Free seats for theatre shows

IT’S showtime for young theatre fans!

The Coliseum is to give away £30,000 worth of tickets to under-26s in a move to increase theatregoing among the young from February..

It will offer a minimum of 20 tickets a week for performances from Tuesdays to Thursdays for two years — 6,000 tickets in all.

The theatre is one of 200 around the country and 18 in the region joining a £2.5million Arts Council project.

The free-ticket scheme will be launched during a special open week, during which several free events will take place around the borough.

The Coliseum’s executive director, Liz Wilson, said: “We are thrilled about the opportunities the plan offers.

“We will be working with organisations such as Sure Start Children’s Centres to get young people to come to the theatre at a much earlier age. We are looking forward to bringing the magic of theatre to future generations.”

Current youth attendance at Oldham’s theatre is driven by children’s shows staged in Uppermill and at Coldhurst Lifelong Learning Centre. The annual pantomime is also a huge draw for the young.

But the Coliseum also hopes to use the grant to invest in more productions aimed at young people, and will be working with Oldham’s Theatre Workshop, Anglo-Asian company Peshkar and the University Centre to create “a real buzz about the arts” among young people.

Other theatres in the area joining the free ticket scheme include Contact Theatre and the Royal Exchange and Library theatres in Manchester, Bolton Octagon and the Met Arts Centre in Bury.