I'll do anything to get a cheap theater seat. Sit anywhere. Stand in any line. In fact, on any given morning that I'm in Manhattan, you can often find me at the South Street Seaport TKTS booth, scoring half-price tickets to something.

TKTS has long been the gold standard for getting cut-rate show tickets in New York. There are two booths, one in Times Square and one in the South Seaport neighborhood, a 15-minute subway ride from midtown (see maps at www.tdf.org). The more remote one always has shorter lines, so it's the one I use.

There are other ways to get ticket discounts (though typically not quite as deep) that don't require standing in line.

"Why should you stand on line when you can go online?" asks Broadway producer Ken Davenport, who has launched two websites that offer cut-rate tickets: www.broadwayspace.com for Broadway shows and www.bestofoffbroadway.com for off-Broadway shows.

Davenport is an investor in some of these shows, including "Blithe Spirit" (as little as $36.50 on Broadwayspace.com) and "Altar Boyz" (starting at $49.99). But his site also sells tickets to shows he's not involved with, including such popular ones as "August Osage County" ($46.50) and "Mamma Mia!" ($60).

If you can see more than one show when you're in New York, consider choosing at least one off-Broadway production. A full-price Broadway ticket often runs $115 to $135; off-Broadway tickets are typically half as much. Besides, off-Broadway is its own experience.

"Off-Broadway is like the independent films of theater," Davenport says, noting that many off-Broadway shows wind up on Broadway later.

Another tip from Davenport that applies to both Broadway and off: Certain seats at every show are reserved for the producer and cast to give their friends. If these aren't used, they're released, typically 48 hours in advance. You'll pay full price, but it might be the only way to get a really tough ticket.

If you're going to spend the money to go to New York and see theater, research the choices ahead of time.

"The last thing you want is to save $10 or $20, but not see something you want to see," Davenport says. You need to know what shows you're interested in before you go to the website or the TKTS booth. So buy a New York Times -- Friday's the best day for arts coverage -- and check out the reviews. Or go to www.didhelikeit.com to get a quick snapshot of what the critic thought.

"The 'he' in 'Did he like it?' is obviously [New York Times critic] Ben Brantley," Davenport says. The website also lets you check out what other reviewers think.

This has been a rather tough year for Broadway, as it has been for all attractions.

"People this year are choosing to see two or three shows instead of four or five," Davenport says. That means that as a producer, he's backing only shows that he sees as "unbelievably compelling" to theater-goers. An example is Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit," currently at the Shubert, because it stars Angela Lansbury, a great lady of the theater with big pull power, in a role that's perfect for her.

That's not saying that those shows are your cup of tea, of course. That's why you need to read the reviews.

After the show, try some food and stargazing at Joe Allen (326 W. 46th St.; you can usually pop by without a reservation) and, above it, Bar Central. You're likely to see folks you know. Last time we ate at Joe Allen's, we sat near Gabriel Byrne and Neil Diamond (not together). And the food's affordable and good.

Theater district hotels are typically pricey, but there are some inexpensive ones. A good small one with personality is the Da Vinci Hotel (244 W. 56th St., 1-212-489-4100; www.davincihotel.com). Rates start at $159. If you're taking a family, here's a theater package: two nights for a family of four at the Buckingham Hotel (101 W. 57th St., www.buckinghamhotel.com; 1-888-511-1900), four tickets to Disney's "Mary Poppins" and a CD of the show for $798. It's a savings of about 25 percent.