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99 theatres awarded funds for young people’s free theatre initiative

We have just announced the names of 99 successful applicants, representing more than 200 venues across England, which have been invited to take part in a pilot scheme to give away 618,000 free theatre tickets to under 26 year olds in the next two years.

116 applications were received, including some from groups of venues acting as consortia. The applications were scored against the published criteria for the scheme and scrutinised by an overview panel to ensure a good spread of participating venues across the country.

99 awards have been offered across three categories - Premium (a £50,000 grant), Standard (£30,000) and Flexible (£10,000). Twelve London theatres, including Battersea Arts Centre, Donmar Warehouse, the Royal Court and the Tricycle - collaborated with Audiences London on an application for ten awards totaling £300,000 and a Premium award was made to a consortium of over 65 professional arts venues and village halls in Cornwall.

Other successful applicants include West Yorkshire Playhouse, the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Met Arts Centre in Bury, Nottingham Playhouse, Watford Palace Theatre and Sunderland Empire.

The free theatre scheme - which will be named in the New Year - is supported by £2.5 million additional funding to the Arts Council’s core grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Since its announcement in September, Arts Council England has worked with the sector to finalise parameters for the scheme and to assess applications.

Attendance at arts events traditionally drops in the 18-26 age range and so this initiative is specifically targeted at young adults and their families. It is designed to reach new audiences and develop a new generation of arts attendees.

The free theatre scheme will go live across the country on 16 February 2009, with a week of special activities at all participating venues. A dedicated web site will be launched in the New Year, providing details of venues in your area and direct links to book free tickets.