2½ hour show doesn't sound appealing to most, seeing that show at an extremely discounted price can make up for it. While I personally haven’t mustered the courage to get a standing room ticket, I’ve had many friends say that it was one of their best memories seeing a broadway show. My roommate, Abigail Pickett, saw Dear Evan Hansen on a $32 standing room ticket; “Standing room is incredible because you are usually eye level with the cast. Also, I’m very short so the House Manager gave me a box to stand on. The Ushers are also incredibly nice and it’s fun getting to stand and talk with them before and after the show.” said Abigail. These tickets are usually sold after the theatre runs out of Student/General Rush.

Broadway Roulette

One of the best kept secrets of broadway audiences is Broadway Roulette. If you don’t mind seeing anything on broadway and simply want an exciting evening, I’d recommend The Broadway Roulette The fun of the Roulette is you don’t know what so you will see and if you “spin” more than once, you are guaranteed to never see the same show twice. All tickets are $49-$59 plus fees. Also, if you aren't very familiar with broadway, this is a great place to start. You also get to pick if you would like to see a play, musical or something family friendly. There is a limit on 4 shows you can exclude from the options and there is a guarantee that you and your party will sit together (up to four people). I personally love The Broadway Roulette because I love being introduced to theatre I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

There’s a Wider Audience for Theatre

Broadway tickets aren’t a cheap date, but thankfully the theatres have come up with these ways to bring in an audience that wouldn’t normally get to see these shows. With popular shows popping up in the past couple of years like Frozen and Spongebob the Musical, its evident that broadway is trying to reach a diverse audience and stray from its usual straight plays. With modern shows like Be More Chill that had an audience consisting of mostly Gen Z, these cheaper methods of ticket hunting are essential to a show’s growth.