Damp Mornings and Theatrical Afternoons: A NYC Theater Rush Guide

Happy Tonys everyone! I declared my triple major in Theater, French, and English this year, which is exciting, and good news, I will now officially never get a job!

The decision to sign my life away to the stacks of Olin library and the 92' Patricelli Theater came after many, many phone calls and lists of requirements, and honestly, I'm still unsure about what the heck I am doing. Every time Tony season comes around I am hit with a wave of excitement and anxiety: the awards are significant in my field, and I love watching history get made in the theater industry.

The real reason I spend a lot of time watching acceptance speeches (My favorites: Patina, Lin, Heather, Idina, Kelly, Ben) is because I get to watch people's dreams come true. The downside, of course, is that all my insecurity about my future in a challenging and ever-changing world of theater is brought out when I see dreams come true for other people. It's so easy to fall down the rabbit hole of I'm-not-good-enough, especially while I'm still studying and trying to understand my place in the industry. I don't know if there is a remedy for this, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who needs a good minute after watching the Tonys to freak out about life decisions.

Also, all those performances lead me straight to TodayTix and the box office to spend all my money.
AND, since one of my favorite ways to spend money is to see theater in New York, I thought I'd share my tips and tricks for getting tix!

As soon as I got home from college this summer I checked the rush lists and set my alarms for an ungodly hour so that I could get in to see some of the shows of this season before the rush from the Tony Awards got into full swing. I've done a LOT of rush in my life, and lemme tell you, it's a test of stamina, especially when we're talking about the in-demand Broadway shows (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hanson, etc). Playbill has created a great list that tells you the where, when what and why of each show that offers rush. There are a few differentiating factors between rush policies:  

General Rush is open to everyone, just so long as you get on the line before the theater runs out of their rush tickets. I usually assume that each theater has a range of 10-20 tickets to offer for rush a night, but this amount of tickets changes depending on the day and the show. Offers 1-2 tickets per person.

Lottery is (you guessed it) a lottery system that is more and more often online, where you can download an app and enter every day. If the lottery is in person, you show up (when exactly depends on the show's policies) and fill out a slip of paper, which is then (hopefully) drawn. Offers 1-2 tickets per person.

Student Rush is exactly what it sounds like: it functions just like General Rush, just don't forget your student ID! Offers 1-2 tickets per person.

Standing Room also functions like rush, but the tickets are harder to bet on. Standing room can be given to guests of the cast/creative team/crew, so there are not necessarily standing room tickets every day. Offers 1-2 tickets per person.

Cancellation Tickets get more complicated. Fans and theatergoers tend to line up for cancellation tickets when the show is well known and sold out for the foreseeable future (i.e Hamilton). These lines are the most intense and star the earliest. Offers 1-2 tickets per person.

(Rushing Dear Evan Hansen)

 What to Bring
The key to rushing is comfort on all levels: you are going to be standing/sitting on the gross sidewalk for a while, and if you're unlucky, you'll end up sitting in an NYC dirty water puddle. (Blech!)

Many Layers of Clothes

• I cannot tell you how many times I have shown up to rush looking like a full-on marshmallow. Rush mornings always seem to be strangely cold, and I highly recommend not wearing your cutest outfit. Opt for warm layers that you can easily take on and off, and comfy shoes!

Something to sit on

• If it's raining, I highly recommend bringing an Ikea Bag to sit on, so that your butt stays blissfully dry. If you have a lawn chair lying around, think about bringing it. You'll be much more comfortable, but everyone else in line will judge you. I've never tried pillows, but I bet it's worth a shot.

Nourishment/Activity

• Food and water and shit to do! I tend to bring a granola bar or something similarly easy to grab in the morning, a water bottle, and if I'm feeling ambitious, a thermos of tea. I also bring a book, some knitting, and my headphones. 

A Friend!!!!

• Friends are fun and nice. Also, having more than one person on line means that you can leave and come back while maintaining your spot: ya know, how lines work.

What to do 

(Needed a caffeine kick!)

• Charge your phone fully the night before.
• Figure out what the best time is to arrive. Playbill occasionally lists the earliest arrival, and depending on the show, arrival time can be between Midnight the night before-9:30AM before the box office opens at 10. If the show is in high demand, I would plan to arrive at 7:00AM (Dear Evan Hansen is a good example). If you are interested in a show with medium demand (Carousel//The Color Purple Revival) I would plan to arrive at 8-8:30AM. For a show with low demand (usually the more commercial and touristy ones) my arrival time would be around 8:30-9AM. If you are trying to see A Hamilton-demand show, you might have to try a few times to get the arrival timing right: I got to see Hamilton (when it was still OBC and crazy) because I was in a group that started waiting at 5AM. 
• Pick a day when less people are likely to have time to wait on line (weekdays are best)
• Find out how many tickets the people in front of you are getting, and assume that there will be more people joining. One of the irritating facts of rush is that you can hold places for other people (nice when it's your friend, not so nice when it is someone else)
• Don't get involved with line drama. Occasionally, because everyone is trying hard to get tickets, people can be a little aggressive and snippy. Try to be courteous and kind, but don't engage with them.
• Make sure you ask for rush tickets at the box office. If you don't there's a possibility they will try to sell you full price tickets for the show.
• Go to Little Steamed Buns Ramen for a fast and delish meal before your show
• Smuggle snacks in the theater--never buy from the concession stand unless you want $5 M&Ms.

Above all, don't freak if rush doesn't work out at all. Theater is all about the experience dahling, and the shows that you can rush will probably be around long enough for you to try again! I hope that this little crash course was helpful! Here's a hilarious article about the benefits of all 41 Broadway theaters. 

Enjoy!