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Getting Cheap Broadway Tickets, for Beginners
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(last edited 8/4/25)
Do you love musicals and plays, but the prospect of spending $200 for a ticket feels mildly financially unsustainable? If so, then this guide is for you! This guide will give you an overview of how to obtain inexpensive tickets, where to go for all of these options, and give general advice for strategizing. The guide will generally be most useful for people who live in or near New York City, but hopefully everyone can get something useful out of it! And if folks have additional tips for getting more inexpensive tickets, please feel free to mention them in the comments and I'll try to update this post!
Rush and Lottery
The two major methods for obtaining less expensive tickets are “rush” tickets and “lottery” tickets. Generally speaking, “rush” refers to the process of obtaining tickets on the same day as a show, whereas “lottery” refers to entering, in advance, a drawing for a show that may be one day or a few days after the lottery. For both rush and lottery, you can typically obtain up to two tickets per person who enters a lottery/rushes a show. Lotteries tend to be digital, which increases access but may reduce your overall success rate, whereas “rush” can be either in-person or digital. Each show on Broadway differs in whether it offers rush, lottery, or both, as well as in what the price of tickets are obtained in each method. A consistently updated and fantastic resource for seeing what options are available for each show is the site ~https://bwayrush.com~, which collects information for all Broadway shows about the methods of obtaining less expensive tickets and the prices for each method. If you do rush or lottery for a show, you will usually receive the ticket over email, but some shows may require that you download an app to open the ticket, and a few shows require that you pick up your ticket before show at the box office.
A. Lottery
There used to be more in-person lotteries, but nowadays, post-pandemic, all lotteries are digital. There are three main sites I use for lotteries: BroadwayDirect, LuckySeat, and Telecharge. In addition to the sites, there are two phone apps I use for lotteries: TodayTix and Hamilton. The lottery for a specific show tends to be on only one site or app, which generally tracks one theater owner (e.g., BroadwayDirect for Nederlander and Disney, LuckySeat for Jujamcyn, and Telecharge for Shubert); so for example, the lottery for Hadestown is only on LuckySeat and no other apps or sites. As mentioned above, the structure of lotteries tends to be that you enter in advance for a drawing that may be one day or a few days after the lottery. In general, there tend to be two types of lotteries: (1) lotteries where you enter the morning of Day 1 for a show on Day 2 and are notified if you won on Day 1 some time later in the day, at which point you may have as little as an hour to claim your tickets; and (2) lotteries where you can enter for all shows in the upcoming week, and you may have a little bit more time to claim your tickets. Lotteries that fit into the first category include BroadwayDirect, and Telecharge, and lotteries that fit into the second category include LuckySeat, TodayTix, and Hamilton.
Lotteries vary in how their drawings work. Some shows take seats that have not yet been sold and those are available to win in lotteries; other shows have specific seats that are designated for lotteries, or will specifically lottery off partial view seats. As a result, the seat quality for lottery tickets, though usually pretty good, can be unpredictable.
1. BroadwayDirect
Current shows include: Aladdin, Death Becomes Her, MJ the Musical, Six, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Lion King, and Wicked. For most of these shows, the lottery opens in the morning on Day 1 and closes on Day 1, at which point the drawing happens for a show occurring on Day 2. The exception is Wicked, whose lotteries open in the evening on Day 1 and close the morning of Day 2 for a show that occurs on Day 2. You will need to check your email for results when the lottery closes (usually around 3:00 p.m. ET) and claim tickets within an hour.
2. LuckySeat
Current shows include: Cabaret, Hadestown, Moulin Rouge, and Book of Mormon. For these shows, you can enter the lottery for the upcoming week’s worth of shows. You will need to make an account to enter these lotteries. You will get both a text and an email letting you know that you won the lottery, and you usually have a few hours to claim your tickets.
3. Telecharge
Current shows include: Buena Vista Social Club, The Great Gatsby, Gypsy, Hell’s Kitchen, John Proctor is the Villain, Little Shop of Horrors, Mama Mia, Maybe Happy Ending, Oh Mary!, Operation Mincemeat, The Outsiders, and The Play That Goes Wrong. You will need to use your Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn account to log in. For these shows, the lottery opens in the morning on Day 1, and there are potentially multiple drawings during the day, so it is in your interest to enter them in the morning right as they open. You will get both a text and an email letting you know you won the lottery, and you typically have several hours to claim your tickets.
