Theatre on the Cheap

I probably get a dozen calls or e-mail messages every week from folks planning trips to New York or other cities who want to know what they should see at local theatres while there. Actually, what many of them really want to know is if I can score them some primo tickets through industry connections. (I often can, but most are surprised to learn that they're expected to pay for them. I can usually hook up a set of great top price house seats to a Broadway show or just about any legit house in the country, but comps? Forget about it!)

Anyway, the next question from theatre fans is usually how to get the most for their money, and there I can help. Here are a few tips I generally pass along:

New York: Discount tickets to Broadway and off-Broadway shows can be purchased (cash only) at the TKTS booths, operated by the Theatre Development Fund, in Times Square or at the South Street Seaport on the day of performance. Usually, half price or sometimes 25 percent off tickets are available. Demand for these cheap seats is high, so check the booth hours and queue up early for best selection. (It may seem tedious, but waiting on line at TKTS is also a great way to meet people.)

If you prefer to purchase show tickets in advance (and many travelers do), you can still take advantage of discounts on popular shows. Check with your credit card provider; many (American Express and Visa, particularly) make special ticket offers from time to time. A boon for frugal theatregoers is the community website Broadway Box, which collects news, contributed by readers, of special offers and discount codes which you can then use to purchase tickets.

With discount codes, you can mention them to the operator during phone sales or type them into the order form on sites such as Ticketmaster to get the savings. Telecharge, which offers online sales for many New York venues, won't take discount codes, but their partner site, Broadway Offers exists just for that purpose.

Chicago: Check out the Hot Tix booths near the Daley Center or at the Water Tower visitors center on Michigan, which offer half-price "day of" seats for over 100 Chicago-area theatres. Hot Tix offers are also available at some Tower Records stores. Some locations take plastic, elsewhere it's cash only.

Washington, DC: Ticketplace is another half-price day of performance outlet, located at the Old Post Office, with tickets for the Olney, Kennedy Center, Washington Opera, Wooly Mammoth and many more. Cash and cards accepted.

London: There's a tkts booth in Leicester Square, although it's not affiliated with the Theatre Development Fund, which runs the New York booths of the same name. Same basic deal, though. Half-price, day of show, cash and cards accepted.

I've used all of the above options at one point or another; selection can be feast or famine with these places, but I've seldom been disappointed. The TDF website has a list of discount ticket booths in other cities around the world.

In St. Louis, many theatres and cultural organizations offer discounts and special offers through Big Thank You.

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