All the world’s a stage: the Curtain Up! programme at the Polka Theatre offers free tickets and travel grants to school groups
The Polka children’s theatre in Wimbledon is celebrating 30 years of its Curtain-Up! programme – a pioneering subsidised ticket scheme that offers free tickets to school groups facing barriers to accessing live theatre.
For many under-12s attending these performances, it is their first-ever theatre experience.
Launched in 1994 with support from The Vivien Duffield Foundation, Curtain Up! was one of the first audience development schemes of its kind. Since its inception, it has enabled Polka to distribute more than 76,000 free tickets to schools across more than 20 local authority areas in London, Surrey and Essex.
Theatre of dreams: for many children attending the Polka, it is their first visit to a theatre
The scheme has grown in response to the ongoing impact of covid-19 and school budget cuts, as many schools face financial, staffing and logistical challenges in organising trips to the theatre.
When Polka reopened in 2021 following a major redevelopment, Curtain Up! expanded to offer 4,000 free tickets a year. That has now risen to 9,000 free tickets due to increased demand, and thanks to the support of The Garek Trust and other supporters.
For its 30th anniversary year, academic year 2025-2026, the scheme will again provide 9,000 free tickets.
Lynette Shanbury, the executive director at Polka, said: “Polka has led the way in children’s theatre for decades – we were the first to pioneer this kind of scale of free theatre tickets for schools, the first to introduce what are now widely known as Relaxed Performances, and the first to expansively offer work for the very youngest.
“It is urgent that we keep finding ways to bring theatre into children’s lives – schools are the perfect partners to make this possible, so we need to find a way to work together to give children this opportunity. Otherwise, we are going to see generations of children grow up without creative confidence, and without even knowing that theatre can be part of their lives.”
In addition to the free theatre tickets, schools who attend Polka under the scheme can also receive a travel subsidy, as well as an exclusive post-show Q&A session with the creatives, plus resources connecting to the themes of the show to continue their learning in the classroom.
Star turn: Sir Lenny Henry got to meet iC’s theatre reviewers last month
- The Boy With Wings is this summer’s special performance at the Polka Theatre, being staged until August 16. Tickets are priced from £10.
- The Boy With Wings, based on the book by Sir Lenny Henry, is a co-production with the Birmingham Rep. It is rated as suitable for children aged from seven to 12.
- Click here to read the review of the show from Inside Croydon’s special under-10 theatre reviewers by clicking here
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