4. TodayTix
Current shows include: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Similar to the LuckySeat lotteries, you can usually enter the lottery for the upcoming week’s worth of shows. You will get an email notification of your lottery results.
5. Hamilton
Hamilton has its own app for its lottery. The lottery opens on the Friday at the end of Week 1 and draws on Thursday at the end of Week 2 for shows during Week 3. I’ve never won this lottery, so I have no idea what it looks like when you actually do win – but my guess is that you’ll get an app notification.
B. Rush
1. In-person Rush
Most, but not all shows will have a rush option. Check ~https://bwayrush.com~ to see the prices for and methods of rush. Typically, rush tickets are for a show later that day that haven’t yet been sold. For most shows, rush tickets are available when the box office opens (usually around 10:00 a.m.). For some shows, rush tickets are available on a more cramped timeline (often two hours before showtime). I recommend that if you want to rush, take the following steps before you go:
(1) If you’re trying to decide what show to rush, it can be helpful to look at the BroadwayWorld stats, found here: ~https://www.broadwayworld.com/grosses.cfm~. If a show has capacity at ~80% or below, it's likely that you’ll be able to get rush tickets pretty easily. If a show has capacity closer to 95–100%, then rush tickets will likely be a lot tougher to get, and you may need to show up a few hours before the box office opens in order to have a good chance of getting a ticket. The caveat to this is that this may not always work out since Broadway shows are managed in different ways: some may have a specific row where they offer rush and that's it, or some may have partial view seats they sell as rush, or some may have tiered rush. Also, remember that rush is never guaranteed! (credit to u/Commercial_Brush_725).
(2) Check the show’s website and click the link to buy tickets to see how many tickets are available for the show you are planning to rush. If the show has lots of tickets still available, then it’s likely you won’t have to show up as early in order to rush; if it’s sold out, then it’s not worth going to rush because there won’t be any tickets for you to get anyway.
(3) It’s worth, ahead of time, calling the ticketing agency for the show you're planning to rush to ask if they’re doing rush tickets for the date/time you’re planning on – some theaters/shows have weird policies about rush (for example, when Ariana Madix was in Chicago, no rush tickets were available; and in general, Chicago does not sell rush tickets for Saturday evening performances).
(4) Search Reddit for posts about the show you’re trying to rush. People frequently post about how many people are in line for a show at what times, which can give you a sense of how early you need to show up. For example, if you’re trying to rush Hell’s Kitchen, search for “Hell’s Kitchen rush” on the r/Broadway subreddit.
2. Digital Rush
Many shows also have a digital rush option. The Great Gatsby, Gypsy, Hell's Kitchen, John Proctor is the Villain, Maybe Happy Ending, and Operation Mincemeat have rush on Telecharge (same link as lottery, see above), which opens at 11:00 a.m. The remaining digital rushes are on the TodayTix app; the shows include &Juliet, Book of Mormon, Cabaret, Call Me Izzy, Purpose, Titanique, and various other off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway shows. You’ll need to “unlock” digital rush before you can actually enter, so make sure to do that before the time that rush opens (usually 9:00 a.m.). Digital rush tends to be a little tougher/less predictable/less consistent than in-person rush, which is probably because it’s also much more accessible than in-person rush. Like for in-person rush, I recommend checking how many seats are available for the show you plan to digitally rush/what capacity for the last week was so you can get a better sense of how likely you are to succeed.
