Last month Brian Stoll was able to snag a ticket to one of the hottest shows on Broadway — “Good Night, and Good Luck,” starring George Clooney. He paid $44.

Good luck, indeed, That will likely come as a shock to people who have seen the show (or who want to see it), considering that some tickets cost more than $900 on the show’s website and top $1,000 on resale sites like StubHub. Stoll considers those prices “ludicrous,” though he says he might have paid that much in the early years of “Hamilton.” Stoll, 37, of West Islip, has become such an expert on securing Broadway tickets at reasonable prices that he gives lectures on the subject at local libraries and community organizations. “I see around 30 shows a year,” he says. “I almost never pay more than $60.”

Like many Long Islanders who are Broadway fans, Stoll uses a variety of discount options, from the Theater Development Fund’s TKTS booth at Broadway and 47th Street to virtual lotteries and rush tickets. Stoll says he’s been a fan of live theater since his student days at Binghamton University, and he understands why people are willing to fork over big bucks to see actors like Clooney, or Denzel Washington (now in “Othello,” another show with stratospheric ticket prices).

“People like feeling close to these actors who they’re used to seeing on a screen,” says Stoll. “They want to be in the room where it happens,” he says, paraphrasing one of the best-known lines from “Hamilton.”

Exactly right, says Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League. Plays like “Good Night, and Good Luck,” currently the highest-grossing play in Broadway history, can demand such high prices because, he says, “people want to see these folks live on stage.” The demand is high, he says, because shows featuring high-profile stars usually have short runs (12 to 16 weeks).

And the current season is one of the best in many years. Laks points out that “there are incredible shows on Broadway that have much lower ticket prices. More than a third of our shows this season,” he says, “have an average paid admission of under $100.”

Even hot tickets like “Good Night” and “Othello” have cheaper options. Both offer digital lotteries and in-person rush tickets (students only at “Othello”) for $49. Stoll paid even less, thanks to membership in a TDF initiative, but that has reached capacity and is no longer available.

And while you probably won’t find those shows at the TKTS booth, there will be plenty to choose from, says Deeksha Gaur, executive director of TDF. “It’s an interesting moment,” she says. “We are definitely seeing an influx of stars on Broadway and that means those shows can command higher prices.” But, like Laks, she feels it’s important to note that there’s a wide range of ticket prices, with the ticket booths (one on Broadway, another near Lincoln Center) attracting thousands of people a day. Looking back to the last week in April, she said the booths had seats at 20 to 50% off for 33 of the 40 shows currently running, selling more than 12,000 tickets.

More than a million people a year are served by TDF, she says. People eligible to join (and that’s almost everyone) pay $42 a year to get tickets that cost just under $60 per show. “Every show’s the same,” she says, though of course not all shows are available. The organization also offers discounted tickets for its accessibility programs designed for people with hearing or vision limitations.

Beyond the well-known discounters, other options exist. Rochele Seskin, of Commack, producer of the upcoming Off-Broadway show “Fixing Frankie,” encourages people to see shows in previews or in limited Off-Broadway runs. “If you keep your finger on the pulse,” she says, “you’ll know what might be hot.”

Seskin also recommends joining nonprofit organizations like The Public Theater or Roundabout Theatre Company. “It pushes you to go in,” she says. “You’ll see some things that are not great, but then you see the gems,” she says, recalling seeing “Hamilton” right before it closed at the Public. “It was incredible to see it in that space.”

Calvin Zanetti, 22, an up-and-coming actor from Mineola, tries to see at least one Broadway show a month and he’ll often enter several different lotteries. “You’re bound to hear back from something,” he says, “and it may introduce you to a show you’d never expect to enjoy.” If Zanetti wants to see something right away, he turns to TodayTix, which discounts some shows and often allows him to select the seats he prefers (that would be the mezzanine).

Zanetti is a bit discouraged by the current high prices, which he believes are mostly the result of celebrity casting. He’s already got his eye on the recently announced “Waiting for Godot” with Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, coming this fall. “Those tickets will probably be really expensive,” he says, and he finds that frustrating. “Theater is meant to be for everyone, but these current ticket prices single out a lot of the younger people who want the experience.”

“I just don’t think it’s worth it to spend that much money,” says Stoll, who works hard to make sure he doesn’t. And, he admits, finding cheaper seats is “a bit of a thrill.” Stoll uses everything out there to find theater tickets in his price range. Along with the TKTS booth, rush seats and sites like TodayTix, he often checks out Theatr, a new resale app that lets customers sell tickets they can’t use. The good thing about it, he says, is that sellers can’t ask for more than they paid. And sometimes, they’ll even take less.

Another source is TheaterMania Gold, described as a “papering club” that fills empty seats for theater as well as concerts, dance and sporting events. Members pay $79.99 a year for access to free or inexpensive last-minute tickets. The theater offerings tend to be smaller productions, but every so often a Broadway show is available. If all else fails, shows that are completely sold out sometimes offer standing room, and Stoll is fine with that. “I almost always get a seat at intermission,” he says.

Bottom line is you have to be willing to do the work, Stoll says. And he knows a lot of people who are almost as eager as he is to see live theater. “I call my library talks 'Theater on a Budget,' ” he says. “But I should really call them 'Theaterholics Anonymous.' ”