So I've been making a lot of noise on social media (as I am want to do) about the recent revelation that, under the new artistic direction of Matthew Warchus, the Old Vic Theatre will no longer offer it's under 25s tickets club offering seats for £12 to every performance of each production, sponsored by pwc.
In place of the old scheme will be £10 tickets to the first three preview performances, a change which they claim is making more tickets available at an even lower price (all of two pounds) for theatregoers of all ages meaning their productions are made more available to everyone. Right? Wrong.
Under this new system, theatregoers are rewarded for having the quickest trigger finger on a mouse button the day that tickets go on sale, the same group who thrive under the Donmar's Barclays front row seating policy, and this has nothing to do with making tickets more available for any groups who would ordinarily be less able to go to the theatre.
By contrast, the Young Vic theatre is not only retaining £10 tickets for Under 25s AND students in full time education, but they continue to subsidise tickets for theatregoers in their local surroundings who might not be able to otherwise afford it. Similarly, ticket subsidy for young people remains in effect at the National Theatre, the Menier Chocolate Factory, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, The Barbican, the RSC, Chichester Festival Theatre and all ATG theatres to name just a few. By comparison, this move leaves the Old Vic in a very elitist light.
After starting a dialogue with me on this issue on twitter, the press and publicity department of the Old Vic informed me that this ought to be celebrated for all theatregoers, however it clearly benefits all ages equally and provides less opportunity and incentive for young people, who, as the next generation of theatregoers, the theatre community should be making a qualified attempt to nurture. The Old Vic twitter team also suggested I subscribe to their mailing list to find out more about their new ticket sponsorship programme from pwc, which I shockingly declined.
I can appreciate that they are retaining some system of ticket subsidy and that while I have utilised their £12 tickets in the past I've infrequently witnessed full rows of young theatregoers; however this was one of my first entries into theatregoing and the fact that this opportunity will not be made available to so many enthusiastic young people baffles and saddens me.
To this end, you shan't be seeing me at the Old Vic theatre until I feel this enormous lapse in judgement has been properly rectified and for as long as they remain the only major Southbank theatre which ostracises young people.
In place of the old scheme will be £10 tickets to the first three preview performances, a change which they claim is making more tickets available at an even lower price (all of two pounds) for theatregoers of all ages meaning their productions are made more available to everyone. Right? Wrong.
Under this new system, theatregoers are rewarded for having the quickest trigger finger on a mouse button the day that tickets go on sale, the same group who thrive under the Donmar's Barclays front row seating policy, and this has nothing to do with making tickets more available for any groups who would ordinarily be less able to go to the theatre.
By contrast, the Young Vic theatre is not only retaining £10 tickets for Under 25s AND students in full time education, but they continue to subsidise tickets for theatregoers in their local surroundings who might not be able to otherwise afford it. Similarly, ticket subsidy for young people remains in effect at the National Theatre, the Menier Chocolate Factory, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, The Barbican, the RSC, Chichester Festival Theatre and all ATG theatres to name just a few. By comparison, this move leaves the Old Vic in a very elitist light.
After starting a dialogue with me on this issue on twitter, the press and publicity department of the Old Vic informed me that this ought to be celebrated for all theatregoers, however it clearly benefits all ages equally and provides less opportunity and incentive for young people, who, as the next generation of theatregoers, the theatre community should be making a qualified attempt to nurture. The Old Vic twitter team also suggested I subscribe to their mailing list to find out more about their new ticket sponsorship programme from pwc, which I shockingly declined.
I can appreciate that they are retaining some system of ticket subsidy and that while I have utilised their £12 tickets in the past I've infrequently witnessed full rows of young theatregoers; however this was one of my first entries into theatregoing and the fact that this opportunity will not be made available to so many enthusiastic young people baffles and saddens me.
To this end, you shan't be seeing me at the Old Vic theatre until I feel this enormous lapse in judgement has been properly rectified and for as long as they remain the only major Southbank theatre which ostracises young people.