Other Cheap Options
1. Manhattan Theatre Club
If you are under 35 years old, you can join Manhattan Theatre Club’s “30 Under 35” program for free. Once you do so, you’ll get an email when new tickets are released for upcoming Manhattan Theatre Club productions, and you can buy up to two tickets to a show for $30 each. The vast majority of performances (minus opening nights, education nights, etc.) are eligible for the discounted tickets. You can also choose what seat you want, among eligible seats! Current shows include: N/A. Link to join is here: ~www.manhattantheatreclub.com/join/30-under-35/~
2. LincTix
If you are between 18 and 35 years old, you can sign up for LincTix for free. Once you do so, you get access to $35.50 tickets (online purchase) or $32 tickets (purchased at the box office) for LCT and LCT 3 productions. Like MTC, you can also purchase tickets in advance once the show is on sale to the public, and a limited number of LincTix are available for every performance. Link to sign up is here: ~www.lct.org/linctix/~
3. Hiptix
If you’re between 18 and 40 years old, you can sign up for Hiptix for free. Download the app, create an account and verify your age, and you can purchase up to two tickets for each production (your guest can be any age) at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Studio 54 or Todd Haimes theatres. Current shows include: N/A. Every performance has Hiptix available.
4. Standing Room Only Tickets
(Credit: u/Dkinny23 and u/Commercial_Brush_725) Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets are standing tickets, usually located at the back of the orchestra seating. These tickets are offered at a discounted price and can be purchased in-person at the box office, though they are only available when the show is sold out. Availability of these tickets varies throughout the day, since it depends on a show's sold-out status. Current shows with SRO tickets available as an option include & Juliet, Chicago, Gypsy, Hadestown, Hell's Kitchen, Just in Time, Maybe Happy Ending, MJ the Musical, the Outsiders, and Six. If you are able to stand for the show, some theaters have great views for a very low price.
5. TKTS Booth
If all else fails, you can always show up to the TKTS Booth in Times Square or at Lincoln Center. The TKTS booth offers discounted prices on various shows, though the prices and list of shows is usually released 30 minutes before the booth opens, or even closer to the time the booth opens. If you plan on using the TKTS booth in Times Square (possibly after unsuccessfully trying to rush a show in the morning first), you should plan on getting to the booth at least an hour before it opens to make sure you’re not in line for too long. Alternatively, you can get to the booth a few hours after it opens, by which point the line has hopefully calmed down (though you may have a more limited selection of shows at that point). You can also go to the TKTS booth at Lincoln Center, which usually has a much shorter line than the one at Times Square. If prioritizing price, the TKTS booth should be used as a last option for discounted tickets; even with the discount, the prices are usually still much higher than rush tickets and lottery tickets. However, the quality of the seats you get through the TKTS booth may be better than the typical rush seat (credit: u/TheBromain)
6. Theatre Development Fund (TDF) Membership
(Credit: u/lestrata) If you meet TDF's eligibility requirements, you can purchase a TDF membership for $42. This gives you access to discounted tickets that cost between $11 and $59.50. You can also purchase tickets in advance, which, like some of the other options above, can give you more flexibility than rush and lottery.
7. Theatr App
(Credit: u/Mcdonuts67) This is a ticket resale app. Although it is often full-price resale, you can sometimes get tickets at a significant discount. Tickets for popular shows tend to be taken quickly.
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Ultimately, to see a specific show on a specific date in a specific seat, there’s no getting around buying a ticket to ensure that you’ll be able to get everything you want. And paying for your ticket also supports the theatre community that we all know and love. But tickets don’t have to be expensive for every show! With persistence, consistency, and/or a little bit of legwork, you can see shows at a more affordable price, and I hope this guide is helpful to doing so.
Top Comment: The mods should pin this at the top of this group
Best episode to introduce someone to CheapShow?
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I play old episodes while working on projects or driving around, and I think #148 "Buy One, Get One Free" is an excellent onramp to the podcast. You get the usual Paul and Eli bickering (though it's not as cruel-natured as it can sometimes get), back-to-back PoS segments, and a broad variety of tat to discuss. While it's light on characters, I think this is the episode that introduces P'twings. And the whole thing starts off with Paul suffering an existential crisis brought on by the GANMAN chimera. Top to bottom, this is how I'd pitch CheapShow to a new listener.
https://www.thecheapshow.co.uk/ep-148-buy-one-get-one-free
What do you think? Am I missing an obvious, better choice? Has this question been asked before multiple times and you just wanna ream me out for not searching for those posts? Is it even a good idea to inflict Paul and Eli on more people?
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You could maybe show them old episodes of Barshens first? Some of the episodes where they had quizzes with Barry, Dan and Ashens maybe - That way they could put faces to the names and get a small insight of them before throwing them in at the deep end with the pod. I think a lot of their fanbase migrated to the podcast after enjoying a lot of that content.
