‘Ticket Bank’ to offer free access to London theatre shows
Scheme will make 1,000 tickets available every week to those who cannot afford to pay for cultural activities
Unsold theatre tickets are to be given to people struggling with the cost of living in a cultural variation on food banks.
A London scheme, to be launched in the new year, will make about 1,000 tickets available each week to those who cannot afford to pay for cultural activities.
As well as theatre, the Ticket Bank will offer access to music, comedy and dance. Some of the capital’s leading cultural institutions, including the Barbican, the National Theatre and the Roundhouse, have signed up for the initiative, with more expected to join in January.
The Ticket Bank was the idea of Chris Sonnex, the artistic director of Cardboard Citizens. “There are brilliant people putting together food banks and heat banks, but that doesn’t give humanity its basic needs from a soul point of view. People who are suffering as a result of the cost of living also need access to community, entertainment and things that warm the soul,” he said.
“Art is a human right. And the tighter things get with people’s finances, the more they will be squeezed out of art.”
Sonnex took his idea to Caroline McCormick, the chair of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation. She said cultural institutions that have unsold tickets often offer them at short notice for free to “people like me” who are connected to the arts sector, known as “papering”.
“Even shows that appear to be sold out sometimes have a couple of empty seats,” she said.
The Ticket Bank will partner with organisations such as the Trussell Trust, which runs food banks, the housing charities Centrepoint and Positive Action in Housing, and the Longford Trust, which supports young ex-prisoners. These organisations will provide people with access codes allowing them to book tickets under the scheme.
Tickets will be available for free, or for pay-what-you-can donations. “Even 10p will be welcome, and a way of maintaining the dignity of people receiving the tickets,” said McCormick. The cost to venues will be minimal as the seats would otherwise be empty.
So far, seven arts organisations have signed up to provide tickets: the NT, the Roundhouse, the Barbican, the Almeida, Gate, Bush and Tara theatres. A further seven will be announced in January, and McCormick is “in conversation” with cinemas about the scheme.
“My hope is that other parts of the UK will take on the idea and replicate it in their areas,” she said.
Sonnex said there were “a million different barriers [to accessing the arts] but one of the biggest is ticket prices”.
While growing up on an inner London council estate, he said he could not recollect ever going to an art gallery. “I don’t think I went to a museum unless the school told me to go there. I lived five minutes from a renowned theatre, but I didn’t even know it was a theatre. So it’s important to reach as many people as possible to say: this is for you. That never really happened with me.”
He added: “If you reach out to people who have never gone to the theatre, and can’t afford it, then in years to come you might find they come back and say I really liked that and now I’ve got some money so I’m going to spend it [on tickets]. It’s future-proofing in a world where audiences are dwindling and getting older.”
And, at the very least, he said, “if people are going to the theatre, they’ll be warm for a couple of hours”.
Unsold tickets from arts venues are also donated to Tickets for Good, which offers access to live cultural events to NHS workers and students.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/dec/14/ticket-bank-to-offer-free-access-to-london-theatre-shows
How it Works
The Ticket Bank is for charities and community organisations that want to improve access to the arts for their service users; or as a reward for their service users/beneficiaries. We are keen to work with anyone that supports individuals facing barriers to attending events and who are less likely to have engaged in arts and cultural activities.
We aim to offer a service that supports more ticket donations to more community projects and increases participation in arts events.
Start using The Ticket Bank: Step-by-Step Guide
Only registered and approved users can gain access to the tickets donated to The Ticket Bank. To register, please follow the steps below.
Register to The Ticket Bank by filling in the basic account information on this page.
After completing the registration form, an administrator will review your information & then verify your account
When your account is verified, sign in on The Ticket Bank to access all the events we have to offer
Find an event you want to attend, and select how many tickets you’d like to purchase using your credits (1 CREDIT per ticket)
An admin will be in touch about accessing the ticket & ticket details
Go to the event and enjoy!
FAQs
What is a credit?
Each charity or community organisation signed up is allocated starter credits to use as they please on the website for purchasing tickets; these credits will refresh on a monthly basis. It works as 1 credit = 1 ticket. The credit system ensures that users will have fair access to the tickets available.
What kinds of events are available through The Ticket Bank?
Most of the tickets that we get donated are to arts events including theatre tickets and music events. We are always on the lookout for new venues who want to donate tickets and we are keen to know the types of events you’d like to see on the site.
Venues and event organisers we have previously worked with include Sheffield Theatres, Tramlines music festival and Migration Matters Festival.
How will I get my ticket?
After selecting the event and how many tickets you would like, you will receive an email confirming your selection. An administrator will then be in touch via email with details of how to gain access to the event for example; you could collect the tickets at the venue under a given name.
How does my account get verified?
