08 January 2013

Melbourne please follow Belvoir's example

Yesterday, Belvoir theatre in Sydney allocated a number of free tickets for Newstart families for their production of Peter Pan.

Peter Pan rehearsal. Photo by Brett Boardman.


"At Belvoir we think theatre is a necessity, but we know that for a lot of families it is a luxury, especially for single parent families. With over 80,000 single parents moved from a parenting payment to Newstart on 1 January things are that little bit harder.

We’d like to share the joy of theatre with some of these families."

More info here.

I'd love to see some Melbourne companies and organisations follow this example.

If you have unsold seats, why not give them to people who can't afford the luxury of a theatre ticket? Not just the families who have been forced onto Newstart, but anyone who is in a position where they are reliant on Centrelink.

Know that these tickets would be appreciated and loved, even if they are in the top balcony (War Horse, I'm talking especially to YOU).