Cheap Theatre Tickets

Before hitting 'buy' on those cheap seats you've found, you probably want to make sure you can watch the entire show in comfort and won't be stuck behind a pillar or with your knees jammed into the seat in front.

If you're wondering whether a seat's worth its price tag, you can check what sort of view you'd have at many major theatres with SeatPlan (UK-wide) or Theatremonkey (London only). These are packed with detailed info on views, legroom and more – cheaper seats are often further from the stage, or have a restricted view, so these can be useful tools to check what sort of experience you might have before you buy.

And now SeatPlan has gone a step further and released a handy round-up of analysis entitled Restricted view seats – the West End’s best kept secret, which draws on its wealth of seat ratings to unearth the hidden gems. A good example is some of the rear Stalls seat of Les Mis: they're discounted due to the circle overhang, but are consistently rated 5 stars, because only a couple of moments on top of the barricade in Act Two are actually obstructed.

Some theatres offer 'pay what you can' performances, where the price is up to you to decide. They'll usually be on a specific date in a show's run, and will have limited availability so you may need to book quick.

Theatres we've seen doing this include:

• Nottingham Playhouse
• ARC in Stockton 
• Battersea Arts Centre in London 
• Harlow Playhouse

The misleadingly named Kids Week runs throughout the month of August every year. With every full-paying adult, a child can go completely free to about 45 varied top West End shows. This year, booking opens at 10am on Tuesday 14 June. In the past there have been 150,000+ tickets up for grabs, with 100,000 snapped up by midnight of day one.

With West End prices hardly the easiest on the wallet, and there usually being no difference between a kid's and an adult's ticket, Kids Week could save you anywhere between £15 and £80 depending on what you see.

Some might find the official Kids Week Facebook page useful. Here, theatre fans recommend shows and good value seats to one another the whole year round (not just during Kids Week).

Another cheaper option offered by many theatres is 'day seats'. These are tickets that theatres hold to be sold on the morning of the performance, which typically range from £5-£35 each.

Often seats are on the front row of the stalls or the best available, and you can usually get two tickets per person. You might have to pay in cash so it's best to phone the box office before you go to check – it'll also often have a good idea of the sort of times people start queueing from so you know when to get there.

Numbers are limited, with many shows having about 20 or fewer available, and if it's a popular show you may have to queue as early as 7am (box offices largely open at 10am Monday-Saturday and noon on Sundays so wrap up warm).

The TodayTix app also runs a lot of West End theatre 'rush' schemes – these are like day seats but you don't have to queue in person at the theatre. Instead, tickets become available in the app at 10am for that day's performance(s).

If you're heading to the West End anyway, it's worth visiting the TKTS theatre ticket booth, which has stood in Leicester Square in one form or another since 1980. Run by Society of London Theatre, it's open every day of the week and offers a list of same-day London show deals. As an added bonus, it's staffed by knowledgeable theatre buffs who can recommend shows and answer any other questions about your theatre trip. If you can't go to the booth in person, the TKTS deals are also available online these days.

Tickets for popular shows sell out in seconds, so you'll need speedy fingers to nab 'em – though a trick if you miss out at first is to wait 10 minutes in case people don't buy the tickets they add to their baskets (as you only have this long to buy them).

For a decent list of current West End shows' day seat policies, see Theatremonkey's day seat finder.

If you're heading to New York and want a theatre trip, top-price tickets can be $100s. But don't despair, there are plenty of ways to hunt out cheap tickets for Broadway shows, including lotteries and day seats.

For full info see our New York On A Budget guide.

Every year, Official London Theatre's New Year sale begins in December and takes us into the following year. Top West End tickets are available for £10, £20, £30 or £40.

In 2018, for example, there were 100,000 tickets available at the sale's start, spread across shows such as Les Misérables, Matilda and Swan Lake.

If you've a show in mind but can't find a discount and the venue's close by, the best plan of action is to go directly to the box office.

This'll bypass most fees, including booking or postage, though be aware that many tickets include a 'restoration levy' in the price which goes towards the upkeep of the theatre – this'll be charged regardless of how you book.

What's more, be nice to the ticket office staff and you could even bag an upgrade. It goes without saying that you should always be polite when buying tickets (or indeed anything), but turning on some extra charm could even get you a bargain. 

While box office staff can't give you freebies or massive discounts, they are sometimes able to pull some strings and give you a 'band A' seat at a 'band C' price, for example. Some ticket sellers have been known to throw in a couple of free drinks after having a good natter, so you never know what you could get by being nice.

So you've made it to the theatre with your bargain ticket, and you're feeling a bit peckish or thirsty. Go to the kiosks and bars in venues themselves and you'll often find yourself paying through the nose for food and drink.

Make sure you don't spend the money you've saved booking tickets on refreshments by preparing in advance – pop to a supermarket on the way to the theatre and pick up some bargain sweets or soft drinks. Sadly we haven't found a way to keep ice cream from melting so if only that'll do for your interval treat, hope there's a newsagent nearby (or shell out at the venue on a fancy tub).

Bitter Pill Theatre runs an ongoing playwriting competition as part of The Painkiller Project. The winners are released as radio plays each fortnight, and you can listen to them free on The Painkiller Podcast.

Wireless Theatre Company is offering a free one-year subscription that gives you unlimited downloads of its entire catalogue of audio plays. Most aren't well-known works, but there are some Shakespeare plays, a series narrated by Brian Blessed and Jo Brand, and a play featuring Stephen Fry. A hidden gem, the 'binaural audio plays' section is optimised for earphone listening, with each ear receiving slightly different sound effects to create a feeling of immersion.