No need to be a drama queen about it – you can visit the theatre for less (Picture: Getty)
The cost of living crisis is forcing people from all walks of life to make sacrifices, and, unfortunately, it’s often the arts that take the hit.
When it comes to choosing between affording your rising energy bills (among all the other bills set to rise from April) fun trips to museums and the theatre are seen as less important or a luxury.
Especially when theatre prices can be hiked up when a star like Paul Mescal appears.
But, for many, a trip to the theatre can be an inspiring visit, or a welcome break from the stresses of everyday life. With Easter approaching, you might be hoping to take your children to get some culture but find yourself worrying about the cost.
Here’s how you can try and get more affordable theatre tickets…
How to get cheaper theatre tickets
The first step, like with any purchase, is to shop around first.
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From The Globe to the National Theatre, London has some of the finest theatre in the world (Picture: Avalon/Getty Images)
Sites like Ticketmaster or TKTS might not have the best prices, despite being the first port of call for many.
Plus, some sites will have additional processing fees that you could avoid by shopping from the box office website directly.
Apps like TodayTix will also offer incredibly competitive prices for most shows.
Rush tickets, lottery tickets and other theatre initiatives
As well as shopping around, knowing the ins and outs of ticket initiatives will help you secure a great deal.
From ‘rush’ tickets, which are a limited number of seats put on sale at a specified time, to lottery tickets, here are some of the most common schemes to get a bargain.
National Theatre Friday Rush – every Friday, at 1pm, the National releases £10 tickets for performances for the following week
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Royal Opera House rush – the Royal Opera House also release discounted tickets every Friday at 1pm
TodayTix – sign up for a limited selection of set-priced tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis. Shows currently offering these tickets (which usually range around £20-£25 per ticket) include Wicked (with the Daily Dozen), Guys and Dolls, Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia and Frozen.
Disney – DisneyTickets Magical Mondays lets you get great priced tickets to Disney’s shows on the West End. Tickets go on sale for performances that week every Monday at noon. Participating shows include the Lion King and Frozen.
As well as rushes, there are lottery tickets for shows including Hamilton.
These are, obviously, not guaranteed, but you can apply for tickets and, if you win, you can get great seats for a low price.
It’s best to check the official website for the shows you’d like to see to check if they have lotteries.
The other initiative to look into is seat filling opportunities.
If you’re not precious about where you sit, or what shows are available, seat filling sites like Central Tickets can give people access to shows for huge savings.
Discounts by age
Most theatres run discounted tickets for young people – usually either under 26 or under 30 years old.
One of the best offers is with the English National Opera (ENO) which put on productions at London’s Coliseum.
The ENO has a ticket scheme which lets under 21s go free, and it applies to all ENO opera performances on every tier level of ticket. Under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult, but each paying adult can bring up to two children for free.
No need to applaud us for sharing these theatre tips, just go out and support the arts (Picture: Getty)
The Royal Shakespeare Company have also recently introduced a TikTok £10 Tickets scheme, aimed at people aged 14-25.
Other initiatives include:
£5-£10 tickets for people aged 16-25 at the National Theatre
MasterClass London – ticket offers for those under 31
£10 tickets for the under-26s at the Young Vic
Half price tickets for under-18s at The Globe (select Child for each individual performance)
Feeling lucky? Queue in-person for same day or unsold seats
Nearly all theatres will keep some day seats – these are usually seats with a great view – sold only in person on the day of a show.
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This is one for the hardcore theatre fan who is willing to queue up early in the morning to bag some of the best seats in the house at very affordable prices.
If you have a specific show in mind, check the website for their policy on day seats.
Similarly, if you fancy chancing your luck, you can go to the box office on the day of a performance to see if you can nab any unsold seats.
Get rewarded and go to the theatre
Another way of getting a seat is to offer to review them for any participating blogs or online sites. While this might not be an option for many, you can check out sites like London Theatre Direct, The Londonist or The Upcoming to see if there are any freelance review slots going.
You can also save up some reward points to make tickets cheaper.
SeatPlan, which lets you check the views from nearly every seat in every London theatre, will also reward you for uploading photos from your seat.
Sign up for free and you can earn 50 points for each photo you upload of the view from a seat. Once you’ve earned 1000 points, they will send you a £10 theatre token.
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It’ll be a tragedy to miss out on the theatre