Thrifty Theater – Broadway on a Budget?

I have a confession to make.  I’m broke.

                I’m trying to balance my obsession with theater and the fact that I’m a full-time grad student working full time to pay the bills.  I’m literally saving my pennies for a trip to New York City – I have a “Broadway Jar” with $68 in change in it.  However, something in me needs theater.  I can’t live without it.  And I like to be super close to the action – the best seats possible.

                My mom’s advice?  “Maybe you shouldn’t be such a theater snob.”  Thanks, mom.  She was, of course, referring to my tendency to buy the most expensive seats available despite my limited budget.  Yet I can’t imagine living my life differently.  A little credit card debt compared to the pain and agony of never being able to go to the theater?  No contest.

                However, I have a plan.  I’m going to try to save money by (gasp!) opting for less-expensive seats, except for a select few shows.  For example, when Hair and In the Heights come to the Durham Performing Arts Center next season, I am, of course, going to splurge on killer seats.  But I think I’ll survive with balcony seats for other shows.  It will be a chance to prove to my mom that I’m not a snob, and to prove to myself that theater can also be enjoyed from further back than ten rows from the stage.

                I’m thinking that for some shows, it might actually work better to be in the balcony – like The Lion King and Shrek the Musical.  Perhaps a less expensive seat could actually be a better theater experience.  But I still want to sit as close as possible for Hair.
               Any advice for broke theater fans like myself?  I'd love some tips for when I do save enough pennies to make that trip to the Big Apple.