NT Travelex Tickets

[theatrepaul]

I went to a very interesting NT platform this evening marking 10 years of the Travelex £10 (now £12) ticket season.

Nick Hytner gave a very interesting insight into why he wanted to find a way to offer low priced tickets as part of his tenure as Director of the NT.

Pre Travelex, Olivier houses were at best achieving around 65% average capacity. Since Travelex they have been 90%+. He admitted that when the decision was taken to go with a discounted ticket offer, the NT would lose money even with 100% audiences. That only changed when Travelex came on board at the last minute.

Lloyd Dorfman, founder and chairman of Travelex gave some interesting stats on the results of the partnership. As well as achieving 90% + audiences across Travelex productions, the offer of reduced price tickets has meant that at least 30% of those buying the tickets are visiting the NT for the first time.

Simon Russell Beale who was also part of the panel commented on the fact that he'd noticed younger audiences at performances of Timon of Athens, part of the current Travelex season of productions. He also said that from an actors perspective there was no difference being part of a Travelex production to any other at the NT, despite the reduced costs per production.

Nick Hytner and Marianne Elliott, another of the panel commented on the reduced budget for props, sets etc which run at c 50% less than other NT productions. She mentioned the production of Saint Joan which relied on chairs for much of its set and how it worked brilliantly. I recall the very first NT Travelex production, Henry V having a very sparse set but thinking about Timon of Athens, I would say it's a pretty lavish production in its staging. In both cases the production values remained as high as you'd expect from the NT.

Attending the platform got me thinking what a fantastic partnership this has been. Having the Olivier Theatre opened up thanks to so many of the tickets being sold at low prices is exactly what our National Theatre should be doing and by doing so, has clearly opened up the world of theatre to new audiences.

The NT and Travelex deserve much credit for delivering this offer over 10 years, featuring some incredible productions and performances.

It has I'm sure influenced other theatres thinking on ticket pricing and long may it continue.

[abitoftap]

I've just had an email about the Donmar front row offer...£10 for 2/3 of the fr seats offered 2 weeks before the week of performance

[theatrepaul]

The Donmar have unquestionably influenced by the success of the NT Travelex offer.

I recall Michael Grandage previously commenting on how the theatre had tried to look for ways to overcome the problem of shows selling out quickly, so making it difficult for many theatregoers to see shows there without being a member which doesn't sit comfortably with them being publicly funded. This in part informed their decision to host a West End season a few years ago.

I think this £10 offer allows the Donmar to say that its doors are open to everyone who wants to see a show there, if they're prepared to wait until 2 weeks before the show and try for these tickets and not just to those who are members and prepared to pay for the privilege.

I'd like to see the RSC do more both in Stratford and London to encourage lower priced ticket sales.

[abitoftap]

Not living in London, the fact that they're available (albeit probably briefly!) online, gives us out of towners a decent chance of picking up a ticket.

[theatrepaul]

I think the Donmar decision is great news and they are offering some excellent seats too.

If it delivers the same result as for the NT with Travelex, many people will get to see Donmar productions for the first time and that's fantastic.

[Jonwo]

The Donmar's £10 scheme is a good idea but their prices aren't too bad with a top price of £32.50 but their problem is more that due to the size of the venue, hot shows tend to sell out more quickly.

[theatrepaul]

Yes you're right. I think they've had day seats available before but this new offer will give them much more flexibility in their ticket offer.

[dgjbear]

I think this is a great initiative and seen a few things I couldn't have afforded risking otherwise.