So, I figured my first Blog post might be about something that I think will interest quite a lot of people! My wife and I spend a lot of time at the Theatre, and while we often will pay full price for tickets, we also like getting a bargain! The other advantage of course, is that we often go to see things that we just never would have considered if they hadn’t popped up on various websites/offers etc. Obviously that doesn’t always end well, but we have seen some truly amazing stuff that we never would have otherwise!

So, here (in no particular order) is the various places that I get my cheap or reduced priced tickets from. Many of them involve short notice tickets and not knowing what seats you will get, but apart from one poor experience where we turned up to find out we didn’t have seats at all (won’t include that company here) we have had great experiences! I haven’t put every single one we use, and will update and add to this post over time – as frankly only have a certain amount of time to write it!

With the ‘seat filler’ type websites, it’s really important that you’re discrete about the tickets you get and the prices, both online and of course whilst at the Theatres sitting next to people who may have paid more than you! For that reason, I’ve not listed any shows that I’ve seen with any of these organisations. I’m afraid, you’ll just have to try it yourself and see! Generally I have found them great, but you obviously do need to have at least some fairly last minute availability, and you need to be someone who will see emails fairly quickly, especially if you want to get the really good tickets that are sometimes available! What I can safely say, is that we have been to see many a fantastic West end show (plays & musicals), as well as many shows in smaller venues, often for £5 or less per ticket. They all have their specific rules, and some charge for membership, but if you like Theatre as much as I do then they’re well worth it!

For each recommendation, the heading links to the general website for the Theatre/company. Where these is a specific link to follow, I’ve highlighted it later in the description.

Individual Theatre ticket schemes

The National Theatre
The National Theatre is on the South Bank of the Thames in SE1, so has the added advantage of being in one of my favourite parts of London! What better way to arrive to a show there, than to get the Tube to Embankment station, and walk across the Thames in the (hopefully) lovely evening 🙂
They have a ticket scheme sponsored by Travelex, that has been running for many years. Basically you just register for free on their website, and then when a new season launches they send you an email to let you know. They then have 500 tickets each for about half of all shows that they do priced @ £15 each. You get some excellent seats, and it’s not limited to only the less popular shows. We’ve seen some truly fantastic shows there over the years, so get signed up and enjoy!

The Old Vic
Again a massive sponsored scheme. Working with Price Waterhouse Cooper, the Old Vic sell around half of the tickets to the first five previews of every show, for only £10 each! These go on sale at 12pm on the Monday 5 weeks before the first performance. If you sign up to the newsletter then they’ll remind you! This, as you would imagine, is very popular! We’ve managed to see 3 of the last 4 shows there (was in a meeting when they sold the other one) and 2 of them were amazing! To be fair, the other got rave reviews from some of the people around me, but wasn’t to my taste. Sign up for PWC previews here!

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
All standing tickets here are only £5 each. It’s frankly the best way to see a show here, although I tend to stick to the shorter lighter ones myself – Hamlet standing anyone…!? They haven’t put the price up for years, and it’s one of the most amazing things you can do in London, for what nowadays is less than a pint of beer in many places!

Seat filler websites

My Box Office
This is probably the seat filler site that I have had the most success with over the years. Like others, you can have incredible runs of luck and then nothing for a while, but well worth signing up to! (and free)

Show Film First
Despite the name, this amazing (and free) service help to fill seats for a whole range of performances and events. This is the one that I’ve been with for the longest, and have seen some amazing stuff including some top West end shows. I’ve also seen them filling spaces for day long music festivals, and some fantastic other events – so I definitely recommend joining up!

Theatre Club – run by What’s On Stage
This one I have only recently joined. There is a charge of £3.50p per month, or £30 per year. It’s certainly been worth it for me, although of course like all of these things there’s an element of luck in terms of whether you’re available for the shows you want, and what’s available at different times of the year. As well as seat filler services, they put on a whole range of ‘Club nights’, which although are not as cheap, offer some great deals and often to see very oversubscribed shows. If you’re a bit of a Theatre connoisseur then there are additional benefits to this club! The people who run it seem really lovely, very efficient, and obviously have a real love for the shows that they invite you to.

The Audience Club
This is another that I have recently joined. Only £5 (charity donation) to join, and links to a whole variety of shows for a very small contribution/admin fee each time. Again have seen some great shows, so well worth signing up to. There are various conditions and rules, but all very reasonable, plus as it’s only £5 it’s practically risk free. So, give it a go!

Other discount services

TKTS
These guys run a ticket booth in Leicester Square, where many top shows can be around half price. If you’re after fairly last minute (in the next week) then it’s a good bet. Certainly much better than all of the irritating ticket booths around Leicester square – this one is run by people that really love Theatre, and are knowledgeable about what they’re selling (I think they’re sometime referred to as ‘out of work actors’?) 😉

Time Out offers
As well as listing various offers in their (now free, but not as good as it was when it was too expensive) magazine, Time Out also maintain a website with various offers for some great shows. Definitely worth a look, and some really good offers.

Get Into London Theatre
This is a scheme that runs once per year, selling a variety of top west end type shows, from £10. Realistically you won’t find much for £10, but you will get some great offers, and sometime much better than the current discounts elsewhere. Worth signing up to their mailing list.