How to See Theatre, the Cheap Way!

 As the cost of living is increasing, and so are theatre prices, here's some of my top tips for how to see theatre cheaply. There may be other ways to do things as this is not an extensive list, but here are some of the things I've found have worked well for me.

UK Tours:

There are some amazing tours going round the UK at the moment, and often it is easier for people to catch shows in their home town than it is to travel down to London to see west end shows. Whilst the tickets can often be the same price for tours and West End shows, without the added costs of accommodation, travel, food, entertainment etc., it often does work out cheaper to visit a local theatre (as well as helps the local economy and the arts sector in your local area).

Sit in the less "desirable" seats:

Seating plans are often priced to sell the most "desirable" tickets at the highest prices, and the least at the cheaper prices. For example, centre stalls may be the most expensive but aisle seats/further back may be cheaper. From the theatres I've been in, I often find that the aisle seats often provide a side view but are often not restricted and still offer lovely views.

Often, further up in the theatre (in "the gods") is much cheaper too. I used to take these seats all the time as an undergraduate student as this was the only way that I could afford to go to see theatre. Likewise, before I got my job within a theatre, I often sat in restricted viewing seats, knowing that whilst there was the chance I could miss some of the action, I would prefer to see most of the show than none of it at all. 

Look out for sales/offers:

This is always good to look out for so you can get yourself some bargains. Whilst it more often happens for London shows, I've seen a few good offers recently for my local theatres. This has included the 2-for-1 lottery theatre tickets and discounts for Mother's Day. Whilst they don't come around all the time, it's well worth keeping an eye out if there's a show you've got your eyes on.

Book early:

I begrudge saying this one as I know people who want to see theatre cheaply often cannot afford to book shows years ahead, but if you're able to, it's well worth booking early to grab the cheapest seats. I've managed to get amazing seats for just £13/15 for some lovely UK tours this past year, but I know it's a privilege to be able to do this.

Check for returns:

Often, especially at the moment, people are having to return their tickets due to Covid (either testing positive/having symptoms/not wanting to attend etc.). Some people may return some of the cheaper seats so it's always worth checking on websites and with box offices what they do with their returns (do they sell them cheaper/go back onto the system?) so you can keep an eye out for any cheap tickets being returned.

Get a job in a theatre!

I know this one is not accessible to everyone (for so many reasons which I won't go into today!), but I've got amazing discounts since I've been working within the theatre as well as access to "walk-up" tickets for seats which have not been sold. If this is an option which you have, and you enjoy theatre as much as I do, it's well worth applying for roles within theatres so you can access some amazing shows.

London:

TodayTix:

TodayTix is one of my favourite things in this world! £25 tickets for some great shows is just fantastic. They offer rush tickets, and instead of you queueing outside the box office like you used to, it's just all done electronically. You can only get up to 2 tickets per show through rush tickets, but they're perfect for last minute show bookings and cheap seats. I've managed to see Back to the Future (twice!), The Drifters Girl, and Dear Evan Hansen through rush tickets.

Another element of TodayTix is also the lotteries they hold. There's the Hamilton lottery (£10 tickets) and Cabaret too (£25) which, if won, offers a great opportunity to see two amazing and well-renowned performances for very cheap.

Other lotteries/day seats:

Whilst TodayTix offer Cabaret and Hamilton, theatres/shows often run their own lotteries too. Phantom of the Opera offer £30 day tickets, which can be booked between 10am-12pm the day of the show. Disney offer "day seats" for Frozen and The Lion King and ALW Cinderella offer a £25 ticket lottery too. It's worth giving these a try - I've been successful in getting tickets to Frozen through the Disney day seats, but I haven't tried any of the others. 

Look out for sales/offers:

Official London Theatre ran a sale from around January until the end of March where I managed to get amazing deals to see some brilliant theatre, including second row seats in the Dress Circle with amazing views and Cinderella too. They also run kids week throughout the summer holidays, where a child goes free to the theatre with a paying adult, and sometimes have exclusive prices for shows. 

Ultimately...

Theatre should be more accessible to people, but at the moment it's just not something everyone can afford or something people want to spend money on, which is ok. Hopefully, this helps people to try think of different ways they can see theatre more cheaply if they want to see a show, but as I've said this isn't an extensive list. If anyone else has any tips/tricks, please comment them below so others can have a few more options of how to see some shows.