Frugal Theatergoer's Guide to Discount Tickets

The Frugal TheaterGoer’s Guide to Discount Tickets

“Give a man a discount code, you have found him a discount for today. Teach a man to find a discount code and you have found him discounts for a lifetime” Author unknown

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UPDATES

I recently heard about two different sites, but have not used either one. Givenik is a site that offers discount theater tickets and will contribute 5% of your purchase to the charity of your choice. The second is NYTix, a site with discounts for theater, television tickets, and guides to New York City. And they will pay you a $25 reward if you are the first person to find a discount better than the one they offer.

Signature Theater Company is offering tickets to its entire season for $20.

The Joyce Theater is celebrating its 25^th Anniversary with Celebration Sundays. Tickets to all Sunday evening performances are only $25.

Also according to Time Out New York, a pay service called Club Free Time offers detailed listings of free movies, concerts and plays. You can browse the list (without details) for free.

Fall for Dance 2008 will be from September 17 through September 27. Tickets go on sale September 7.

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Check out the theater clubs on the following sites for discounts that you can obtain in advance:

NYTheatre.com Off Broadway On Line OffBroadway.com

BroadwayInsider Playbill.com Season of Savings

Theatermania.com

For a very comprehensive listing of available discounts, check out BroadwayBox.com. Some of the codes are unique to the site; some of them are from other sites. Other sites that compile offers are Theater-Offers.com and NYC Show Discounts. (Note that, in some cases, you cannot use printouts of the codes from these sites at the box office – you can only use them if you purchase tickets on the phone or over the internet.)

In some cases, you need to join the site’s club/mailing list in order to see the listing of discounts. These clubs are free to join. Most of the sites have similar discounts. NYTheatre.com has some off-Broadway discounts that are not available at other sites. Playbill.com has City Opera discounts.

Playbill has a site called PlaybillArts. There’s a signup for discount ticket offers for classical music, opera, dance, and jazz events.

Check out Goldstar Events for discounts on theater and other events in several U.S. cities. Discount tickets are purchased directly from Goldstar.

Roundabout Theatre Company is offering $10 tickets to 100 audience members for the first preview of each production this season. Tickets go very quickly.

Rush Tickets: For a list of rush and SRO policies check out Talkin' Broadway. The Telecharge web site lists Rush policies under the “Getting Tickets” section of each show. Check out the links below under subscription programs and other Off-Broadway theaters for more specific information.

The Metropolitan Opera has initiated a new rush policy. The new Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Rush Tickets program offers 200 orchestra-level seats—regularly priced at $100 each—at $20 each for most performances Monday through Thursday this season. Tickets will be made available at the box office beginning two hours before curtain on the day of the performance and are limited to two per person. There are no refunds, exchanges, or adjustments to previous orders. Casts are subject to change.

Meanwhile, City Opera has amended its pricing schedule. Front side orchestra seats are now $16, while other side orchestra seats are only $37.

Students/Seniors: TDF's website has an extensive listing of student discounts and student rush. Teens should also check out the High 5 Tickets to the Arts web site for information on $5 tickets for students aged 13 – 18. New York City Opera has special arrangements for students. Librarians, teachers, students and their families can pick up vouchers for 30 to 50% off at the School Theater Ticket Program. Check out the information on Carnegie Hall and their student and senior citizen discounts, as well as a $10 ticket program. The Metropolitan Opera has $25 discounted tickets for students, $35 on weekends.

Students can also join Lincoln Center Theater's StudenTix program for free and purchase $20 tickets in advance.

BAM has student rush for $7 movies (Monday through Thursday, excluding holidays) and $10 theater, music, dance, and opera. Student ID and proof of age (25 and under) required at box office day of show. Tickets subject to availability.

City Center has a Peer to Peer P2P program.

35 and Younger: If you’re young and like opera, check out the Big Deal Program available at City Opera. Carnegie Hall has the Club 57^th & 7^th program. Roundabout has the HipTix program.

Mailing Lists: Yahoo Groups has a mailing list for discount codes. To learn more about the theater codes group, please visit Yahoo Groups. Once you have joined the group, you can start sending messages to members of this group by simply send email to theatercodes@yahoogroups.com. Google has a similar group, but there has been almost no activity on the group.

If the show you want to see has a website, join the mailing list. Some shows e-mail discounts to their mailing list. There’s a list of Broadway web sites below.

You can join both Tele-charge and Ticketmaster’s e-mail service and get periodic mailings with discounts. You can order tickets using discount codes through this Telecharge site, but not all of the Telecharge codes can be used at this site. You can sign up for Telecharge’s list here.

Check out the NY Times Ticket Watch. You can have discounts mailed directly to your e-mail account.

For information on smaller OB and OOB theaters, check out SmartTix. They have a mailing list which frequently sends out discount offers.

Check out the Village Voice site. You can get a Village Voice card and get a weekly mailing that includes theater discounts.

There’s another list called Broadway Bucks that also lists discount codes on its site.

