Whenever someone I know is planning a trip to New York, their first question is practically always the same: how can I get cheap Broadway tickets? I'll be honest with you, my bargain ticket hunting days are somewhat behind me, as I rarely get to be an audience member. It's difficult to get to see other shows when you are always working at your own! For this post, I decided to mix things up a little and invited a special guest writer to help me out. I'm excited to introduce you to my beautiful friend Caitlin McNeilage. She is a wealth of Broadway knowledge and knows all the tricks to getting the best deals on discount tickets.

I am so excited to introduce you to one of my favorite people on Broadway: Butch Servilio. Butch is the Head of Automation at The Lion King and a long time Local One member. He generously invited me to check out Pride Rock and the automation underneath the stage. As Butch regaled me with hilarious stories from the show I warned him that he was never going to be able to get rid of me. Getting to know Butch has been one of the major highlights of my Broadway experience and I am so excited to share this interview with you!

I love Broadway for many reasons - my favorite of which being that we share a nickname. It’s a long story but when I was younger my mom jokingly named my rear-end “The Great White”. Funny enough, Broadway was given the same nickname when it was in puberty too! The Great White Way is a nickname for the New York City Theater District; more specifically, a twelve block stretch of Broadway from 41st up to 53rd street. The Theater District was given this name in the late 19th century, but let's rewind all the way back to when America was just a baby to give you some context. 

Every single day thousands of people pass through Times Square. Tourists flock to take pictures on the gigantic red steps that sit over the TKTS booth. Even though the north end of Times Square is a well-known part of the iconic American landmark, not many people know it has its' own name: Father Duffy Square. Even fewer know the historic significance behind the name. So whether you're a history nerd, obsessed with all things NYC (like me), or if you just enjoy being the know-it-all on your family vacation; buckle up for this short little history lesson!