How to get cheap tickets to the theatre
If you’re like me, you like going to the theatre - but you’re also a bit cheap and don’t want to spend too much money. Here’s a few ways that you can save some precious pounds (or other currency) on getting good theatre tickets at affordable prices. This information is focused on London, however I’m sure the same principles apply in other places such as Broadway. Plus if you use my promo code for one of the options, you'll get £10 off your first order!
Day Seats
A number of theatres reserve a small number of tickets for the first personal callers at the box office on the day of the performance. If you’re prepared to arrive early, this is a great way of bagging great seats at great prices - usually front row at around £20 and limited to two per person. Some shows are more popular than others, and the time you’ll need to arrive can vary between 6am and 10am. There’s a great website called Theatre Monkey which collates comprehensive information from the day seat community to provide all you need to know about day seats in London!
(Image: Front row day seats to Kinky Boots the Musical at the Adelphi Theatre, London)
TKTS Booth
In London, we have a TKTS booth in Leicester Square (there’s one on Broadway too). TKTS is the only Official ticket booth in London and have deals straight from the box office. You can only purchase tickets in person at the booth. It’s always worth checking what they have available and the prices at www.tkts.co.uk - I’ve got tickets (albeit restricted view) for a West End show before for £10 from the booth!
(Image: TKTS booth in Leicester Square, London)
TodayTix - ticket lotteries and rush tickets
TodayTix is an app that sells tickets for a variety of locations - as well as having some special offers for some productions, they also offer ticket lotteries and rush tickets.
Ticket Lotteries - as the name suggests, like a traditional lottery, you can enter your name to be drawn at random for up to two tickets for a show. If you win, you’ll get a notification and pay the reduced lottery price for the tickets (usually around £15-£25). If you live local to the theatre and can enter every day, you’ve got a great chance of winning one day!)
Rush Tickets - are like day seats but are sold to the first people to buy tickets via the app on the day. Again they offer great value for money and if you can’t make it to the theatre to queue, Rush tickets are a great way to secure tickets at a good price.
PLUS, if it’s your first time using TodayTix and you use my promo code SERUX at checkout, you’ll get £10 off your first order! Bargain!
(Image: TodayTix app)
Go direct to the theatre’s Box Office
If you can’t get cheap tickets from one of the above methods, if often pays to go directly to the Box Office of the theatre - either online, over the phone or in person. They’ll be able to offer seats without agent fees.
Membership schemes
Okay - this is a little bit of a cheat - as it’s mainly focused on regional/fringe/community venues. Some theatres offer friends membership schemes, which can get you a discount on tickets, no booking fees, complimentary cloakroom or bar discounts for a small yearly fee. It’s worth checking out if you’re wanting to save those pennies and support a theatre.