Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to inspire a lifelong love for theatre.
The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26—funded with £2.5 million of taxpayers’ money—was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.
The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached. 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 percent on 2006, itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost £470 million.
One theatre source criticised the Government’s priorities(优先考虑的事) in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s wasting money on this. The Yong Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”
There was praise for the Government’s plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”
Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.
Mr. Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”
Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”

Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to inspire a lifelong love for theatre.
The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26—funded with £2.5 million of taxpayers’ money—was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.
明年数以万计的剧院门票将赠送给青年人，这是政府鼓励青年毕生热爱戏剧文化计划的部分举措。
文化大臣安迪 伯纳姆昨天宣布了这项计划。该计划将向18至26岁的青年人提供免费的剧院座席，将耗用250万英镑纳税人的钱。该计划受到艺术界一些人士的谨慎欢迎，他们关注的是这些门票可能到不了最贫困的社会底层青年的手里。

The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached. 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 percent on 2006, itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost £470 million.
One theatre source criticised the Government’s priorities(优先考虑的事) in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s wasting money on this. The Yong Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”
There was praise for the Government’s plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”
该计划的出台源于伦敦西区各剧院票房火爆观众人数屡创纪录的现状。出现这种情况主要是电视台将歌舞剧表演形式引入了电视才艺表演节目之中。2007年剧院观众数量达到1360万人，比本身就创下记录的2006年还增长了百分之十。2006年剧院票房总收入同比增加了百分之十八，达到4.7亿英镑。
一个剧院人士批评了政府这个计划的做法，目前养老金领取者购买食品和燃料的费用尚显不足，政府还在耗资为赠票买单，他说：“我不明白政府为什么在这个计划上浪费金钱。《时代》杂志今天报道说，伦敦的杨 维克剧院以低廉的票价向观众提供了精彩绝伦的演出。“
来自皇家宫廷剧院的多米尼克 库克对政府的这一计划予以了赞扬。他说：“我支持任何能将青年人吸引进剧场的举措，尤其是这个计划不仅仅在伦敦实行而且涵盖全英国。”
Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.
Mr. Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”
Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”

95个公共资助的剧院可以申请为期两年的融资计划。作为回报，这些剧院将向18至26岁的青年人，按先到先得的方式，每周提供至少一天的免费入场券。这一天很可能安排在星期一，因为传统上这是一个安静的适合看戏的夜晚。
伯纳姆先生说：“年轻人去剧院看戏会发现那是一个令人兴奋的经历，并因此会受到鼓舞去探索一个崭新的世界。但有些人会错过了这个机会，因为他们担心剧院'“不属于”他们'。现在该是改变这种看法的时候了。“
（在野党的）影子文化大臣杰里米 亨特说：“真正的问题不在于让热情的儿童进入剧院，而在于改善艺术教育，使更多的年轻人登堂进入这个文化艺术教育的首选殿堂。因为有太多的孩子以为剧院是闲人免进的地方。“