Youngsters in Oxfordshire will be able to get their hands on thousands of free theatre tickets on Monday in an attempt to get them interested in performing art.

Oxford Playhouse is one of 99 theatres nationwide taking part in an Arts Council England initiative to bring 18- to 26-year-olds into the theatre, with free tickets to shows, tours and talks up for grabs over the next two years.

Theatre director Michelle Dickson said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to fling open the doors of the Playhouse to a new generation of theatre-goers.

“We already have very high levels of attendance from children, who tend to come as part of a school group or with their families, but there is a national dip in attendance among the 18- to 25-year-old age group.

“The idea is to encourage them to come to the theatre independently — either on their own or with friends.

“It’s about putting theatre on their radar; showing them it’s a great way to spend a night — stimulating, surprising, social and now free.”

The theatre was given £30,000 by the Arts Council for the initiative, called A Night Less Ordinary.

The Playhouse will offer free theatre tours throughout the day on Monday, starting at 10am, 11am, noon and 1pm — and for the rest of the week there will be free tickets to productions including Oxford University student drama Don Carlos, by Friedrich von Schiller and adapted by Mike Poulton.

There will also be free tables available for one of the theatre’s Playhouse Plays Out productions, a 30-minute theatrical experience for two people called Etiquette at George & Delila’s cafe in Cowley Road, starting on Monday.

To tie in with the launch week of the scheme, a two-day mask-making workshop will be held at the theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday for seven- to 11-year-olds to make faces of characters from Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

After the launch, 30 free tickets each week will be on offer for all drama shows on the theatre’s main stage for Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday matinee performances.

Tickets will also be on offer for some shows at the Burton Taylor Studio.

  • Tickets can be reserved from the box office on 01865 305305 or online at oxfordplayhouse.com