Arts editors completely destroy box office incomes!
Felix Arts gives you the lowdown on the best arts deals in London, in a tear-out and keep guide to the capital
National Theatre: Entry Pass
The NT offers an Entry Pass to those aged 16 - 25. After registering and providing proof of age, you’ll be entitled to a whole range of NT delights including access to exclusive workshops and events, and discounts in the NT bookshops, cafes, backstage tours and prop hires. Most importantly, you’ll be able to register to £7.50 tickets to all NT productions. This year, the NT has doubled the number of tickets available to Entry Pass holders and there’s even the option to bring along a mate for £10.
Barbican Centre: Young Barbican
Similar to the NT, the Barbican Centre runs a Young Barbican scheme for 14 - 25 year olds. 50,000 Young Barbican tickets are released each year for all things art, film, theatre, and dance. Prices for most tickets will run you either £5, £10, or £15, with new film releases every Monday - Thursday for just £5. A friend also gets to join in on the fun for the same price. Oh, and there’s no annoying booking fees. Win, win, win.
English National Opera: Access All Arias
The AAA programme allows any full-time student - or anyone aged 16 - 29 - to apply for up to two tickets for productions at the London Coliseum. You’ll pay £30 for stalls, £20 in the dress circle, and £10 in the upper circle (plus a £1.50 booking fee cries). It’s a chance to nab some of the best seats in the house for amazingly cheap. “Accessible, Affordable, Amazing” according to the ENO. We agree.
Royal Opera House: ROH Students
By registering for ROH Students, you’ll unlock a world of goodies: Over 10,000 dedicated student tickets ranging from £1 - £25; 10 Slips and Standing tickets for every main-stage performance at face value (£4 - £9); 1 complete performance of Swan Lake next Season; 4 dedicated Amphitheatre performances; 2 tickets for £10 at par-ticipating cinemas; dedicated booking days for each Booking Season; Last-minute £10 Student Standby tickets; and discounts in bars. That’s probably more than you deserve, frankly.
The Old Vic: PwC £10 Previews
In partnership with PwC, the Old Vic prices at least half of all their seats for the first 5 previews for every production. These are released 5 weeks in advance and you can by up to 4 tickets per transaction. Make sure to sign up to the PwC £10 Previews mailing list to be reminded when the tickets are released; they go fast.
Royal Shakespeare Company: RSC Key
If you’re aged 16 - 25 (by this point, we’re assuming you are), and have a burning passion for Shakespeare, this is the deal for you. By signing up you’ll be able to register for £5 tickets to any of the RSC’s Stratford-upon-Avon (too far away, no thanks) or London (yes, please) shows for just £5. On top of that, you’ll receive a loyalty card - experience 5 shows and get 1 for free. And if you’re into that kind of thing, you’ll also get the chance to write for the RSC Key blog and review their shows.
Royal Court: Various schemes
The Royal Court Theatre offers a range of ways to save on their latest productions. First Look tickets are available for the first three performances of every production at a reduced price, while £12 Mondays reduces the prices of all Monday tickets - available for purchase 9am the day of. Finally, there’s 10p Standing: a limited number of standing spots in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, that go on sale one hour before the performance for just 10p. That’s half the price of a lime-cordial in the Union. Mad.
Donmar Warehouse: YOUNG+FREE
1,000s of the Donmar’s tickets are available to under 25’s for absolutely free. Literally zero money. Just sign up to the YOUNG+FREE email alerts on their site and you can register for up to two tickets per performance.
Felix Arts
In our opinion, the deal to trump all deals is our very own. By joining Felix you can apply for a press ticket to practically any production or exhibition in London. You might even get a plus one. All you have to do in return is write a 500-word minimum review of what you saw. We’ll even publish your name which, let’s be honest, is as close to a BNOC as you’re ever going to get.
