Photo Courtesy Susan/Flickr. Article by Kaeli Conforti of Budget Travel.
It's been a few years since we've written anything about Broadway. We've already sung the praises of saving money on Broadway shows with TKTS and talked about how to take advantage of standing room only, general rush and student rush tickets. Since our last story on Broadway ticket savings, there have been a number of great websites created to help you save even more money on Broadway tickets. Whether you're a student, senior or just an admirer of all things theater, here are some websites you need to know about.
StudentRush.org offers free tickets -- yes, you read that right -- to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows on a regular basis. All you have to do to get access to the list is sign up for their "Will Call Club" emails. The only thing you have to pay is usually a $5 handling charge, depending on the show, that is paid via Paypal. You then receive an email confirmation and instructions as to where to meet the StudentRush.org representative. While the company is named StudentRush.org, the website states, "Anyone may join this site, although some of the discounts are restricted to current students with ID. All free ticketed events and non-ticketed events are available to anyone." You're able to purchase up to four tickets at a time; just pick them up from the representative before heading to the theater. Apparently it's a seat-filler type of thing -- show producers provide them with a certain amount of tickets for each available show. Remember to check back a few times a week for the most updated list of opportunities.
It should be noted that those under 35 are about to hit the budget ticket jackpot: The Roundabout Theatre Company understands that students and young professionals love going to shows but high ticket prices make that quite a struggle. Seeing our plight, they've come up with HipTix, a program that allows anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 to purchase $20 tickets to shows at their theaters. Just call their box office, sign up for HipTix and even order tickets (two per person only) to a show -- be sure you call to order tickets at least one month in advance as their shows tend to sell out quicky, so plan accordingly.
This next program lets theatergoers accumulate "Show Points" to exchange for discounted Broadway show tickets. Audience Rewards has you sign up for free using your email address, and you are given the option to earn points by playing trivia games about different shows, purchasing items from partner sites, or you can simply earn points by buying tickets to shows and listing your membership number during the ordering process. This is definitely one of those websites I wish I had found earlier.
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