To Lure Audiences, It Takes More Than Free Tickets

So the British government is launching a £2.5 million free-ticket scheme for 18- to 26-year-olds. “But price is not the only factor,” Lyn Gardner argues. “Large numbers of young people simply don’t think that the theatre is for them, and may well end up having that view confirmed if they turned up on a Monday night to see Turandot at Hampstead theatre or were unfortunate enough to get Afterlife rather than War Horse at the National – or, indeed, are forced to deal with the mysteries of the RSC advance booking system.”