My ENTIRE life, I have been in love with musical theater. The love goes way back, but I remember when it started. I was 6 years old, and we went to see a regional production of The Music Man (actually, was at one of the most famous dinner theaters: Chanhassen Dinner Theater! This is where Laura Osnes got her start! if you know you know 😉). I was mesmerized at what was happening on stage, and fell in love with musicals.
Since then, I have always been more inclined to see live theater, than to go to a movie. Musicals are such a special space because of the fact that they are live. Whenever I go to see a show, I always think that that particular performance is "just for us;" meaning that even though a show is rehearsed, and has the same dialogue and songs, being live on stage is not going to be exactly the same for every performance. No one else will see that particular performance that you saw, and that makes it feel more like a special experience. Stage actors do not stop to "take ten" mid scene, and they do not get multiple takes. What happens, happens, and there is just a thrill about that!
Another thing that draws me to musicals, is the shear talent that is on a stage. EVERYONE is an equally good singer, actor and even dancer. I love seeing the best of the best do what they love, and what they are good at. You can really tell they have a passion for their profession while on stage.
I could really go on and on about why musicals > movies, but I really really want to give some of my tips for finding affordable Broadway (or wherever you see shows) tickets. I feel like a pro that has had years and years at almost perfecting this science!
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| Winning Hamilton lottery tickets, gets you seats in the first or second row! |
Depending on the show, or where you are, there might be student rush tickets. I think this is more common in cities other than New York, like a touring musical making stops all over the country. This is how I was able to see so many shows during college, and not break the bank or my college budget! In Minneapolis, when a touring show came through, there was normally student/educator rush tickets for only $25. You just had to get the theater a couple of hours early to get a good spot in line to make sure you got tickets.
For these kinds of tickets, there is usually a limited number per show, but we have never had a problem getting tickets!
Student tickets //
I have seen student tickets more often in New York than student rush tickets. The difference here is that instead of waiting to get rush tickets, you simply call/ask the box office at the theater if there are student tickets available. I know for a fact that Wicked in NYC has these kind of tickets for around $60, depending on the day of the week. I did this at Wicked a few weeks ago, and the seats were incredible for the price!! I would say that it will be more likely to get these kind of tickets on a week day performance versus weekend.
General rush tickets //
I think most shows in NYC have this, but it is very very hard to get. A lot of shows sell these kind of tickets when their box office opens in the morning, so many people will get in line at 7am to buy rush tickets at 10am. Prices vary from show to show, but I know that they are generally very affordable, but, again, hard to get. These tickets are for any one, you do not have to be a student or educator.
Today Tix app //
This is one of my favorite apps ever!! This is for you if you are NOT a student or educator (or you are one, and the show you want to see does not have rush)! I do not know how or what they do, but they have discounted ticket prices to most shows on Broadway! I have found tickets for under $50 to shows like Waitress, Kiss Me Kate and Frozen. They always have incredible seats available, the only thing is that for the majority of shows you do not get to pick the exact seat, just the section; when you buy tickets for a particular section, they pick the seats that are best available for the price you paid. There is a few shoes where you can pick your exact seats, though! This app will also have its own rush tickets for certain shows, and do lotteries for certain shows! This is mostly NYC, but they do have it in many other cities like Chicago, L.A., and Boston!
Lotteries //
This option for affordable tickets is great, and probably the most affordable next to rush tickets. Lottery tickets range from $10-$40 in my experience. However, it is a lottery, so you are not guaranteed to win; I entered the Hamilton lottery for over one year before I won.
Now a days, there is all sorts of lotteries to enter. There is still the traditional lottery where you show up to the theater a couple hours before the show, and put your name in a bucket, and wait for them to draw. There are online lotteries: Lucky Seat and Broadway Direct- here you make an account, and just check boxes of the show and specific dates and times you want to enter for. Some musicals have their own online lottery system where they have a link on the show website to enter. Hamilton, actually has its own app with the lottery entry in the app; you can actually set up notifications so it reminds you to enter every day, ahah. The nice thing about online lotteries is that you know a day in advance if you won, so you can better plan for your show day!
I hope you can get out there and get some culture for a good price!
Fun fact: the first show with a $100 ticket was Miss Saigon.
One day I will put together a list of every show I have seen, and all of my Playbills!
As always,
#dontforgetyourpearls
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