A play or musical can call itself a "Broadway Show" if it runs in one of the 39 Broadway houses (theaters) in New York City. The 39 theaters are primarily concentrated in a ten-block area of the city. Spanning from 41st to 51st Streets, the Broadway Theaters can accommodate from 580 patrons (at the Helen Hayes) to 1,900 theater-goers, at the Gershwin on 51st.
Most Broadway shows operate on six-day-a-week schedules. Monday is frequently a "dark" night. Over the course of six days, most productions offer an eight-performance schedule with nightly 8 pm shows and afternoon matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays or Sundays.
When researching ticket options, it is important to consider the location of the seat. The most expensive seats usually are in the "orchestra" (which refers to the ground floor, at eye level with the stage) and the front section of the "mezzanine," the tier immediately above the orchestra. Rear mezzanine seats and the seats on the next level above that, often referred to as the balcony, tend to be the lowest-priced.
Purchase Broadway Theater Tickets at the Box Office
There are numerous ways to purchase Broadway theater tickets. All Broadway theaters have a box office. Tickets can be purchased at the box office in-person for a show in the future or the current day. Most theater box offices are open noon-8 pm, daily. A box office can only sell tickets for their own theater's show. Tickets purchased by phone or internet generally need to be picked up at the "will call" area of the box office.
TicketMaster and Telecharge are the two companies that handle nearly all Broadway show tickets for phone or internet orders. Shows are not managed by both companies, but a show search on one site will re-direct to the site carrying tickets for that specific production. Telecharge and TicketMaster charge additional service fees.
Tickets can also be purchased online directly from a production or a theatre company Web site. For example, check Gershwin-Theater.com for a listing of the shows in that theater, then buy tickets directly through the site.
Discounted Broadway Tickets
There are ways to get cheaper show tickets. This works best for people who are not attached to a specific show, but would be willing to see any available show.
- Rush/Lottery tickets are sometimes made available hours before show time. They may cost as little as $20-$25 per ticket. Check with the box office to see if rush/lottery tickets are available for a specific show.
- Standing Room Only (SRO) may be offered for sold-out Broadway shows. Check with the box office. If SRO tickets are available, this does mean the ticket holder stands for the performance. SRO tickets are cash only.
- TKTS offers discounted Broadway tickets for day-of performance tickets. There are three TKTS kiosks in New York City. The busiest kiosk is at Broadway and 47th Street. The other venues are at the South Street Seaport and in Brooklyn. The South Street Seaport and Brooklyn centers offer day-of performance evening and matinee tickets and day before matinee tickets. Tickets are discounted 20-50%, but there are limited tickets available. TKTS does accept major credit cards.
TKTS is part of the Theater Development Fund (TDF). For a $25 annual fee, students, teachers, union members, senior citizens, civil servants, staff members of not-for-profit organizations, performing arts professionals, and members of the armed forces and clergy may become members of TDF and receive regular opportunities to purchase tickets for Broadway shows at a further reduced price.
Some websites, such as Playbill and Theatermania, also offer advance discount tickets to a variety of Broadway productions.
Group discounts may be available for groups with as few as ten people. An internet search for "broadway group ticket sales" or "broadway theatre parties" will bring up several companies specializing in group ticket sales.
When planning a trip to a Broadway show in New York City, start with Broadway's website. The site lists current shows and offers a tab for "current deals". From there, check other options to find the right show at the right price.
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