Going to college near NYC has tons of perks, such as internships in the city, sight-seeing, and amazing restaurants. My favorite perk is the opportunity to see Broadway shows. Before coming to school, I had seen two Broadway musicals and loved them both. Now that I’m so close to the city, I have had the chance to see even more! I’m going to give you some tips and tricks to find cheap and easy Broadway tickets.
So far this year I have already seen three Broadway musicals: ‘Kinky Boots’, ‘Bandstand’, and ‘Miss Saigon;. This upcoming Saturday I’m seeing ‘Spongebob The Musical’ it was a free ticket don’t judge me! Through Hofstra, I have gotten tickets to three out of the four shows I’ve seen. There are many programs and clubs at Hofstra that offer free or cheap tickets.
One of those programs is the “END” or “Explore Next Door” Trips. However, END Trips are exclusive for first-year students for the first semester END trips are open to everyone once the spring semester starts. Through the Welcome Week END Trips, my roommate and I saw ‘Kinky Boots’ for free. My “Spongebob The Musical” ticket is also through an END Trip, which is free other than a ten dollar deposit (which you get back the day of). With both of these trips, the transportation was also free! I would definitely recommend taking advantage of END Trips, whether it is a show or not. There are many clubs on campus that plan trips to see shows, such as Entertainment Unlimited. Recently a few of my friends signed up for their trip to see The Book of Mormon! Always keep an eye out for show trips through Hofstra first before spending big money on a ticket!
Image via: http://ew.com/article/2016/01/25/spongebob-broadway-musical-cast/
This tip may not count, but some classes at Hofstra take trips into the city. I saw ‘Miss Saigon’ for free on a field trip with my sociology class. I didn’t know about this prior to registering for the class, but some classes take trips to see shows as part of the curriculum. I don’t recommend taking a class for the purpose of seeing a free show or shows, but it is a nice break from the typical school day!
The only show I have seen so far that I paid for myself was ‘Bandstand’. My roommate and I saw it together, paid for our transportation, and tickets. We both have discovered some helpful websites, apps, and box offices that offer cheap or discounted tickets to shows.
We bought our ‘Bandstand’ tickets through the website TodayTix. TodayTix has tickets for multiple, if not all Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. The website and the app show ticket price calendars for each show, so you can choose the best day and price for you. When you purchase the tickets, you do not immediately receive them. Their process is you buy the tickets online, and pick them up at a designated time at the theater from a TodayTix employee. I did not know about this at first, and was a bit skeptical. Luckily everything worked out fine. The representative was right outside the theater about thirty minutes before the show started, and we picked up our tickets. When buying future tickets, I will probably go to TodayTix first.
Another great resource is the multiple TKTS booths around the city. TKTS has multiple booths around NYC, a popular one being underneath the red stairs in Times Square. My friends have purchased tickets to see Chicago from TKTS at a discounted price and had a good experience. TKTS is first come first serve, so I would recommend going as early as you can to guarantee ticket availability.
Many Broadway shows also have ticket lotteries which you can enter. The lottery tickets are chosen at random, and not all shows have the same lottery tickets prices and availability. If you choose to go this route, definitely look up that show’s lottery policy and price, and double check the show has a ticket lottery, to begin with. I have entered a few ticket lotteries and unfortunately have yet to win. Don’t let losing a couple times prevent you from entering again because the price of the ticket is probably worth it. Many shows also have tickets available at the theater for first come first serve on the day of the show. These are referred to as “rush tickets”. You should also check to see what your show’s rush ticket policy and prices are before heading to the theater.
(^^^ shameless picture of me at Bandstand!)
Also, note that most of the tickets from these resources don’t guarantee the best seats. Most of my seats at shows have been towards the back of the theater. However, many Broadway theaters are on the smaller side, which means that any seat is a great seat!
I hope that this could help you out as you try to plan a trip into the city! I can’t wait to discover even more ways to find great tickets so that I can see all my favorite shows! Happy searching!