TKTS: To get a general idea of what’s available at TKTS, Entertainment Link. If you join the site, you can get more up-to-date TKTS information. In addition to Broadway and Off-Broadway, TKTS also sells tickets to NYC Opera and City Center. You can also get information at the TDF site.

Lincoln Center Theater: Lincoln Center is no longer accepting memberships, but check the site to see if they open again. It’s a great bargain. Pay $40 to join and you can get tickets to their shows for $40 in previews and $50 during the run. If you go once a year, the membership pays for itself.

Public Theater: The Public Theater has a Quik Tix Program, where a limited number of discounted rush tickets are made available to the general public beginning one half-hour before curtain to any non-sold-out Public Theater performance. Quik Tix are $15, cash only, with a limit of two per person.

New York Theatre Workshop: New York Theater Workshop offers Cheap Tix. Check out their site for details.

Playwrights Horizons: Playwrights Horizons has changed its policy of offering the first preview as Pay What You Can. They now offer a lottery.

Free Ticket / Papering Organizations: There are 3 different programs that offer almost-free tickets to subscribers. Check out Audience Extras, Play by Play, or the Theatermania Gold Program. There’s another free ticket organization. I don’t know anything about them, but you can get more information at Theater Extras.

Actors Equity: Members can get discounts listed on the Actors Equity website.

PBS: Members of PBS can get discounts detailed here.

New Jersey: For discounts on New Jersey performing arts, check out the Hot Tickets page at NJTix.or.g

Dance: If you are a dance fan, check out DanceLink. You can get discounts if you buy tickets at participating venues. If you join their mailing list, you can receive discount offers to dance events in New York, including discounts to Joyce Theater and BAM.

Audience Rewards: The Audience Rewards program, Broadway and Off-Broadway’s version of a frequent flyer program, is in its initial stages.

Other Discount Information:

For more information on discounts, check out Talkin' Broadway FAQ.

For more information on Off Off Broadway, check out Off Off Online, with reviews, listings, and theater profiles for Off Off Broadway show. Prices are generally under $25.

For Contests, go to Time Out New York. Most weeks, they have a contest where the winner gets free show tickets. The magazine usually has discounts in its Theater section as well as other sections of the magazine. And readers of this page have actually won the contest.

You can also see if you are eligible to join TDF and get cheap tickets through them. Take a look at Theater Development Fund to see if you are eligible to join. Their site also has a listing of shows that are generally available at TKTS. TDF also has on-line listings where you can buy tickets using a credit card. (The on-line listing program is excellent.)

The Tourist Bureau across from TKTS (next to Aida) has discount coupons that used to be called two-fers. Ask at the information booth to see the list of shows for which discounts are available.

Hit Show Club now has a web site. Call or Fax 212-820-9798 to become a member of the Hit Show Club and receive regular free mailings of Hit Show Club discount offers and access to a regularly updated information phone line. Email Info@HitShowClub.com to join and receive weekly email updates of discount offers. Coupons are available around the New York metropolitan area or at Hit Show Club offices located in the Times Square area, 630 Ninth Avenue, 8th Floor, between 44th and 45th Streets, open 9 am - 4pm Monday to Friday. They are also available from NYC and Company Convention and Visitors Center, 810 Seventh Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets; call (212) 484-1200 for opening hours.

An organization called SVM sends discounts to companies for distribution to employees. Contact SVM at infor@svmcorp.com for more information. Do a google search for “SVM Discount Entertainment Guide” and the name of the current month and you should be able to come up with the current month’s listing of available discounts. (Update: SVM is now called Plum.)

Join the Time Out New York e-mail club and receive a weekly email with offerings for theater, movie, and store discounts.

Check out the promotions available to Time Warner Cable subscribers. (No promotions available at this time.)

Check out the Daily News’ User's guide to the city’s cut-price cabaret.

Check out New York Magazine’s guide called That's the Ticket, a guide to cheap theater, dance, opera and other amusements.

Dodger Theatricals has a web site. Sign up for their Stage Door Club and receive e-mail discount offers.

You can volunteer usher at several different theater organizations. Check out web sites of the different theater companies below, or look at the article from New York Magazine.

And completely unrelated to theater….check to see if your name is listed with New York State for some free money.

Can’t get tickets to that show you want to see (for a price):

Fundtix, a program that benefits The Actor’s Fund.

Caretix, a program that benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.

Damon Runyon Foundation, a program that supports cancer research

For a less benevolent attempt to find those hard-to-get tickets, check out Inner Circle.

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Subscriptions: The following theater companies are among the more popular subscription programs:

The Actors Company Atlantic Theater Company Broadway by the Year

Cherry Lane Theater Classic Stage Company Drama Dept.

