How Do I Save Money on Live Theatre Tickets?

The least expensive way to purchase live theatre tickets is to buy them at the box office at the venue where the performance is taking place. Most box offices sell their tickets with no service charge but in some states and cities a local and/or federal tax may apply.

(PRWEB) January 1, 2005 -- A popular service is referred to as Rush Tickets" or Student Tickets" which, I believe, started in New York to allow more access for students to attend major shows. These types of tickets are generally sold just minutes before show time and required you to stand in line for 1 or 2 hours in hopes that they will release tickets at reduced prices -- $20 to $30 each is common. These seats can be anywhere in the house but for live theatre they are generally in the first 1 or 2 rows and may have some limited view. Check with your local venue to be sure.

For shows that are not high demand or have been running for a long time, see if your town has a ½ price ticket office that may offer tickets at a discount for events that take place that day. Some venues will give these box offices an allotment of discounted tickets for events that are not selling well or for seats that may not be the best they have to offer. Most of the time these shows are local live theatre type performances and not your major Broadway type shows although, sometimes, tickets for major shows are also made available. Call your local venue's box office for more information about this. You will find venue phone numbers in directory services or online at the venue's website. We do not have venue phone numbers.

Another option might be to go to the show with cash in hand and look for people trying to sell tickets they are stuck with for one reason or another. Offer half of face value to start. The closer to show time the cheaper they will be but understand that if your trying to get tickets to a high demand event prices on the street can be very high and you must protect yourself from counterfeit tickets and unscrupulous scalpers. If someone is offering you tickets that are cheaper than everyone else is asking at a high demand event be careful. A good rule is this instance is "If it's to good to be true it more than likely is not."

How To Protect Against Counterfeit Live Theatre Tickets?
One way to check for counterfeit tickets since they are printed on a photographic type paper is to heat them slightly from below with a match or lighter. As they heat up the top will start to turn brown but be careful not to set them on fire. Just heat them slightly. The counterfeit tickets are printed on pager and will get set on fire immediately so most people trying to scam you with go away when you ask to do the heat test since they know it will not pass this test. Another idea is to have that person walk in with you and then pay them when youre inside.

Be careful when trying to buy tickets on the street at an event. You may be breaking a local law and both you and the seller could be subject to arrest and fines so check with your local law enforcement before hand.

David Boitano has been in the ticketing industry for over 15 years and is the CEO of http://www.ticketfinder.com and you can read more information on ticket industry news at http://www.ticketfinder.com/industry-news/index-page.html

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