Tickets on the Cheap

I thought I would write up a quick how-to on getting the cheapest tickets London has to offer… some may be easily done and others not so, but here’s a few suggestions.

• TodayTix: This smartphone app is a lifesaver and where I head first when booking shows. You’re able to get tickets to most of the West Ends hit shows for relatively cheap. They take bookings for a month in advance, though I usually use the app to book for same day theatre trips. They hold lotteries for some of the major shows such as Kinky Boots, Everybody is Talking About Jamie and Dreamgirls where you could win a front row seat for £15-£20 and have ‘rush tickets’ available from 10am everyday for other shows such as Bat Out of Hell and Allelujah.
  They also never sell a seat with a restricted view, which is pretty good; the last thing you want when settling into your £15 seat beside someone who’s paid £75 is a massive pillar right in front of your smug little face.
• National Theatre Entry Pass: If the National’s prices weren’t cheap enough (£15 travelex tickets are free flowing in that glorious theatrical epicenter) then, for all those youthful people aged 16-25, there’s a bonus – signing up to this free service entitles you to £7.50 tickets for every NT production and no, they’re not all of the awful ‘i-can’t-see-a-thing’ seats, they’re any seat. I recently bought a ticket to Exit the King and my £7.50 seat is front row.
  You won’t have to go alone, either! Entry Pass allows you to purchase one £10 ticket alongside your own for a friend, though they have to be within that age bracket too so no, you can’t bring your mum on a nice little date.
  This is especially nifty as you get exclusive discounts in the NT bookshop and café’s and access to workshops and tours galore.
  You can sign up here.
• RSC Key: Again, the student discount Gods shine down upon us. The RSC offer a service for young people to see their shows for £5 a pop! These are more limited than the NT service, but still a great thing to be a part of.. When you sign up they also send you a nice little pack with a loyalty card inside. If you see 5 shows in Stratford-upon-Avon (yes I know it’s not strictly London) then you get a free ticket for the 6th!
  With shows in London (Impeium and Matilda being just a couple) and fantastic programming at the Barbican, the Key scheme is another great thing to have up your sleeve.
  You can sign up here.
  
• Cancellations: This one is for those with a bit more time on their hands sometimes. Outside the Globe, there’s usually a line of people sat with headphones in, coffees in hand, staring with hope at those who enter the box office. This is because they’re hoping you’re returning your ticket due to some unforeseen circumstance.
  Most theatres have a few cancellations. Usually, if you give the box office a call, they’ll sell these onto you for a discounted rate. Failing that, some theatres have these queues of hopefuls who may or may not be turned away. It’s a long shot but it always feels great knowing you just nabbed somebody’s ticket for half of what they originally paid.
• The Globe: Okay… not technically a way of getting cheap tickets, rather a place that does insanely cheap tickets for fantastic shows. £5 per show at this open-roofed theatre with one catch — you’ll be standing for the whole thing. This might sound like hell, what with the lack of lumbar support and the potential for next-day aches and pains but the seated tickets wouldn’t be much more.

And there’s just a few ways of getting some cheap tickets. I’ll surely be updating as time goes on, but these are my go-to’s for now.