Irish Repertory Theatre Jean Cocteau Rep Keen Company

LABrynth Theater Lincoln Center Theater Manhattan Ensemble Theater

Manhattan Class Company Manhattan Theatre Club Mint Theater Company

New Group Theater New Victory Theater New York Theater Workshop

Pearl Theatre Company Playwrights Horizons Primary Stages

The Public Theater Rattlestick Theatre Roundabout Theatre

2econd Stage Theatre Signature Theatre Vineyard Theatre

Theatre for a New Audience Theater for the New City Women’s Project & Productions

The York Theatre

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Other Off-Broadway and Miscellaneous Listings:

92^nd Street Y Abingdon Theatre Company Apollo Theater

Brooklyn Academy of Music City Center Classical Theater of Harlem

Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre Inverse Theater klaatu

LaMaMa Theatre McCarter Theatre the Nuclear Family

NY Musical Theater Festival PanAsian Rep Papermill Theater

Personal Space Theatrics The Play Company Prospect Theater Company

P.S. 122 Raw Impressions Red Bull Theater

St. Ann’s Warehouse Seth Rudetsky's Chatterbox Soho Rep

Symphony Space Theater Row Vital Theatre Company

Young Playwrights Inc. Works & Process

For a listing of more off-Broadway theater companies, check out OffBroadwayOnline.com.

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On Broadway

39 Steps August: Osage County Avenue Q Boeing-Boeing

Catered Affair (ends July 27) Chicago Chorus Line (ends August 17)

Cirque Dreams Country Girl (ends July 20) Grease

Gypsy Hairspray In the Heights Jersey Boys

Legally Blonde Liasons Dangereuses (ends Jul 6) Lion King Little Mermaid

Mamma Mia Mary Poppins November (ends July 13) Passing Strange

Phantom of the Opera Rent (ends Sept 7) South Pacific Spamalot

Spring Awakening Sunday in the Park (ends June 29) Thurgood (ends August 17) Title of Show

Wicked Xanadu Young Frankenstein

2008 – 2009

13 (September 16) All My Sons (September 18) American Plan (January 2) Billy Elliott (September 17)

Dancin (April 17, 2009) Dividing the Estate (October 23) Equus (September 5) For Colored Girls…(August 19)

Hedda Gabler (Winter 2009) Man for All Seasons (Sept 12) Nice Work if You Can Get It (Feb 2009) Pal Joey (November 21)

reasons to be pretty (Jan 26) Seagull (Sept. 16) Shrek (November 11) Tale of Two Cities (August 19)

To Be or Not To Be (Sept 11) West Side Story (February 13)

Coming soon (hopefully)….

Addams Family (2009-2010) After Miss Julie American Buffalo (Fall 2008) American in Paris

Angels Anything Goes Big Time (2010) Breath of Life

Brief Encounter Brigadoon (Spring 2009) Bruce Lee: Journey to the West Busker Alley

Cabaret Carmen Catch Me If You Can Dancing in the Dark

Death Takes a Holiday Desire under the Elms Dirty Dancing Don Juan De Marco

Elf Ever After Farragut North Female of the Species

Fences (Fall 2008) 50 Words Folding the Monster Fool for Love

Ghost Brothers of Darkland God of Carnage Godspell (TBA) Going Hollywood

Guys and Dolls Harmony Hedwig and the Angry Inch Hitchcock Blonde

Houdini (2010) Impressionism (Spring 2009) Jerry Springer Kiss of the Spider Woman

Kristina Fran Duvemala Leap of Faith (Spring 2009) Lone Star Love (cancelled) Mask

Me, Myself, & I Merrily We Roll Along (2009/2010) Minsky’s Mousical

Nerds New Jerusalem Night They Raided Minsky’s Nine to Five (2009)

Old Times Once Around the Sun Orphans (January 2009) Paradise Found

Phantom Takes Manhattan (2009) Porgy and Bess Princesses Promises, Promises

Road to Qatar Russian on the Side Secondhand Lions Sister Act

Speed the Plow Spider-Man Stalag 17 Stoker

Story of My Life (January 2009) Tree Grows in Brooklyn Turn of the Century Vanities

White Christmas Whisper House Wishful Drinking The Wiz

Zanna!

For shows with no website, see the nytheatre.com links or PBOL stories. Thanks also to BroadwayStars.

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New York City Opera Metropolitan Opera Amato Opera Dicapo Opera

Dance Theater Workshop Joyce Theater Keigwin & Company Les Arts Florissants

Mark Morris Dance Group Parsons Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company Pearson Widrig DanceTheatre

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Frugal TheaterGoer makes the papers:

The article from the New York Times and the sidebar article have been moved the pay section of the site.

Check out the Newsday article on Cheap Entertainment. There’s also a sidebar article with sources for theater and other discounts.

The article in USA Today is also still accessible.

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Comments or additions? Contact us at FrugalTheatergoer@nyc.rr.com.

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Boston:

ArtsBoston

London:

BroadwayBoxLondon Last Minute.com TheatreMonkey TheatreNet

Los Angeles:

Goldstar Events LA Stage Alliance

Silicon Valley:

Arsopolis

Washington DC:

TICKETPlace

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