The best things in life are free and the same goes for theatre.
While there may be no such thing as a free lunch, there is the very real possibility of free – or at least very cheap – tickets for theatregoers in the capital. Although the Arts Council's A Night Less Ordinary Scheme, which offered free theatre tickets for under 25s, came to an end earlier this year, there are still plenty of opportunities to see shows on the cheap.
Youth can be one of your biggest assets when looking for discounted tickets and many theatres continue to offer their own schemes in the wake of A Night Less Ordinary's demise. The best of the bunch is the National Theatre's Entry Pass scheme which, in return for the minor inconvenience of sending off a paper form and waiting a couple of weeks, gives under 25s the opportunity to bag £5 tickets to all productions.
Other theatres in London that offer similar cheap and free ticket schemes for young people and students include the Barbican, Donmar Warehouse, Old Vic, Royal Court, Soho Theatre, Young Vic and the Finborough Theatre – among others. Discounted tickets usually get snapped up fast, so make sure you book early.
For completely free shows you can't do much better than the annual festival of free theatre at the Scoop open-air amphitheatre on the South Bank, running throughout August and September. To keep you going throughout the rest of the year, many theatres, such as the Arcola, offer 'pay what you can nights', while the Lyric Hammersmith offer free tickets to local residents for the first night of every production.
Image: Colin Smith
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