How to Get Tickets to Shakespeare in the Park

For theatre-loving New Yorkers, the warm-weather months mean one thing: Shakespeare in the Park! And this year kicks off with Danielle Brooks (Orange Is the New Black) in Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon, followed by a Daniel Sullivan–helmed Coriolanus and a new stage adaptation of the Disney film Hercules.

And as time-honored as the star-studded productions are, there is another, equally time-honored tradition: waiting in line for tickets. (This may be the only thing for which diehard New Yorkers will wait in line!) But did you know you don't have to wait in line in Central Park to score tickets? Here are the four ways to spend an evening under the stars with the Bard—but be warned, you must register for a Public Theater Patron ID!

The Delacorte Theatre
The classic way to get tickets is still to queue up outside the Delacorte Theatre. Tickets (two per person) are handed out every performance day at noon. There will also be a standby line for performances after the tickets have all been handed out.

Across All 5 Boroughs
A limited number of vouchers, which can be exchanged for tickets at the Delacorte box office between 5 PM and 7 PM, are made available to Public Theatre Patrons for select performances throughout the five boroughs. They are handed out day from noon until 2 PM (or when the vouchers have all been handed out). Click here to learn more about becoming a Patron. And for a list of 2019 borough locations, click here.

Digital Lottery
If you can’t make it in person, try the lottery! Free tickets are every performance day via the TodayTix app and the Public’s website.

The Public Theater
Vouchers are also be distributed (two per person) at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St. at Astor Place. Vouchers will be distributed via an in-person lottery on the day of each performance. Sign-up begins at 11 AM, and the lottery is drawn at noon.