Last Updated on: 5th October 2023, 05:43 am

How We Won The Book of Mormon Tickets Lottery?

Jonathan and I had wanted to see the Book of Mormon since forever and had hoped to catch a show when we visited New York. But alas, every night we checked availability, it was either full or only had overpriced tickets with a restricted view. However, we did manage to console ourselves by getting tickets to be part of a studio audience for Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah.

Fast forward a few months, and we found ourselves in the heart of Piccadilly, in London standing outside the Prince of Wales Theatre. And guess what was showing? Yes, the Book of Mormon!!

We ran into the box office but, ‘I’m sorry, tonight’s performance is completely full.’ Disappointed once again, the girl behind the counter continued, ‘But why not enter tonight’s ticket lottery, we have 22 tickets for tonight’s show for just £20 each at 5:30 pm. ’

Excitedly, we filled in a form with our names, where we were from, popped them in the golden raffle drum and headed to the nearest pub until the draw took place.

At 5:30 pm, on the streets of London, we joined a largish group outside the theatre, all eagerly hoping that they would be chosen. With theatrical flair, a countdown from ten to zero and a lot of cheering, the lottery draw began.

‘Korea, two tickets for Su-Yin’ a round of applause, and so it continued until the last ticket was drawn. ‘The last two tickets are for Malta, ‘I screamed with excitement. ‘Maria Borg!!!’ Wait, that’s not me. We walked away disappointed.

One More Chance to Win

But we weren’t going to give up that easily. We had one more chance to enter the theater lottery before we left London.

So, the next day we were there at 2:30 pm waiting for the ticket draw for the matinee performance. The ritual was exactly the same. We cheered, did a countdown and applauded the lucky winners.

And then, this happened. ‘Malta, she was so disappointed yesterday but Sarah Wilson, you have two tickets for this afternoon’s show.’ I nearly collapsed in shock; we had tickets for £20 each. And not just any old tickets but front row centre A22 and A23!

We had won Book of Mormon lottery tickets – and we loved every minute of the show!

How To Enter The Book Of Mormon Tickets Lottery in London

A limited number of tickets for each show are sold through an on-the-day lottery at the theatre for £20 each. For both performances, we tried for; they had 22 tickets for each show available.

Names are drawn at random with a limit of one entry per person, but when you enter, you write on the entry form whether or not you want one or two tickets. Tickets are subject to availability, but we got front row seats!! All entries are checked for duplication. You must be present at the time of the draw and have some form of ID on you.

Not only that, but there’s also a weekly online lottery. An additional pair of seats for each performance, also at £20 per ticket are available via a weekly online lottery. Entries for the lottery are accepted from midday (GMT/BST) each Wednesday for performances the following week.

For more details, check here.

Do Other Theatres Other Than Book of Mormon That Offer Ticket Lotteries?

Having discovered this lottery, I was curious to know if other theatres offered the same thing. They do! Here are just a few of the theatre ticket lotteries that are available now. If you know of others, please let us know.

Hamilton Lottery Tickets In London

We were also very interested in seeing the show Hamilton but in New York tickets were going at $400-500 each. As much as we love theatre, that is just a tad too much for us to pay. Hey, you could fly somewhere exotic for that price. Anyway, apparently, Hamilton also offers a lottery.

In London, the lottery opens every day at 4 pm with a 22-hour entry window. You can apply for a maximum of two £10 Lottery tickets online  or via the official HAMILTON App.

Successful applicants are notified with details of how to contact the Box Office to purchase their Lottery tickets.

I’ve already started entering. Well, London isn’t so far from Malta!

Lottery Tickets for Hamilton in the USA

For performances of Hamilton outside London, ie, Broadway, San Francisco, Chicago, Oklahoma City and Providence, the rules are slightly different to London.

The lottery opens at 11 am two days before the performance and closes at 9 am the day before. If you’ve won, you will be notified at 11 am and have until 4 pm to purchase the tickets. You will need to show photo ID when you pick tickets up at the box office.

For up to date details on the Hamilton lottery in the USA, check here.

Tina The Musical Lottery Tickets

Now, that we have seen the Book of Mormon, this is next on my theatre bucket list. Now, they don’t seem to have a lottery, but they do offer £25 rush tickets here.

For every performance of Tina, there’s a limited number of £25 Rush tickets. These are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
You have to download TodayTix in the App Store or Google Play Store. Then open and select Tina – The Tina Turner Musical.

To unlock and be able to access the ‘Rush’ section of the app, you have to post content about the Tina musical via Twitter or Facebook from within the app. You can buy up to two tickets for the featured performance once these are shown in the show section of the app. You must then pay for the tickets immediately to secure them.

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

Ok, I have to admit, we aren’t real fans of Harry Potter, but I know a lot of you are.

Apparently every Friday, 40 tickets for £40 or £20 per part (Guess it’s a long show!) are released for every performance for the following week. You can enter the lottery from Monday at 12:01 am to Friday at 1:00 pm.

If you are chosen, you will be notified between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm on Friday and have just one hour to claim tickets from the time of notification. Ooh, the pressure!

For more details, check here.

Aladdin The Musical, London

I admit I’m probably more keen to see this than Jonathan. But they have an online lottery that offers £20 seats to see the show.

The lottery opens on Mondays at 11 am and closes on Tuesdays at 11 am. You get to select up to three choices of performance for the following week and can win up to two tickets per draw.

For more details, and other Disney shows in the UK, check here.  

Wicked The Musical

I would also love to see this musical. Apparently, every day they have a limited number of front row Stall seats available at £29.50. These are released daily for that day’s performance at 10:00 am, and you’ll need to queue up in person at the Box Office. Tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis, so it’s not really a lottery. Maximum of two tickets per person.

Or also at 10 am, you can try and get tickets for Wicked through the TodayTix app. Also at £29.50 per person.

Theatre Lottery Tickets In A Nutshell

• They are always free to enter. You will either fill out an entry form at the theatre or an online form to enter a draw for cut-price tickets.
  
• The performance could be for the day of the draw, or up to two weeks ahead. It depends on the show.
  
• If you win, you’ll be told by email or there and then at the theatre draw if you’re entering for the Book of Mormon. You usually have a minimal time to decide to buy the tickets – but you’re not obliged to.
  
• The exact seats you’ll get varies. But at some theatres, they’re in the front row like ours were!!
  

Why Do Theatres Have Ticket Lotteries?

The lotteries are a cheap and excellent way for theatres to promote their shows. People like we did often share them on social media. Plus it’s a fantastic way to introduce new, younger theatregoers to the wonderful world of theatre or for those who might not be able to afford the often exorbitantly priced seats.

Have you ever won tickets through a theatre ticket lottery? What did you see? Tell us in the comments below.

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