Decide what shows you want to see and when you plan to attend. If you are unfamiliar with the city or theater, visit the theater Web site for a venue map. Look at the seating structure to familiarize yourself with the layout, sections and rows. Determine if the date and time or seat location are the most important. This will help you in your search.
If it's important to sit where you can see everything that happens on stage, plan to attend during off-peak seasons and times. For example, off-peak seasons in New York City are the months of January, February, September and October. Also, weekday shows and matinees may have more tickets and better seating options than opening night, Friday or Saturday night performances.
Visit an online theater ticket source. Several major vendors, such as America Performs, Ticketmaster and Theater Mania, offer theater tickets in many different cities. These resources feature ticket purchasing information for numerous shows. America Performs allows you to search by city. Click on the city of your choice, for example Phoenix, and you will be directed to that city's events site. Click on the theater section and review the list of available shows, dates and venues. Look at seating options. You can purchase tickets from the show page. If you need more information about a particular show, visit the official Web site that is listed for the production. All ticket sources list best available seating prior to purchase.
Visit the official Web site of the production. If you know you want to see a specific show, you can purchase tickets from the official site. Click on "purchase tickets," then select the date and time of the performance you prefer. You will be able to see the best available seats or a seat map to select from. You can also visit the theater box office to ask questions, look at venue seating charts and buy tickets directly.
Visit an online theater ticket broker. There are several major ticket brokers such as StubHub, RazorGator, VIP Ticket House and Ticket Liquidators. Many ticket brokers specialize in hard-to-find theater tickets. You can search by featured tickets or by city. Contact the theater ticket broker directly with your questions.
Visit a discount ticket booth. America Performs has a list of all discount ticket booths in partnership with The Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations (APASO). Some booths offer tickets at discounts of 20 to 50 percent.
Visit the theater box office early on the day of the performance you wish to see. Some shows do a special release of tickets on hold then. The box office may also have returned tickets available at a discount.