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The best things in life are free. The best things in New York? Well…not so much.

Sure, you can explore Central Park and Times Square for hours without spending a penny but you can’t truly get the New York experience without spending big bucks. But don’t leave just yet– TUN is here to be your discount tour guide.

It goes without saying but theatre is HUGE in New York City. Elphaba’s green face is plastered on pretty much every street corner on huge Wicked advertisements and it seems like the four dudes from Jersey Boys follow you everywhere you go (ugh, those creeps). Now if you’re anything like me, you’re a sucker for Broadway. The vivacious singing, the dramatic acting, the extremely over priced merchandise- I love it all. So how can I enjoy all of this and get my Broadway fix without making my bank account cry?

Read on.

Discounted Ticket Sellers

No one wants to spend 100 bucks on tickets for a show. I get that. My two best friends TodayTix and BroadwayBox are here to help. These two apps have such great discounts on tickets, you kind of feel scandalous buying them. (Don’t worry. They’re 100% legal. Ain’t nobody got time to be part of the Broadway black market). 

Let’s talk BroadwayBox first.

You can either download their app on your phone or browse through their discounts on your laptop. (That’s all I do in class. Guilty). You can save up to 85 bucks just by buying your tickets through BroadwayBox. The way it works is you pick what show you want to go to and they provide you with a discount code. You’re the redirected to a ticket seller (such as Telecharge) and you just apply the code. Ta-da! You’re done and you just saved a fortune on those Chicago tickets you were dying to get.

What’s better than getting discounted tickets? FREE tickets. Yep. That’s right. FREE. Every weekday, BroadwayBox hosts a lottery where you can win 2 free tickets to the show. Bring your mom, your best bud or that professor that doesn’t provide a generous curve to final grades. Everyone loves free tickets. That’s a fact.

Next is my personal favorite, TodayTix.

This app is seriously the easiest thing to use. Pick what day and time is best for you and they even have an option to show you tickets that are only 50 bucks or less. You just show up to the theatre, find the TodayTix rep who’s wearing a bright red jacket and they personally hand you your tickets. Beats standing in those long box office lines.

Like BroadwayBox, TodayTix hosts daily lotteries. Although the tickets aren’t free, they’re super discounted. I won tickets to Fun Home and only paid 30 bucks (regular priced tickets are $75 minimum). Now THAT is a deal.

Student Rush Tickets

Oh the perks of being a student. Did you know some theatres have student rush tickets? Theatres have a limited amount of cheap tickets for pretty much every show. You just go to the box office, show them your student ID and another form of ID (such as a license or passport) and pay in cash. TUN actually features $27 student rush tickets at the August Wilson Theatre. That’s where you can see my favorite show, Jersey Boys. The first time I saw the show, I paid $124. Um, $27 sounds WAY better. I wouldn’t have ever known about these tickets if I hadn’t seen them on TUN. Take advantage of them while you can!

 Jazz Clubs/Broadway Concert Series

You’re probably thinking, “What the heck do jazz clubs have to do with Broadway?!”. Well let me tell ya.

Did you know there are plenty of jazz clubs that host shows for theatre performers? If you don’t want to pay a fortune to go see Max Von Essen in An American in Paris, pay to go see him at his own personal show. Manhattan provides theatre fans an overwhelming amount of opportunities to see their favorite stars. Here are a few:

Birdland Jazz Club on 44th streets hosts “Broadway at Birdland/Cast Party” every Monday night. Hosted by Jim Caruso, these open mic nights and concerts feature a bunch of theatre legends. You never know who will stop by. From from countless visits there, I’ve seen Darren Criss (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Glee), Erich Bergen (Jersey Boys), Jessica Keenan Wynn (Beautiful: The Carole King Story, Heathers), Lesli Margherita (Matilda, Anything Goes), Jonathan Groff (Hamilton) and more! Tickets are only $25 dollars (with a $10 food/drink minimum). Check out Birdland’s schedule here.

Although Birdland doesn’t provide student discounts, Smalls Jazz Club on 10th street does. You can find that discount on TUN! You can also find plenty of discounts for theatres, comedy clubs and performing arts centers as well. Get your phone out and check out everything TUN has to offer in the Arts and Entertainment category. It will blow. Your. Mind.

Broadway Sings is also pretty darn cool. It’s a concert series that brings all your favorite theatre actors together to sing tunes from pop artists. Their past concerts include: Broadway Sings Michael Jackson, Broadway Sings Adele, Broadway Sings Sara Bareilles and more! The great thing about this is that as a student, you only pay 20 bucks to see 15+ theatre stars sing your favorite songs. Um. Yes. Sign me up. If you’re interested, they’re hosting Broadway Sings Billy Joel on February 22nd, 2016 at the Highline Ballroom and 22 artists are performing. Get your student tickets here or show your student ID at the Highline Ballroom box office.

I bet you’re like, totally freaking out right now. Who knew you could experience so much by spending so little? Remember how I said the best things in New York aren’t free? Okay. I was right. But with TUN, they’re generously discounted. Now go out there and enjoy everything the theatre and Manhattan has to offer. While you do that, I’ll be buying my student rush tickets to see Jersey Boys. Again.