On receiving an application to join The Ticket Bank an administrator will login and review your details; this will include confirming the details of the organisation, ensuring that the organisation is a registered charity or community organisation that operates for a social purpose. An administrator may use the details provided to contact you and ask more details about your organisation/group.
The people we work with have accessibility requirements, how do I know if an event is suitable for them?
Wherever possible we have tried to provide details on accessibility on the details about the event. However if you have specific requirements, please get in touch: info@theticketbank.org
All organisations are encouraged to also book tickets for a staff member, support worker or carer if this will be of benefit to those attending the event.
https://www.theticketbank.org/how-it-works
About the Aviva Community Fund
Building stronger, more resilient communities across the UK: that’s what we’re striving towards at Aviva, and it’s how we’ll continue to help small charities and community causes.
We know the causes that make the biggest impact are those that are given the opportunity to test innovative ideas and explore new sustainable strategies without fear of risk. That’s why the Aviva Community Fund backs the clever ideas that move communities forward and provides these amazing causes with vital support and
resources.
Every three months, £250,000 will be shared among our UK employees to donate to the projects that matter to them most. Each cause can apply for funding of up to a maximum of £50,000.
Got an idea that will move your community forward? We’ve got your back.
Is your project eligible?
We know your time is precious and we want to make sure you put forward a project that meets our eligibility criteria. So, before submitting an idea, please have a read through our eligibility checklist. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, please have a look at our FAQs, or contact us at communityfund@aviva.com.
Because we want to support forward-thinking causes which are helping to build stronger communities, your project should align with one of our Aviva purposes. All beneficiaries of your project must be in the UK.
Purposes
1. Climate Action: Promoting healthy, thriving communities by preventing, preparing for and protecting against the impacts of climate change
2. Financial Wellbeing: helping people take control of their wellbeing by giving them the tools to be more financially independent and ready for anything
Temporary change from October 2022:
We recognise that the rising costs of living is having a negative impact on charities and community organisations, and the communities they support. Organisations with core missions aligned to the Financial Wellbeing funding area can also apply to the Fund for funding to cover their usual operational costs.
To submit a project, you must:
• be age 18 or older
• be a UK resident
• use a UK IP address and not use a disposable email address.
Aviva: Public
And your organisation must:
• be registered in the UK as a charity or social enterprise
• be based in the UK
• have been operating for at least 12 months at the time of submission
• have an annual income of no more than £2 million (can be averaged over the last three years)
• have a UK bank account in its own name
• have a safeguarding policy if it supports children or vulnerable people
• be a living wage employee (if the organisation employs people)
• have an active board of trustees or directors or management body
If a Project is submitted on behalf of, or in connection with, a religious organisation, it must have an outcome that is accessible to any person of any religious beliefs
Your submitted project must NOT:
• be for the benefit of any one individual
• include any mention of specific individuals, companies, brands or products for promotion purposes;
• contain any material owned by a third party, including trademarks, or contain any images or videos that identify individuals unless, in each case, you have the third party’s and each individual’s express permission to do so and to permit use of such content by Aviva or Crowdfunder;
• violate any applicable law or regulation or promote or encourage the violation of any law or regulation;
• contain offensive, obscene or sexually suggestive material, propaganda, potentially misleading information, or defamatory or disparaging material about other people or companies, or endorse any
form of hate, hate group or terrorist activity;
• discriminate unlawfully on the basis of gender, race, religion, creed, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, or any other basis prohibited by law;
• promote or speak negatively about any particular faith, political party or any affiliated group, promote or speak negatively about any legislation or government policy, or promote or encourage the violation of any law;
• promote any activities that may be unsafe or dangerous or considered gaming, betting or gambling or
relate to raffles, prize draws, games of chance, lotteries or similar activities;
• relate to controversial subject matter or any subject that is contrary to the interests of the Aviva group
of companies (including, but not limited to, submissions and/or projects that present an unacceptable regulatory, reputational or other risk to the Aviva group of companies);
• be used for commercial use or promotion; or
• contain any viruses or other malicious elements that are intended to damage, detrimentally interfere with, surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or personal information.
Due diligence requirements
• In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria, to be eligible for funding, project owners need to satisfy
some additional due diligence checks for which they need to:
• upload a form of photo ID
• provide details of the organisation’s bank account
• agree to the Aviva Community Fund terms and conditions and Crowdfunder’s terms and conditions of funding.
Aviva: Public
And finally…
If your organisation is eligible and you are invited to submit a project, there is no guarantee you will receive Aviva Community Fund donations. There will be no fees on Aviva Community Fund donations but there will be fees on public donations.
Aviva and Crowdfunder reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to exclude from the Fund project owners and organisations that do not meet the eligibility criteria or to reject submissions and projects that do not meet the eligibility criteria or are incomplete, incomprehensible, false or fraudulent. Aviva and Crowdfunder reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to remove project owners, organisations, submissions and projects from the Fund at any point
https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/costoflivingboost
