MW Tony Awards: Here's how one woman saw every Broadway show this season - for less than $50 a ticket on average

By Charles Passy

Liz Davenport used every trick in the discount playbook, including serving as a volunteer usher

With Broadway ticket prices now averaging nearly $130, some might say seeing a show is a rich person's pleasure.

Just don't tell that to Liz Davenport.

The 40-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident and obsessive theater fan made a point of seeing all 42 Tony Award-eligible productions that opened this season, determined in her quest to be completely in-the-know ahead of Sunday's night's awards presentation at New York's Radio City Music Hall. This ceremony - the 78th edition - will also air on CBS and Paramount+ $(PARA)$ starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

But Davenport - who works as a personal chef, and also maintains a lively presence on TikTok and Instagram with the handle @thatbroadwaybaker - rarely pays full price for her tickets. She's almost as obsessed with scoring deals as she is with seeing the star-studded musicals and plays that define Broadway.

The end result? Davenport spent $2,024.50 for her theatergoing this season, which works out to an average ticket price of $48.20. That's far less than half the average box-office ticket price of $129.12, as per the Broadway League, the industry's trade group.

It's all the more remarkable a feat given some of the eye-popping prices for select shows this season. For example, a production of Shakespeare's "Othello," starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, has seats going for around $900. Davenport saw it for $136, which also happened to be the most money she spent on a single show this season.

Davenport emphasized that she uses just about every trick in the discount theatergoing book, including serving as a volunteer usher in return for a free ticket (more on that later). In other words, she doesn't rely on a single method, but plays the game in whatever way makes sense depending on what deals might be available - and how hard it is to score a particular one.

"There's really not one way," Davenport told MarketWatch.

So, let us count the ways that this savvy ticket buyer finds to save, with an eye on how others can reap discounts as well. Here's what Davenport shared about most of the methods she tapped throughout the season.

The Theatre Development Fund $(TDF)$

The nonprofit, member-based organization TDF - short for Theatre Development Fund - offers steep discounts for shows and other cultural events throughout the New York metro area, purchased in advance. It also runs the popular TKTS booth in Times Square as well as one in Lincoln Center; both offer same-day Broadway tickets at a discount, with no membership requirement.

Davenport is a TDF member - the fee runs $42 annually. That means she can see select Broadway shows for $51 to $60, plus a small service fee. She took advantage of that special pricing multiple times throughout the season, including for such Tony-nominated shows as "The Hills of California" and "Smash." Davenport refers to TDF as every New York theater lover's "secret weapon." She rarely relies on the TKTS booth as a savings option because she's already getting good member-based deals, and without having to wait in any lines.

Are there any caveats? A few. TDF offers only a certain number of Broadway shows at any given time, and you won't likely find the hottest shows on the list. Plus, your seat locations aren't guaranteed, though Davenport said she's often found herself in good orchestra spots. Finally, not everyone can join TDF - membership is offered to those with certain qualifications, such as students, teachers, retirees, union members, employees of nonprofits and military veterans. Davenport qualifies as a self-employed individual.

Rush tickets

Broadway shows will often put aside a certain number of discount tickets on the day of the performance for "rush" buyers. The catch is that they have to show up the morning of the performance to claim those seats. Some will even arrive in the wee hours to guarantee themselves a rush seat.

Davenport is not much of an early bird - "I'll never rush a show before 7:30 a.m.," she said - but she usually lands a ticket in any case. This past season, that meant seeing the buzzy revival of "Once Upon a Mattress" for $45. She also noted that even if she's too far back in the line and misses the rush opportunity, the box office will frequently offer a good alternative deal.

To find out about what's available on rush (and for how much), Davenport goes to the B'way Rush site. Other sites, such as Broadway on a Budget and Playbill, have similar information. Those same sites will fill you in show lotteries as well. Which brings us to that category...

Lotteries

Who doesn't love playing the lottery? But in this case, you don't have to pay for a chance. Most shows have daily digital lotteries that give you the opportunity to enter and buy a ticket at a steep discount should you win. Of course, there's no guarantee you will win on any given day, but Davenport got lucky a few times this season, scoring tickets for such Tony-nominated shows as "Buena Vista Social Club" ($49) and a revival of "Our Town" ($49).

The TodayTix app

This is a very popular discount theater-ticket platform. Most Broadway shows are featured on it, with savings that vary - TodayTix officials say they can be as much as 50% off. The platform charges fees, but officials note they are built into the price, so there are no last-minute surprises. Davenport's TodayTix deals this season included the Tony-nominated "Floyd Collins" ($55.80).

Theatr and StubHub

These are resale marketplaces that allow ticketholders and ticket buyers to connect. Theatr is noteworthy for the fact it only allows tickets to be offered at or below the originally price paid. Davenport relied on it throughout the season, including to see the much anticipated (and ultimately Tony-nominated) revival of "Gypsy," starring Audra McDonald ($57.73). Davenport used StubHub $(STUB.UK)$ less often, but did tap it to score a great deal for the Tony-nominated "Just in Time," starring Jonathan Groff ($61.11).

Special 'youth' discounts

Some shows - especially those produced by nonprofit organizations such as Second Stage, Roundabout Theatre Company and Lincoln Center Theater - have programs that offer savings to younger theatergoers (and younger, in this case, can even mean 40 and under). For example, Davenport used Roundabout's Hiptix program to score $30 tickets to a couple of Tony-nominated Roundabout shows, "Pirates! The Penzance Musical" and "English."

Paying list price (but still getting lucky)

For particularly hot shows, it may be all but impossible to score a deal. Still, Davenport noted that you can still be a smart shopper in other ways. That often means committing to buying as early as possible (or as soon as extra blocks of tickets are made available), since most shows employ dynamic-pricing models, which means prices can go up with high demand.

Davenport also acknolwedged that sometimes fate has a hand in things. She missed the window to score a cheaper - though hardly cheap - seat for the hotter-than-hot "Othello" production and was prepared to spend at least $200 for one of the lowest-priced tickets. But a friend who purchased a $136 ticket suddenly couldn't attend, so Davenport bought it from her.

Ushering

Yes, you can work your way into a Broadway theater, and see a show for free as a result. At least that's the case with Second Stage, which has a program built around that idea for the Broadway shows it produces at the Hayes Theater. A Second Stage spokesperson explained that volunteer ushers arrive before the show and assist with seating and general house management, and then in most cases they can stay and watch the performance.

Davenport did the ushering thing a few times this season, including for the Tony-nominated play "Purpose," which has already won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. She said the work isn't too demanding, and you can't quibble with the price.

"It's the best deal in town," she concluded.

-Charles Passy

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June 07, 2025 15:21 ET (19:21 GMT)

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