Ticket offers for schools and young people to see On The High Road

We want young people to see our new genre-defying performance On The High Road without facing the barriers of price. So, we are offering a series of heavily reduced and free tickets to young people, schools and community partners across all four venues.

All tickets for the 15 May show at Portsmouth’s New Theatre Royal will be free, and offered to young people through local schools and youth groups. In partnership with the Southbank Centre Oxford Playhouse and CAST in Doncaster, we are offering £5 tickets (usually £15 – £25) to community partners and local institutions for young people.

Paul Clark, Artistic Director of CLOD ENSEMBLE says: “As we absorb the huge cuts to education budgets and radical changes to the curriculum, we are seeing a reduction in students taking up courses in dance, music, drama and visual arts. I have been working in secondary schools for over a decade through our music education project Living Room Music and have seen first-hand the effect of the over-stretched resources.

Depressingly, a career in the arts is becoming increasingly the preserve of the wealthy. It is vital that students from all socio-economic backgrounds have access to the same opportunities as more privileged and privately educated students. At CLOD ENSEMBLE we believe it essential that young people have the opportunity to experience high quality contemporary performance work without facing the barriers of price.”

Marc Dodi, Head of Performing Arts at Strode’s College in Surrey said: “On The High Road was a brilliant show to take my Drama class too, and they all left feeling inspired. It was refreshing for them to see a contemporary live theatrical production that incorporated music, theatre and dance but which wasn’t a ‘Musical’ or ‘Brechtian’. The show had high production values, and was perfect for students to use when evaluating and analysing live Theatre. The production also commented on many themes relevant to a contemporary audience, which students not only can relate to personally but can use when creating their own contemporary work. Learners have been inspired by the show to reinterpret and reimagine their concepts for their own set texts, through the playful design and punchy performance style ideas explored in this work. I would thoroughly recommend for any Drama & Theatre studies A level student to see.”

To register a school or youth group for these ticket offers, please contact Assistant Producer Kit Denison by phone on +44 (0) 20 7749 0555 or email kit@clodensemble.com.

Why On The High Road is an ideal performance for young people to experience:

> Performance which crosses curriculums:
At once dance, theatre and gig – On The High Road’s turbulent blend of movement and music defies categorisation. Educators from art, dance, drama and music departments will find inspiration and points of interest for their students.

> Visual performance, without lots of dialogue:
Audiences don’t need to have prior knowledge of dance or theatre to resonate with the themes of the piece. Language is not a barrier as most of the performance is non-verbal.

> Diversity & inclusion:
The themes of identity, representation, and equality are central to the work and resonate strongly with the current socio-political landscape. On The High Road features a diverse cast, and the production draws directly on the experiences of the performers – in this way, a multiplicity of voices and experiences permeate the work.

> Topical conversation starter:
On The High Road explores themes such as tolerance, inequality, displacement and refuge. The piece can be used a conversation starter for exploring contemporary issues: migration, difference, climate change, human behaviour, public space, private space

On The High Road tour dates:
London. Southbank Centre. 24 & 25 April 2019. More info.
Doncaster. Cast. 8 May 2019. More info.
Portsmouth. New Theatre Royal. 15 & 16 May 2019. More info.
Oxford. Oxford Playhouse. 20 & 21 May 2019. More info.