That’s theater as in Shakespeare and Rent, not theater as in “whatever crap movie Lindsay Lohan has out this week.” Real theater can run you a lot of money. Even garbage seats half a block from the stage cost $18,000 in New York City.

That’s why you should check out the third annual Free Night of Theater which will take place on Thursday, October 18, 2007 in over 50 cities around the country including:

• Atlanta
• Austin
• Boise
• Cincinnati
• Cleveland
• Connecticut (not a city, but small like one)
• Indianapolis
• Kansas City
• Lexington
• Los Angeles
• Minneapolis
• New Jersey (also not a city, but this is theater not geography)
• North Carolina (possibly the whole state, except the cities without culture or reading)
• Ashland and Eugene, Oregon
• Philadelphia
• Sacramento
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• Seattle
• Charleston
• Washington D.C.
• Wisconsin

If you’re not lucky enough to have a free night of theater happening in your area, check out local performances at area colleges. The students might overact a little to get a good grade, but the tickets are usually a lot cheaper than grown-up performances.