Drama acquires the common touch

Beijing(CNS)--Drama fans will find tickets in Beijing more affordable, as with government support 30 local theaters are offering discounts starting December 27.

The Capital Theater Union announced that the theaters, some state-owned and some private, would offer admission for 100 yuan ($15.85), 80 yuan ($12.68), 50 yuan ($7.92) and even 20 yuan ($3.17) to senior citizens, students and migrant workers who often flinch from pricey tickets to the theatre.

With New Year's and Chinese Spring Festival approaching, the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Poly Theater, Capital Theater, Chang'an Grand Theater, Forbidden City Concert Hall and the Stars Drama Village have decided to sell 20% of their total tickets, all back row seats, for under 100 yuan ($15.85).

Recently launched by its 98 theaters in Beijing, Capital Theater Union offers cheap tickets as their first duty to local residents. A proposal drafted by its members said in that the union wanted the public to benefit from cultural development and to encourage theater companies to add more performances for the masses.

Wang Wei, head of the Department of Marketing for NCPA, said they will offer low-price tickets ranging between 50 yuan ($7.92) and 100 yuan ($15.85) for every commercial performance, which covers nearly 800 seats in its opera house, concert hall and two theaters that have accommodated its 100,000 members over the years.

To prevent scalpers from taking advantage of the discount, student tickets will only be sold on campus. The prices will range between 10 yuan ($1.58) and 40 yuan ($6.34).

The manager of the Stars Drama Village said that they would serve the public with more concessionary tickets to attract greater numbers and improve the quality of refreshments at the same time.