Dog Day Afternoon is a 145-minute play at the 1,228-seat August Wilson Theatre. It runs through July 12, 2026 — a limited engagement, so cheap-seat demand typically rises in the final weeks. Multiple cheap-seat routes are in play: an official lottery, an in-person rush, and TKTS booth eligibility.

Some of the links below are affiliate links — EvenAisle earns a small commission when you buy through them. We pick the cheap-seat tactic that's best for you, not the one that pays us most.

Digital lottery

$45 Lucky Seat lottery

2 tickets per winner

Platform
Lucky Seat
Price
$45 per ticket
Entry window
Daily — opens the morning before each performance.
Draw / notification
Winners selected from 10 AM ET; pickup at the August Wilson with photo ID.
Quantity limit
Up to 2 per winner

One entry per person per performance. Seat assignment at box-office discretion.

Enter the Dog Day Afternoon lottery →
In-person rush

$45 box-office rush

Up to 2 per buyer

Format
In-person at the box office
Price
$45 per ticket
Opens
10:00 AM (Tuesday–Saturday), 12:00 PM (Sunday)
How to enter
Show up at the August Wilson Theatre box office (245 W 52nd St) when it opens. First-come, first-served.
Quantity limit
Up to 2 per buyer

$45 in-person rush — tied with the digital lottery for the cheapest legal seat.

Get directions to the box office →
TKTS booth

Same-day discounts at TKTS

Typically 20–50% off face value

Dog Day Afternoon has appeared at the TKTS booth (Times Square, Lincoln Center and the Lower Manhattan locations) — same-day discounts of roughly 20–50% off face value. Appearance and discount level vary day-to-day; shorter-running shows and weekday performances are the better bets.

See today's TKTS list →

How TKTS actually works →

The realistic playbook

  1. Enter the lottery first. Lowest price, zero effort. Set a daily reminder; the entry windows are unforgiving.
  2. Line up early for rush on a non-lottery day. Weekday performances are the friendliest.
  3. TKTS is the fallback. Same-day, in-person — head to the Times Square booth around 3 PM for evening shows.
  4. If all else fails, compare the resale market on the main Dog Day Afternoon page — sometimes resale dips below face for less-popular performances.

Next steps

Information last reviewed . Policies change frequently — confirm at the source before lining up or entering.

← Back to Dog Day Afternoon