The news comes from Arts Council England, South East as part of an announcement of successful applications to the Free Theatre initiative, which will see 618,000 free theatre tickets given to under 26 year olds across England in the next two years in an attempt to increase young audiences.
The awards were made across three categories – Premium (a £50,000 grant), Standard (£30,000) and Flexible (£10,000), with Milton Keynes Theatre receiving a Standard £30,000 award.
Judith Hibberd, Head of Performing Arts at Arts Council England, South East said: 'At the Arts Council, we believe that the arts have the power to inspire and transform lives - which is why our mantra is great art for everyone. For that mission to become a reality we must make it easy for young people to experience powerful and inspiring art, show them that the arts are for them and hopefully help create a new generation of arts audiences.
'The news that 22 theatres and arts centres across the south east will be opening their doors for free to young people is a fantastic step in the right direction and I can't wait to see it happen.'
Elizabeth Adlington, Chief Executive of Milton Keynes Theatre, said:
'We are thrilled to have been selected as a venue for free theatre ticket funding. This innovative scheme fully supports our existing commitment to reach young people in our community through our creative learning programmes and the reduced price schemes already in place. Importantly, it also helps to encourage a new generation to attend the theatre.'
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 scheme will run alongside the successful reduced price schemes for young people which many theatres already operate. Results of the pilot will be carefully monitored and, if successful, it is hoped that the initiative could be extended to other art forms.
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.
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