I’m a huge fan of musicals, so on my recent trip to NYC to meet up with a friend visiting from New Zealand, making a stop on Broadway was a must.

We were relatively not picky about the show we wanted to see, because everything that’s on Broadway is good. What was more important to us was getting seats at a decent price, and preferably relatively decent seats.

After browsing around some discount Broadway tickets on the internet, we decided to go wait in line at the Theater Development Fund (TDF) TKTS Booth the next day to get tickets for that night. Since we weren’t dead-set on any one show, this was a great option for us!

The way the TKTS Booth works is, certain shows are listed, usually at 40 or 50% off, for that night’s performance or the following day’s matinee performance. When you go up to the window, you tell them the number of people, and the show you are interested in, and you are given the price for the best seats available. Your options are yes or no. In other words, you have to take the best seats that are available.

We were able to score orchestra seats for two different shows: Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Les Miserables. We were in rows H and P, respectively, and on aisle seats towards the center of the theater. In other words: really great seats. We paid about $75 per ticket for each show, both at 50% off full-value. What a deal!

There’s something you need to know to have an even better experience with TKTS. Go to the South Street Seaport location. There are a few benefits to this location over Times Square, even though it is likely a little bit out of the way. One benefit is that the lines are usually much shorter than at the Times Square location, and secondly, the South Street Seaport location opens 4 hours earlier! That means you’re able to have a better selection of shows, and know what your plans are for the day even earlier than if you wait for the Times Square location to open. Be warned: you should still get to the South Seaport location early; the line usually begins to form around 10am even though the ticket counter doesn’t open to 11am. Also, be warned, you will be waiting outside, so wear proper clothing depending on the weather!

I’ll definitely be going to the South Street Seaport TKTS Booth again next time I’m in NYC!