Follow these tips and you will feel like the comedy mask

Follow these tips and you will feel like the comedy mask on the left

Did you feel the crushing disappointment of the TIC office selling the last Hamilton ticket to the group in front of you? Or were you unaware (until it was too late) that at 1:00pm ticket sales for arts events opened, and at approximately 1:10pm everything was sold out. Bwog has you covered with this list, designed to alleviate the expense of seeing shows in New York.

So here are some alternative options:
  1. The TIC still has a few tickets left! The office also receives a smaller influx of tickets about halfway through the semester, and they advise keeping up with their website or dropping by the office to stay up to date.
  2. TKTS is a small office under the red steps in Times Square that opens a few hours before shows and sells same-day tickets at about half of the price. You are generally guaranteed 40-50% off, but these tickets can still be pretty pricey.
  3. Many theaters offer student rush tickets, including the New York City Ballet, and other shows at Lincoln Center. Just go to the theater box office a few hours before your show, bring your student ID, and you can often get incredible prices on tickets. Pro tip: these tickets can run out quickly, so a great time to visit is during a weekday when the theater does not have a rush.
  4. Group discounts are available at some theaters, for example if you can convince 12 friends to actually commit to plans, you can get 40-50% off!
  5. Several theaters offer lotteries, where people can submit their names for a drawing for cheap tickets. These tickets usually come with a price tag of less than $30.
  6. There are also several free apps that claim to always show the best prices for theater tickets, usually by browsing the above options.
  7. Columbia is filled with talented people. Force your singer/dancer friend to take one for the team and join the chorus of a show.
  8. Head down to Wall Street and load Tinder. Swipe right if their profile includes “theater lover”.
  9. Head over to see what’s happening in Roone Arledge or Miller Theater. They’re on Broadway so they must be good.

Orchestra versus mezzanine via Wikimedia Commons