West End theatre to celebrate 150th birthday with weekly giveaway of 150 tickets for young people 

The Criterion Theatre in the West End will celebrate its 150th birthday with a special ticketing giveaway.

The intimate and beautiful London venue, located slap bang in the heart of Piccadilly Circus, will be distributing 150 tickets every week for eight weeks from 22 April to those aged 12 to 21 years old.

Tickets will be available for the West End transfer of hit musical Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York), which is currently in previews. The production, also supporting the scheme, is led by Dujonna Gift and Sam Tutty.

A gala performance to mark the theatre’s history will be held on 24 June which will serve as a fundraising event to extend the free ticket scheme beyond the initial 8 weeks.

Stephen Fry, chairman of trustees at the Criterion Theatre, said: “Actors, directors and producers always love playing the Criterion Theatre. The Piccadilly Jewel Box has a uniquely magical atmosphere. From the stage, its auditorium is like a wide smile, and from the auditorium, the stage is close enough for intimacy and a real connection with the actors and the drama being presented. The 150th Anniversary— the Sesquicentenary, if you want the posh word— is a perfect time to celebrate the Cri’s unique place in the West End, and to do so in a way that helps new audiences find this very special London treasure.”

It will be offered initially to schools with the administrative support of Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, a regular collaborator with the Criterion – in a bid to help enable those who rarely come to the theatre to see the show. As the weeks progress, it is hoped that the scheme will then be made available more widely – so keep an eye out for more information.

Directed by Tim Jackson, written by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, and designed by Soutra Gilmour, Two Strangers tells the story of Dougal and Robin – the former a young naive Brit who travels over to New York for his father’s second wedding – where he encounters Robin, the sister of the bride.

The show marks Barne and Buchan’s West End debuts. The pair won The Stage Debut Award and the Stiles and Drewe prize for new musical theatre for an earlier version of the musical titled The Season, which played at Royal and Derngate and the New Wolsey Theatre.

The full creative team also includes lighting designer Jack Knowles, sound designer Tony Gayle, orchestrator Lux Pyramid, casting director Julia Horan and associate director Claira Vaughan.