Broadway Tidbits
Broadway on a Budget
The difference between Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway is merely a matter of seats.
Broadway theatres have 500+ seats.
Off-Broadway theatres have 100-499 seats.
Off-Off-Broadway has less than 100 seats.
There are currently 41 Broadway theatres in operation. All of them are between 41st and 54th except one (the Vivian Beaumont at Lincoln Center). The three major Broadway “landlords” are Shubert, Nederlander and Jujamcyn. Roundabout is the primary nonprofit proprietor and has only three Broadway houses. Every Broadway theatre is affiliated with the Actors’ Equity Association and thus every actor working in them is also equity.
There are approximately 60 off-Broadway theatres in the City. Some of the most popular theatre spaces are New World Stages, Theatre Row, Soho Playhouse, Atlantic Theatre Company, Ars Nova, 59E59 and DR2. You also have the Public Theatre, which has multiple venues.
Some popular Off-Off-Broadway houses include Dixon Place, HERE, Laurie Beechman Theatre and Under St. Marks.
There are several ways to get discounted tickets. There are in-person rush, online rush, lottery, standing room, and demographic discounts (student, senior, military, etc.). Lottery and/or rush tickets are often limited to two tickets per person and might not be seated together or might have a partial view.
In-person rush: Standing in line for tickets prior to the box office opening. There are a limited number of rush tickets available for same day performances if you are able to wake up early and get to the box office. We recommend getting to the box office at least an hour before opening. Unless noted otherwise, box offices are usually open from 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon on Sunday.
Online rush: Theatres will sell a limited number of discount tickets to the first people who click on the digital rush links.
Lottery: Theatres also release a limited number of tickets in an online lottery. There is often a limited amount of time to claim lottery tickets if you win. Tickets often need to be picked up from the box office shortly before the show with an ID matching the name on the tickets.
Standing room: Often only available if a show is sold out, theatres will sell a limited number of tickets for audience members who stand behind the orchestra seats for the duration of the performance.
Demographic discounts: Several shows have discounts if you are a child, student, senior, and/or military.