Want to see live theater on a budget? The region offers plenty of options
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Live theater has a reputation for being an expensive night out. The prices of tickets alone can easily cause sticker shock, especially if it’s an outing for the whole family. As it turns out, there are a lot of options for discounted tickets, even from the area’s biggest names in live entertainment, and plenty of smaller theater companies who do great work and won’t break the bank.
Cheaper tickets for students and young people are common amongst many cultural institutions.
Whether it’s a big show or a more intimate performance, theater can be in reach of even the most money-conscious arts lover — and their whole family.
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust offers tickets discounted up to 50% for many of their shows for students at local universities. At City Theatre on the South Side, people under 30 can buy two $20 tickets apiece by calling the box office at 412-431-2489 in advance of the performance.
“We don’t want to exclude anyone from being able to attend live theater. Part of the joy of doing this is to make sure that our work can be seen by as many people as possible,” said Joel Ambrose, director of ticketing and patron services at City Theatre. “The nice thing about working in this type of field is that we’re able to adjust based on the needs of the community and constantly be rethinking and reshaping how our discounts work and how we can best meet the patron where they are.”
The Pittsburgh Opera offers “Cheap Seats” for college students at a 50-75% discount. Pittsburgh Public Theater in downtown Pittsburgh offers HOTTIX, which are for full-time students or people 26 or younger, and cost $16.50, subject to availability. Quantum Theatre, which stages unique performances in venues all over the Pittsburgh area, offers $18 student tickets for many shows.
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra also offers student rush tickets for $10 (one per ID) one hour before their classical concert performances at the Palace Theatre box office.
Most of these discounts also apply to university faculty and staff members. All of these offers require the presentation of a valid ID (either a university ID for student tickets or for age verification) to gain entry.
Discounts for seniors are also popular. Many theaters offer rush tickets for senior citizens, though it’s important to check on age restrictions and timing.
At the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, people 65 and older can get 50% off if they purchase at will call in the hour and a half before a performance. That same age group can buy 25% cheaper tickets from Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse. City Theatre sells $25 tickets to those 62 and older the day of performances, either over the phone or at the box office. Pittsburgh Opera also has a senior rush for those 65 and older, with half-off tickets at the box office two hours before the show, with Pittsburgh Public Theater having the same an hour before show time. All rush tickets are subject to availability and require ID.
For military members and their families, less expensive tickets are available for most performances. Participating institutions include the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Public Theater, City Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and more. The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra has free tickets for members of VetTix, a nonprofit organization that enriches the lives of military members and veterans.
If there are kids in the family who love going to the theater, they can get discounted tickets for a lot of shows. Arts organizations prioritize opportunities for the next generation to learn about different art forms. For example, the Pittsburgh CLO recently announced its “Family Pass” program, which allows the additional purchase of four $10 child tickets with each full-price adult ticket bought for select shows. These tickets are good for anyone ages three to 18.
Savings can also often be found by purchasing subscriptions for a company’s full or partial season or getting a big group together for a night out.
Lots of different discounts exist for live entertainment favorites all over the region, and every company is different. It’s always worth a call or a visit to an organization’s website to see what promotions they offer.
“We want to ensure that our doors feel wide open to all of the folks in our region,” said Aja Jones, director of marketing and communications for Pittsburgh Public Theater. “One of the ways that we do that is through a variety of discount programs and accessibility programs.”
She noted Pittsburgh Public Theater’s “Theater for All” program, which provides totally free tickets on a first-come, first-served basis for a performance of select productions before their opening.
“PBT (Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre) is working to make ballet accessible to all people, so we understand the importance of including a range of pricing options to ensure that everyone in the Pittsburgh area who is interested in watching a ballet performance can … at a price that is right for them,” said Laurie Rieger, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s public relations and media manager.
There are even more options to experience the magic of the stage on a budget. Southwestern Pennsylvania has a plethora of smaller theater companies that put on amazing shows for lower prices.
The Theatre Factory in Trafford sells tickets for $15 online for Thursday night performances and $20 for performances Friday through Sunday. They also have discounts for groups of 10 or more. Their 2023-2024 season includes shows like “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical” and “The SpongeBob Musical.”
For Greensburg Civic Theatre’s upcoming show the weekend of May 17, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime,” adult tickets are $16, senior tickets are $14 and student tickets are $11 when purchased in advance.
Butler Little Theatre performances cost $15 for all seats for the two remaining shows of their 2023-2024 season. The company uses community volunteers for creative and technical parts in all its shows. The two remaining productions in their 2023-2024 season are plays “Other Desert Cities” and “Ripcord.”
Armstrong Community Theatre, with performances in Worthington and Vandergrift, is also an affordable option. They produce five shows a year, with a variety of different styles and experiences. Their most recent production, a dinner theater show called “Death of a Hotsauce Salesman,” running April 19-21, was $30 a ticket for dinner and the show. Other 2024 shows will include “Alice@Wonderland,” “Sweeney Todd” and “I Hate Shakespeare.”
Gemini Children’s Theater in McKees Rocks produces interactive performances for children. Tickets to their shows are typically $15 for children and adults over the age of 3, and $5 for children under 3.
The Heritage Players, providing community theater to the South Hills of Pittsburgh, perform at the Seton Center in Brookline. Their next three shows are “Radium Girls,” “The Secret Garden” and “Macbeth,” and tickets for these productions vary from $12 to $15, with a $2 discount per ticket for seniors. Subscriptions for all three shows are $30 for the season.