For a city often characterized by expensive food, high-priced drinks and rising real estate prices, low-priced entertainment is actually pretty easy to find in DC –- if you know where to look. Live here awhile, and you’ll find yourself outraged when you travel elsewhere and discover you actually occasionally have to pay admission to get into a museum, or hand over more than $25 for a decent concert ticket. The theater scene is no exception — sure, a season of orchestra seats at the Kennedy Center may require you to plunge into credit card debt — but you can consistently see high-quality theater without paying a ton of money if you know the tricks. Here’s a roundup of the many options the District offers when it comes to cheap seats.

Pay-What-You-Can: Ah, the main reason this DCist makes it to her share of productions each year. Many local theaters offer PWYC performances, meaning theatergoers can fork up as much as they wish to pay for admission on select nights. Usually these PWYC shows fall during previews or the first couple nights of a particular show, and only go on sale for a limited time right before the curtain goes up. Some theaters which tend to offer PWYC include Olney Theatre in MD, Fountainhead Theatre in Arlington, Metrostage in Alexandria, and Catalyst Theater, Woolly Mammoth, and Studio Theatre in D.C. Check their websites for details.

The Washington Post’s weekly entertainment newsletter also usually gives you a heads up for any PWYCs on the horizon. Local theater blog TinWashington has just begun compiling a calendar of free, cheap and PWYC performances as well.