Thankfully, by the time you are reading this, I have secured tickets to Six the Musical in Edmonton for November 2019! I’ve also managed to get tickets to a few different shows in fall, as well. If you are travelling to see a show, it can make things a bit more complicated to see a show. After trying to see several different productions, I’ve got a good amount of experience. These are my tried and true tips for getting the theatre tickets you want for the best price!
If you live in London or Toronto or New York City (or a few other nearby cities), going to the theatre really isn’t that much work. Sure, you might have to catch a late train or taxi home, or stay in the city for a night. But overall, not much planning is needed. However, when you are flying well over 1000km (or across an ocean) to see a show, it takes a lot more work. Now, I have to say, it has always been worth it, but you can’t just grab any ticket you want. So, how can you get the tickets that you want for the best price?
Decide What Is Important to You
For some shows, you are going to have to pick whether getting a cheaper ticket or the date that you want is more important. If you are like me, you have a fair amount of flexibility with time off at work but you can’t go whenever you want. I usually go on the weekend to try and take advantage of more time off. In terms of going to see Anastasia, I knew that I wanted to see it on a weekend, I wanted to see it before the Christmas break (before it is swamped with kids), and at the beginning of the run. Henceforth, I knew I would be paying full price for tickets. And that was okay with me for that show! If getting the cheapest possible ticket is your only concern, you may miss shows (but you are probably okay with that).
A note: a lot of small and medium-sized theatres will do buy-one-get-one-half-off (or free) closer to the show, which is a great way to save money. However, you may be paying exponentially more for travel. Sure, you saved $30 on your theatre ticket but you paid $200 more for your plane ticket.
Sign Up for Season Tickets
If the theatre is in your city (or close enough for easy travel), getting season tickets or a package is usually a good bet. Most theatres will offer a discount on shows if you get a larger ticket package. If you buy a full ticket package, you may be looking at 25-40% off all tickets. And season ticket holders typically get the first crack at dates AND seats, meaning that you can always secure the Saturday show (or whatever you want to see). Depending on the theatre and show, you may be able to buy tickets two months prior to casual tickets. And you never know- you may get some extras out of it! A lot of theatre companies will have extra events for season ticket holders. You might be invited to rehearsals or backstage tours. There also might be receptions and other events specifically held for you. All in all, if you are playing on attending most of the season, it is typically worthwhile.
Pay Attention to Your Credit Cards and Memberships
Unfortunately it wasn’t open to me, but when Anastasia tickets went on sale, there was a pre-sale period for AMEX cardholders. (Why AMEX, I will never know, as most Canadians don’t use it…) They were able to access tickets a week before the rest of us. I still got fantastic tickets, but it would have been great to have those ahead of time. Check all of your credit cards and memberships- many have agreements with theatre companies! Do you have CAA/AAA for your car? There are so many discounts with that card (not related to your car) that you would not expect. Or are you a member of a specific group? I know that both my sorority and university alumna status come with different discounts. I usually ignore those yearly mail-outs and emails, but you may be surprised. If you are going to be a part of those groups and have those credit cards, take advantage of it!
Talk to the Theatre Before
I messaged the theatre in Edmonton about when Six would be playing and when tickets where available literally the day after I got home from the UK. We chatted a bit on Facebook messenger, they gave me the dates of the shows, and said they would let me know when tickets would go on sale. In April, they messaged me to let me know when in July they would be available. And then another reminder message at the end of May! By this point, I was so impressed with their customer service that I will probably be making a donation when I’m there. And then on Friday evening (five days prior to tickets opening), they posted on Facebook that you might be able to buy tickets earlier. I messaged them to ask what time they would be available on Tuesday. Annnnnnnnnnnd they then gave me a code to get them early (and save a bit) on Saturday evening. And it was specifically because I had shown interest and gotten in touch with them earlier. Now, this probably won’t work with huge shows, but a regional theatre very well may work with you. Show your love!
I’ve now got shows booked for the first, third, and fourth weekends in November, as well as the first and third weekends in December! I normally don’t have quite so many, but I’m happy to have a packed few months of theatre and dance.
So, how do you get the best theatre tickets that you can? Any secrets that we should know about?
Cheers,
The Historian
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