Free theatre tickets to attract young
Feb 17 2009 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal
A LIMITED number of free theatre tickets for the under 26s will be made available at noon today.
It’s days like these I long for my early twenties. Newcastle’s Theatre Royal, Live Theatre and Northern Stage are all offering tickets as part of the Arts Council scheme, A Night Less Ordinary.
During the next two years, £80,000-worth of tickets will be given out to the under 26 age group in the North East, as well as other specially targeted groups who rarely visit the theatre for a variety of social and economic reasons.
As well as the three-strong consortium of Newcastle venues, the Sunderland Empire, the Customs House, South Shields; the Highlights Rural Touring Scheme; and Darlington Civic Theatre and Arts Centre are also making free tickets available for a variety of performances.
Visit www.anightlessordinary.org.uk for full details.
Today, tickets for West Side Story at the Theatre Royal and Othello at Northern Stage will be up for grabs, but are only available to those people who either call or visit the venues’ box offices. A dedicated website www.newcastletheatres.org.uk , will be updated regularly with details of the following month’s free tickets from the Newcastle-based theatres. Live Theatre will make some tickets available for a new play, You Couldn’t Make It Up, during the week beginning February 23.
Alison Clark-Jenkins, director of arts and development, Arts Council England North East, said: “This is a unique experiment for the Arts Council. The cost of a theatre ticket is only one of the barriers to young people attending theatre – but removing that barrier will help more young people experience a night out that’s up close and live, and stays with you long after you leave the theatre.”
