How to Experience Theater on the Cheap
In this post I want to talk about the affordability of theater in NYC. Yes, for sure, people do pay upwards of $400 per ticket to see a top-rated Broadway show. But that isn’t in everybody’s budget. It certainly isn’t in mine. So I want to turn your attention to a few ways I see great theater for less money (that isn’t standing on the TKTS line).
Show-Score.com
Show-Score is a website that allows any user to create an account for free and start scoring shows (0-100) you’ve seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway. Once you score six shows, adding just a few comments (it takes maybe 5 minutes of your time), you get invited to be a Member. You’ll get emails almost every day inviting you to Show-Score Socials, where you get to see some top-rated shows for a group discount rate, and Member Nights, where you get to see certain shows for “free” (you pay an $8 service fee). They also have different levels of (fairly cheap) paid memberships that get you other benefits and cheaper service fees. I’ve seen some really excellent shows through this program and I can say that even the slightly higher cost of the paid membership is worth it if you see at least one show per month.
TodayTix
Most theater-goers know of TodayTix as the phone app that you enter for lotteries to Shakespeare in the Park and other Public Theater offerings. You can also enter rush ticket lotteries for shows like “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Sea Wall/A Life,” and “Broadway Bounty Hunter.” TodayTix is also where you can try and score the Friday Forty, $40 tickets to “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” parts 1 and 2 (that’s $20 per show!). They also occasionally have great deals to plays and musicals such as “The Book of Mormon,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Waitress,” and “Mean Girls.”
Goldstar.com
Goldstar is another really good site to check if you want deep discounts on quality theater, live music, and other attractions. I’ve seen some really quirky and fun shows for less than half the price through Goldstar. Some recent finds were “#DateMe,” “Queen of Hearts,” “Puffs,” and “Be More Chill.” Also on Goldstar currently: “The Prom,” “Beautiful,” “Blue Man Group,” “Rock of Ages,” and “The Play That Goes Wrong.”
A couple of other programs to try include Broadway Roulette and Club Free Time. I have not personally tried either but friends have recommended them and they seem legit. Broadway Roulette allows you to pick a date and time when you want to go to the theater but they pick the show for you (it allows you to cross off up to four shows). This is great for people visiting from out of town who have limited time and don’t care what they see. Club Free Time appeals to those who have a lot of flexibility in their schedules. You pay a yearly membership fee of $20 and that gives you access to many free and low-cost musicals, plays, concerts, and other cultural events. There are options for a 3-month, 1-month, and 1-week membership as well. The only downside is you can only book about a month or two in advance for many of these shows.
The bottom line is you needn’t shell out hundreds of dollars for quality theater. You just need a flexible schedule, a little know-how, and some follow-through.