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As a frequent patron of musical theater I’m always looking for ’secret’ ways to get discount tickets to shows.  Wether it’s checking the local theater’s rush policy(usually half-price tickets 30 or 60 minutes before show time), or searching for Ticketmaster promo codes I’m always up for a discount.  Here’s a great article from CNN that covers a few Broadway tricks.  I’m copying the entire article over because I don’t trust CNN to keep it live and I personally would like to refer to it. So

Read full article at CNN

Crack the codes

When you’re buying tickets online, the major agencies — Telecharge and Ticketmaster — ask for a promotional code, which can shave between 25 and 50 percent off the face-value price. You can find one of these codes by visiting Playbill, TheaterMania and BroadwayBox.com. These sites list promotional codes for many shows, including blockbuster productions like "Hairspray." Playbill and TheaterMania are more comprehensive but require registration. BroadwayBox.com posts a more limited number of codes, but you won’t have to cough up any personal information.

Insider’s tip: If you buy directly from a theater box office, where you can also use a code for savings, you will avoid the fees that Telecharge and Ticketmaster slap on the tickets they sell online.

Try a ticket broker

If you’re gunning for one of Broadway’s most popular shows, such as "Grease" or "Spring Awakening," you’re going to struggle to find discounted tickets from any source. Your best hope is to look for tickets during Broadway’s slow months: January, February, September and October. You’ll most likely find these tickets being resold by respected online ticket brokers, such as StubHub and TicketsNow — often, though not always, at a discount to their face values.

Buck the system at the 11th hour

General rush tickets and ticket lotteries are available to anyone looking to try his or her last-minute luck. Some productions, including "The Color Purple" and "Chicago," sell a select number of discounted tickets, called rush tickets, at the box office on the day of the show. Others, such as "Wicked" and "Avenue Q," hold lotteries in which people go to the theater a few hours before a show and enter their names in a drawing. Rush and lottery tickets usually cost between $20 and $30. Go to TalkinBroadway.com or Playbill.com for details on the rush and lottery practices of the top productions.

Sit onstage

Two popular musicals offer onstage seating at a fraction of the standard prices. "Spring Awakening" sells 26 onstage seats at every performance for $31.50 a pop (which is far less than the typical $70 a seat); "Xanadu" sells 22 onstage seats for every performance at $41.50 apiece. These seats tend to have rear or side views that obscure some of the action, but they still sell out quickly because viewers get to sit so close. It’s best to book "Spring Awakening" onstage seats about four months in advance; "Xanadu" onstage seats require a lead time of a week or two. Onstage seating is available at the box offices as well as through Telecharge.

Take a stand

For theatergoers feeling light on their feet, sold-out shows can be a good thing. Many productions — even hot shows like "Jersey Boys" and "Spamalot" — offer standing room only (SRO) admission when no audience seats are left. Like rush tickets, most SRO tickets fall in the $20 to $30 range and can be purchased at the box office on the day of the show. Find out which productions offer SRO by visiting TalkinBroadway.com and Playbill.com.

Become a member

The nonprofit Theatre Development Fund — which also operates the red-and-white TKTS booths in Times Square and at the South Street Seaport that sell discounted, same-day tickets — has a TDF membership program that offers advance tickets for less than $35 for some Broadway shows (without the hassle of standing in a line). To join, you have to be a student, a teacher, a union member, a senior, a civil service employee, a nonprofit or performing arts organization employee or a member of the armed forces or clergy. There’s an annual membership fee of $27.50, but you can usually make up the difference in a single show, given that the average Broadway ticket goes for $76. Find membership details at tdf.org.

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