News
Centrepointe Theatre Offers $5 Tickets to High School Students
(Ottawa, ON – 6 June 2008) – Centrepointe Theatre is pleased to be the first local arts organization to offer eyeGo to the Arts, an innovative national program that encourages youth to become audience members in the performing arts. The program aims for high school students to see the theatre as an entertainment option – and an affordable one. Starting with Fall 2008 events, participating presenters at Centrepointe Theatre have committed to selling best-available seats to high school students for $5, up to 5% of capacity. This represents approximately 100 event dates thus far. These tickets are made available as soon as single tickets go on sale.
eyeGo provides students an opportunity to attend evening performances and encourages them to try more than one performance to evaluate the theatre experience. “I saw three plays this year. The first one sucked, I didn’t like the second one and I hated the third one, but it was only five bucks so I’ll keep going,” stated Braden, original eyeGo to the Arts Youth Council member. “It’s great because even if you go to a show you don’t like, it’s less than the cost of a Big Mac Meal Deal at McDonald’s,” says Stephanie in Waterloo. Centrepointe Theatre hopes to provoke the same attitude in Ottawa students.
Students can take advantage eyeGo in any community that is participating. They have national access. Although Centrepointe Theatre is the first city in eastern Ontario and Quebec to offer the program, eyeGo is currently in 58 communities with over 140 organizations participating. The majority of the partners are currently in central and western Ontario, but also includes several communities in British Columbia as well as Winnipeg, Manitoba; Fredericton, New Brunswick; and rural Saskatchewan. To find out where it is offered, go the web-site www.eyego.org.
Founder Jamie Grant, General Manager of Kitchener Ontario’s Centre in the Square developed the program when he realized that his audience was aging and there was no sign of a younger audience coming through his doors. Worried about the negative impact on Canadian culture, he ran a couple of student focus groups and eyeGo to the Arts was the result. A program that is simple to access, eyeGo has generated interest nation-wide. “eyeGo has broken the barriers of seeing live shows wide open; saying that the theatre is not just for seniors or the rich but for everyone, and ‘you don’t have to dress up to go.’” says freelance arts journalist Coral Andrews-Leslie.
As described by the eyeGo to the Arts Chair, William Chesney, “eyeGo is about individual youth in individual communities making individual choices.” Charles McFarland, City of Ottawa Theatres’ Artistic Producer, says, “In addressing the ‘gap’ between families going to theatre together and young adults choosing the performing arts, eyeGo’s incentives to teens are the perfect solution to the question of how to develop a lifelong habit of arts attendance just as students are making their own, independent entertainment choices. We welcome them to our theatre”.
Tickets and Information:
Phone: 613-580-2700
Toll-free: 1 866 752-5231
In Person: 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, ON
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Front and Centre 2008-2009 Season Announcement
(Ottawa, ON – 22 May 2008) – Front and Centre, Centrepointe Theatre’s professional presentation and membership program, announced its second year of star-quality programming today. Twenty-five exciting events of varied genres are included in this announcement, spanning September 2008 to June 2009. Additional events will be announced throughout the season.
Purchasing Dates
Fall 2008 events go on sale to Front and Centre members today and are open to the general public effective Friday, June 6 at noon via phone, box office and Internet. Winter events will be available for purchase to members on October 29 and non-members November 19.
About Front and Centre
Front and Centre was launched in June 2007. Professional programming selected by Artistic Producer Charles McFarland is made available to members in advance of the general public at discounted prices. Patrons pay a nominal fee for membership ($40), which also provides them with a $20 tax receipt, free non-alcoholic beverages, exclusive event access and a variety of other benefits. Since its inception last year, approximately 1200 “member households” have joined the program and been the first in the region to gain access to popular tickets such as Russell Peters and Paul Potts, which sold out in record time.
2008-2009 Front and Centre Season
Complete event descriptions and pricing are available at "What's On". (Dates and artists are subject to change.)
Fall 2008
Taylor 2 Dance Company – Saturday, October 4 at 8 p.m.
Harry Manx – Saturday, October 18 at 8 p.m.
Daniel Lanois – Friday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m.
William Joseph (with Lily Frost) – Saturday, October 25 at 8 p.m.
Colin James Duo – Wednesday, November 5 at 8 p.m.
International Guitar Night – Friday, November 28 at 8 p.m.
David Francey (with Dawn Langstroth) – Saturday, November 29 at 8 p.m.
Classic Albums Live presents: AC/DC Back in Black – Monday, December 8 at 8 p.m.
The Celtic Tenors – Tuesday, December 9 at 8 p.m.
Michelle Wright – A Wright Christmas – Wednesday, December 17 at 8 p.m.
Franklin's Family Christmas Concert – Saturday, December 20 at 1 and 4 p.m.
A Seasonal Celebration with John McDermott and special guest Eric Bogle – Sunday, December 21 at 7 p.m.
Winter 2009
Cherish the Ladies – Saturday, January 17 at 8 p.m.
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies – Saturday, January 31 at 8 p.m.
The Canadian Tenors – date to be announced
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Tony-Award-winning original Broadway production – Monday, Tuesday February 16, 17 at 8 p.m.
Classic Albums Live presents Bob Marley Legend – Tuesday, February 24 at 8 p.m.
Jazz Night! Carol Welsman, DK Ibomeka, Emilie-Claire Barlow – Thursday, February 26 at 8 p.m.
The Rheostatics and One Yellow Rabbit – Five Hole: Tales of Hockey Erotica – Friday, February 27 at 8 p.m.
Bowfire! – date to be announced
The Official Blues Brothers Revival – Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m.
Classic Albums Live presents Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon – Wednesday, April 8 at 8 p.m.
Blues Night! Charlie A’Court, Marie Treasa Lavasseur, Carlos del Junco – Saturday, April 18 at 8 p.m.
Rik Emmett Plays Clapton – Saturday, May 9 at 8 p.m.
Oliver Jones and Ranee Lee – Thursday May 14 at 8 p.m.
Tickets and Information:
Phone: 613-580-2700
Toll-free: 1 866 752-5231
In Person: 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, ON
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