Artist Yungblud makes tickets to his show cheap so that all of his fans can attend
Main Post: Artist Yungblud makes tickets to his show cheap so that all of his fans can attend
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I’m mesmerized watching him speak, it’s like the movements his mouth make don’t match the sound coming out at ALL, like it was dubbed.
Please show what you are doing with the cheap lasers.
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I see everyone showing off their productions on the GlowForge sub Reddit. They do the same on the 3d printing one. What’s the fanciest thing you have produced on the el cheapo lasers. I don’t want to make a large investment until I am certain this is a direction I want to go with my business. If you don’t want to show a pic or video for IP, I understand but perhaps, you can describe types of products. I am interested in making jewelry and luxury products like Tiffany lamps. I saw a really neat one that I know would go over well with my target market. I am glad joined this forum because I was hell bent on glowforge...not any more. El cheapo láser owners show us some stuff! Go on brag if you care too! I love seeing how creative folks are on this site.
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Wait, aren’t Glowforge 3D printers? 😉
The Economy-Comedy Podcast. Cheap Show!
Main Post: The Economy-Comedy Podcast. Cheap Show!
Music of Cheap Show
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Hello fellow Cheapskates!
I was wondering if anyone out there has links to some of the other Cheapshow songs out there. I was able to find Suck My Dick on youtube, and they have The Silverman on their channel but I'm having a hell of a time finding Gibbily Who, and I feel like I'm forgetting at least one other song... Any help would be greatly appreciated!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBUJh0b_REA (The Silverman)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWAubSxYD1Y (Suck My Dick)
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Gibbly Woo and (We got the) SNIFFLES: https://soundcloud.com/roobehtunes
Cheap Show - Gibbly Woo
Main Post: Cheap Show - Gibbly Woo
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Amazing!!!! :D
Cheap Show now has a PO Box! PO Box 1271, HARROW, HA3 3NS
Main Post: Cheap Show now has a PO Box! PO Box 1271, HARROW, HA3 3NS
Top Comment:
This isn't going to end well
the show looks cheap
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Just finished watching the first episode and I'm not even going to mention the books at all, I'm just going to talk about the show. the first episode of a show or it's pilot is supposed to entice an audience to want to watch more and this just failed on so many levels, if I was in charge of approving of this pilot, this show would have never been made, the acting is horrible, the fight scenes not choreographed properly, the whole magic cgi was just ugly and the trollocks looked and moved like a bunch of people with no training wearing cheap costumes. The ending was so much worse too, a bunch of friends left with two strangers they knew nothing about without much of an explanation.
In conclusion this looked like either a very cheaply made movie or a show that get's cancelled in it's first season, my instincts are yelling at me to stop watching cuz this is going to get cancelled and my instincts are usually right.
PS: I can't believe amazon paid 10 million per episode to make this mess, cuz there is no way this was worth 10 mil, either the production costs have gone astronomically high lately or Amazon is laundering money through this show and the actual cost is a lot lower.
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LMAO it very much does not. Compared to the first few episodes of the Witcher for instance, or shit, even the first few episodes of GoT...nope.
edit: Like I get people not liking character changes, or the writing (both of which I'm ok with), but the look? It just doesn't look bad at all. They're using real locations a lot, sets, prosthetics and practical effects. I think the show looks different, but really quite nice.
Cheap Cheap Cheap query
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I apologise to Paul Gannon for asking this in advance. I'm sorry!
I don't suppose anyone archived any episodes of this? I never actually saw it and am now really curious to watch at least one merely to sate my curiosity.
Answers are probably best sent as PM's and not direct answers to this thread. I have looked, 100% dead ends.
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Your name suggests you're in the UK, they appear to still all be up on 4OD. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/cheap-cheap-cheap/episode-guide
Talk is cheap. Show up Sunday and take our seats.
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We can talk all we want here. Its cheap. Where its worth is buying these tickets and not selling them to Steelers fans.
Shouldn't see terrible towels in Sunday. If we do its our fault as fans.
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Is there any sports tradition more annoying and tired than the terrible towels?