Broadway | Major Non-Profits | Off Broadway | Specialized Theater | Multi-Theater Venues

by Theater editor Michael Portantiere

As mentioned in ArtsAmerica’s genre introduction to theater, New York City remains the theatrical capital of the world in the sense that, with a few exceptions, plays and musicals are not considered to be well established artistically or commercially in this country until they have had a New York run, whatever their original provenance. This is largely because media coverage of and industry attention towards what’s playing on or Off-Broadway remains much stronger and more intense than the focus on theater in other markets.

Once upon a time, great plays and musicals originated on Broadway, usually after brief pre-Broadway runs in other cities such as Boston, New Haven, and Philadelphia. Now, Broadway and, to a lesser extent, Off-Broadway act as a sort of clearing house: If a show opens elsewhere to critical acclaim and is perceived to have commercial appeal, chances are good that it will receive a major New York production before going on to a further life in professional, community, and educational theater venues all over the nation and the globe. Among the many recent examples of this phenomenon are Tracy Letts’ play August: Osage County, which premiered at the Steppenwolf in Chicago; and the musicals Sister Act, Billy Elliot, and the upcoming Ghost, all of which were first presented on the London stage.

Because of the breadth and complexity of the New York theater world, Arts America has divided these listings into five subcategories for easier browsing:

• Broadway: All current and upcoming shows at the forty Broadway theaters clustered in and around Times Square.
• Major Non-Profit Theater Companies: The Lincoln Center Theater, the Public Theater, the Roundabout Theatre Company and their ilk: well-established companies that continue to break new theatrical ground.
• Off Broadway Theater Companies: Smaller, quirkier companies like the Vineyard Theatre and the Atlantic Theatre Company that hearken back to the old experimental days of New York theater, and usually offer a pretty good bang for the buck.
• Specialized Theater Companies: Companies dedicated to a specific type of production: the Ma-Yi Theatre Company, for instance, which is dedicated to the development of new plays by Asian-American playwrights.
• Multi-Theater Venues: Multiple theaters under one roof, like 59E59 Theaters, which hosts productions by non-profits from around the world on its three stages.

Discounts

Tickets prices for both Broadway and Off-Broadway shows have increased drastically over the past 25 years or so, but here’s the good news: so has the number of options for obtaining major discounts. Whereas so-called “twofers” were once pretty much the only way to buy tickets for less than full price, today potential audience members whose love of theater is greater than their bank accounts can take advantage of lotteries, student programs, discount codes available through various websites, and membership in such organizations as the Theatre Development Fund. These resources are vital to the continued health and quality of New York theater in that people who are paying $50 or $60 for a ticket as compared to upwards of $125 are far more likely to take a chance on a new show with no star names in the cast rather than the latest star-driven revival, revisal, or “jukebox” musical.

So, when opening your wallet to buy a ticket, please try to have an open mind as well. When all is said and done, you’ll be rewarded for doing so. Enjoy the show!

Since opening in 1973 New York City’s TKTS (pronounced “Tee-Kay Tee-Ess”, not “tickets”) has sold over 51 million discounted Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets. Currently operating three booths (South Street Seaport, Downtown Brooklyn and the recently redesigned booth in Duffy Square at 47th Street and Broadway, the north end of Times Square) this is the most popular cheap ticket theater-ticket alternative.

New York’s “Papering Services” perform a dual deed. Theaters are able to get additional bodies into their seats (a big boost for the artists on stage) and the members are able to get good seats at very little cost. Most frequently the shows being offered are at the very beginning (and/or the very end) of their run – but we are consistently surprised by the quality of the offerings. They also offer extensive and excellent classical music, dance and jazz/cabaret offerings. We have friends who only see shows that they can get through a papering service – and they consider their cultural lives quite fulfilling.

There are currently four papering services in New York City:

Audience Extras – Annual Membership Fee is $85, plus an initial deposit of $30 to start your Personal Reserve Fund. Each ticket is charged off your fund at $3.50.

Play-by-Play – Annual fee is $107 plus $3.50 per ticket.

TheaterMania – Annual Fee is $89 and there are no additional fees for tickets. While this is the cheapest arrangement, we find that they generally have the weakest selection.

Theater Extras – Annual fee is $99 plus a $4 per ticket charge. The relative new kid on the “Papering Service” block, Theater Extras not only has the best inventory, they consistently send out emails telling members about the latest offerings.

If money is tight, join Theater Extras; however, many folks do sign-up for all four. And one final word on Papering Services: unlike other sources of tickets Papering Services have little tolerance for “no-shows.” Warm bodies are their business, and if you do not show up, they lose out. Repeated no-showing may cause the service to cut off your membership, so if you have a good reason not to go, notify them immediately. If you don’t have a good reason, go to the show.

One of the major sources of theatre, dance and concert tickets for in-the-know New Yorkers, TDF operates the TKTS windows in Manhattan as well as an on-line ticket discount service for their membership. The on-line service is extremely user-friendly (except that you do not know where your seats are until you get to the theatre) and the overall ticket inventory and prices are excellent. The trick is obtaining a TDF membership – you must belong to one of the following groups: full-time students, full-time teachers, union members, retirees, civil service employees, staff members of not-for-profit organizations, performing arts professionals, members of the armed forces or clergy. Upon application you do have to prove eligibility but once you’re in you’re in! When Jeffrey and Norma came to New York, they were able to join TDF because of Norma’s teaching background – and Jeffrey had no problem obtaining tickets on her account (using his credit card). He was later able to get his own membership through the Freelancers Union. TDF also sells Off-Off-Broadway vouchers in sets of four for $36. Although you do not have to be a member to obtain them it is not always clear which theatres are accepting them on any given night.

While New York City offers a variety of very cheap tickets their half-price on-line offers can be meager. Unlike similar services in other towns, you cannot obtain half-price tickets from the TKTS service on-line – you have to go to one of their booths. Also the Goldstar’s New York section does not have anywhere near the selection found in Chicago or Los Angeles or even Boston. Worth a free look, but you may be disappointed.

Probably the most reliable source for obtaining discounted Broadway tickets (as well as tickets to other performance events) on a specific date, including seat numbers, are one of the these five websites, all featuring 15-50% discounts (which computes to less when you add all the service fees). The best time to hit any of these sites is before the reviews come out, especially for musicals. Plays can usually be obtained anytime, except for well-reviewed star-studded limited runs. Each of these sites offer free email notification announcing new shows and/or new discounts. Ticket Central and Smart Tix are good sources for Off and Off-Off Broadway tickets and discounts, especially if you sign up for their email services.