How to get cheap theatre tickets in the UK

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Going to the theatre can be expensive, particularly if you want to see a big West End production or a hotly anticipated show.

In some cases, the best seats in the house can set you back upwards of £100 per person.

But actually, there are plenty of ways you can save. And sometimes you can even see shows for free.

It might mean compromising on where you’re sitting or being more flexible with your plans, but it’s well worth it when you’re paying less than £20 a head.

Buy last-minute tickets

For West End productions, particularly those that have been going for years, there are almost always last minute tickets available on the day of the performance.

The best place to get these in person is at the TKTS booth in London’s Leicester Square.

It’s run by the Society of London Theatre, the industry body for London theatres.

You can pick up tickets for all the big theatres here and save as much as 50% off the face value.

Or if you don’t have the time to go in person, you can also book the tickets online via the Official London Theatre website.

You can also find cheap, last-minute tickets on TodayTix*.

Alongside regular ticket sales, TodayTix also operate lottery and rush ticket programs*, giving you the chance to buy tickets for popular shows at a discount.

It’s worth noting that these seats might not have the best view, and are very last minute, but they are heavily discounted.

For shows in other parts of the UK, check with the venue directly to see whether they release last minute tickets.

Sometimes even sold-out shows might go up for sale again at a discount if a venue has a cancellation policy that allows people to resell tickets for shows they can no longer attend.

Compare ticketing platforms

While some shows are exclusive to one platform, tickets for others are sold across multiple platforms.

If so, it’s worth doing a quick comparison across the different platforms before you book.

Differences in booking fees and promotion can in some cases lead to small savings.

Some of the sites you might want to check include TodayTix*, London Theatre Direct* and ATG Tickets*.

Go for restricted-view seats – or stand

The seats offering the best views will naturally be the most expensive but it’s worth asking yourself whether you’d still have more or less the same experience in the cheaper seats.

If it’s something like a classical recital, for example, being able to see everything isn’t hugely important.

But even in something like a play or musical, missing a part of the action isn’t the end of the world – especially when you consider how much you could potentially save.

At places like the Royal Opera House, for example, restricted-view and standing tickets can be as little as £3 – a tiny fraction of the most expensive tickets.

If you’re not sure how restricted the views will be, do check the reviews online.

Sometimes bookings websites will even show you a preview to give you a better idea of how restricted the view is.

Make use of your status

Are you under 30, a student, working for the NHS or claiming benefits? Check whether there are additional discounts open to you.

Some theatres and ticketing platforms will offer additional discounts for specific groups of people, provided they can show proof of status.

In some cases you might need to join a membership organisation, such as the NUS, to unlock those additional discounts.

Tickets for Good (NHS) and ATG Tickets* (teachers, social care workers, prison officers, armed forces and ‘blue light’ professionals) offer the most options across the country.

However, it’s also worth checking with the theatre you want to visit directly.

Check cashback websites

Some ticketing platforms, such as London Theatre Direct and ATG Tickets, are on cashback sites like TopCashback.

It means everytime you make a booking through the cashback website you can get a small rebate.

Some reward credit or debit cards also offer cashback for theatres and ticketing platforms so you could potentially get even more of your money back.

Read this: How to supercharge cashback on your spending

Be a seat filler

For smaller productions, fringe theatre or new shows, the venue or production company will sometimes get seat fillers in.

From the venue or production company’s perspective, it’s a way to make the show seem more popular than it is.

And word of mouth could spread, leading to more actual bookings.

For theatre goers, it means being able to see shows for less than £5 or even for free, although the quality of the production might vary.

You’ll need to join one of the seat filler organisations to find out about these opportunities.

Some, like Central Tickets, are free to join but others, like The Audience Club, charge a small membership fee.

If you’re not a regular theatre goer then it’s probably not worth paying to join one of these organisations but if you are then it can be a great way to unearth new shows and see them without splashing out.

Sign up for newsletters

If there are just a handful of theatres near you, or if you prefer one or two, it’s worth signing up for their newsletters.

As well as hearing about upcoming productions, they will sometimes share discounts or special promotions throughout the year.

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