A new student’s guide to theater on the cheap

Like almost anything in New York City, theater can be cheap if you are patient and flexible. Most everywhere from Broadway to downtown offers some kind of student discount, usually in one of five ways.

Method one is day-of student tickets. This is the policy of most shows, and it’s also the simplest: You go to the box office on the day of the performance, show a student ID and buy tickets, usually two per ID, for around $25 each. Some shows start selling when the box office opens, others only release their student tickets two hours before curtain. Depending on the popularity of the show, you might want to get in line early. The nonprofit theaters (Roundabout, Lincoln Center, Playwright’s Horizons, etc.) also typically offer advance student tickets in addition to day-of rush tickets. If you absolutely must see Frank Langella in “A Man For All Seasons” and don’t want to risk getting beaten out at the rush line, this is the choice for you.

Option three, the lottery, cuts the wait but ups the risk. For shows like “Wicked,” “In the Heights” and “Avenue Q,” you can enter a drawing a few hours before curtain for a chance at $25 front row seats. Not bad, huh? It’s risky, though; I’ve tried this five times and only won once. Figures.

Option four is a little 1940s. I always hear about “the good old days of standing room only tickets,” but my calves are skeptical. Standing room only is used only by a few shows (“Mamma Mia,” “Mary Poppins” and others) and is generally only available when performances are sold out. Oh, and you have to stand. In the back. For the whole show. Student tickets and lotteries have really started to push out SRO in recent years, and thank goodness; my legs still remember “A Chorus Line.”

Option five is Ticket Central. Available under the “NYU Life” tab of NYUHome, it can be hit or miss. They have good deals for some popular shows but sometimes just re-sell bad seats at their original price. It is nice, however, to have tickets in advance.

For complete information on student tickets, Playbill.com is an invaluable resource. For information on specific shows, check out “Broadway rush and standing room only policies” under “Insider Info” on the right hand side of Playbill’s homepage.


Harrison Hill is a theater editor. E-mail him at hhill@nyunews.com.