A Double-Bill of plays for 50p at the Citizens Theatre

The last 50p ticket sale of the Citizens Theatre’s Spring 2013 season will take place this Saturday 18 May at 10am with 100 bargain tickets available for the theatre’s double-bill of plays by Caryl Churchill, Far Away and Seagulls.

100 tickets across 10 performances of Far Away and Seagulls will be available for 50p. The box office will open at 10am on Saturday morning, though keen bargain-hunters may wish to stake their place in the queue even earlier to ensure their 50p ticket.  The only way to grab the bargain tickets is in person at the theatre, with tickets limited to two per person. 50p tickets for Far Away and Seagulls are only available on the morning of Saturday 16 May and must be paid for in cash.

Set in a futuristic but recognisable world, Far Away is an unsettling story spiked with black humour about a society on the cusp of annihilation, where even the natural world has turned against itself. In this anarchic and divided society, a love affair blossoms against the odds. A decade after its London premiere, the themes of war, loyalty and the human response to extreme conditions still resonate powerfully with geo-political world events today.

With her country at war, a young girl is sent to the countryside to stay with her aunt, where she discovers a horrific secret. Several years later, the girl has grown up, and begins a relationship with her highly-politicised co-worker, discovering that the horrors of her childhood were only the beginnings of society’s disintegration. Later still, and the whole world is at war, with even the animals taking sides in the conflict. Escaping from the army, the girl steals a few moments with her husband and co-fighter and the sheer scale of the chaos and destruction is revealed. 

This season, over 300 50p tickets have been sold so far for plays at the Citizens Theatre. From its origins, the theatre has been focussed on ensuring that the world-class performances presented on stage are accessible to as many people as possible. 50p tickets are part of the Citizens Theatre’s wider pricing strategy to achieve this aim.

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For more information, interviews and images, or to request tickets, please contact Keren Nicol, Senior Marketing & Press Officer, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) 0141 418 6233.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Background to 50p tickets
The Citizens Theatre has a longstanding reputation for presenting world-class performances of classic texts at its Gorbals home at a fair price. The Citizens Theatre directorship of Giles Havergal, Phillip Prowse and Robert David McDonald were renowned in the 70s and 80s for their entrepreneurialism. However, their innovations and risk-taking not only include the famous choice of programme but in a whole series of experimentation including pricing and marketing. In the early 70s the theatre operated a tiered pricing structure, with tickets ranging from 40p to £1.10, but in 1976 a new 50p ticket price for all seats was introduced (25p for students and a free preview on the Thursday before the Friday opening). To put 50p in context, in 1976 the average weekly wage for a man was £70 and £45.30 for a woman. A loaf of bread was 19.2p and a pint of beer 32p. 50p tickets were re-instated in February 2012, with 100 tickets offered at 50p for Harold Pinter’s Betrayal.

As well as its 50p ticket initiative, the Citizens offers a wide range of affordable tickets. All tickets for performances on Tuesdays are priced at £12 and preview performances at £8. Local Gorbals residents can also enjoy performances at the Citz for only £2, with a range of other concessions available for registered unemployed, young people, senior citizens and groups. 

LISTINGS

Citizens Theatre presents
FAR AWAY
And SEAGULLS
By Caryl Churchill
Directed by Dominic Hill
Designed by Neil Haynes
Lighting Design by Lizzie Powell
Composer and Sound Design by Scott Twynholm
Cast: Kathryn Howden, Maureen Carr, Alasdair Hankinson (Citizens Theatre Actor Intern), Lucy Hollis (Citizens Theatre Actor Intern)
Dates: Thu 23 May – Sat 8 June 2013, 7.30pm (no performances Sundays or Mondays)

Previews: Thu 23 & Fri 24 May, 7.30pm
Matinee: Sat 1 June, 2.30pm
Audio Described performance: Thu 30 May, 7.30pm
BSL interpreted performance: Thu 6 Jun, 7.30pm
Post show talk with director Dominic Hill: Thu 30 May
Tickets: £12 - £19 (concessions available)
Previews £8 | Tuesdays £12 in partnership with The List
50p Tickets | 10 tickets, 10 performances on sale at 10am Saturday 18 May.
NB – 50p Tickets must be bought in person at the theatre, cash only.

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