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We need young people back in the audience. 

When we think of fine performances like the ballet, opera, and the orchestra, we’d rarely imagine young people as its main audience. Now you can come up with many reasons why that may be but to say that young people don’t go to see these performances simply because we don’t appreciate the arts is untrue. 

Here’s why most of us don’t: it can be expensive. Tickets to these shows could go up to the hundreds, so it’s no surprise that when we think of fine performances like the ballet, opera, and the orchestra, we’d picture rich and refined old people in the audience instead. I went to see Swan Lake recently and I can safely say older people were the majority.  

But what if I told you that going to the theatres doesn’t have to be expensive anymore? 

That you and I can spend an afternoon at the Festival Theatre for a matinee show of Swan Lake without breaking the bank. That we can listening to the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra play Tchaikovsky right in front of us without setting our wallets on fire. That we can revel in the arts like those old people do. 

Well then, you’d be delighted to hear that a lot of performing arts organisations like the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the State Theatre Company SA, and the Australian Ballet offer $30 tickets for people under 30 years old!

I got my $30 ticket to the ballet and sure, with the price we paid we had to sit at the far up and far back of the room, but I didn’t think that made the experience any less magical. We got the centre seats, and we could clearly see the ballerinas in their beautiful dresses performing from above. We could definitely hear the orchestra too. The most important thing was that we had the chance to go to the ballet.

Arts and culture will survive so long as there are people to enjoy it. By making the arts accessible and affordable to young people, we can ensure the longevity of these art forms. 

But that’s not the only reason why we should make the arts accessible. Listening to music and watching performances could also be good for our general wellbeing as we escape the mundanities of everyday life and transport ourselves into another world. 

Going to the ballet last weekend was my way of relaxing as I hit pause on the chaos that is my preparation for final assessments and exams. You know I needed it!

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m glad that were moving towards making the arts accessible again. If you haven’t turned 31 yet, now’s your chance to snag that $30 ticket.