Give The Gift Of Theatre in Canterbury

Theatre lovers will be able to share the joy of theatre with kids throughout Canterbury this festive season as ticket donation scheme the Gift of Theatre returns for a fifth year.

The Gift of Theatre allows people to gift a kids' show ticket to children in need, distributed through four Canterbury charities: Birthright Canterbury, New Zealand Red Cross, Pillars and Cholmondeley. This year, Gift of Theatre tickets will be for The Court's summer kids show, Thumbelina.

When purchasing tickets (all $10 each) audiences can choose which charity they'd like to donate their Thumbelina tickets to - if not all four.

Thumbelina, written and directed by Court Jester Emma Cusdin, reinvents the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy-tale, telling the story of a tiny girl embarking on a big adventure to find a new home for herself - and hopefully some friends along the way.

For Artistic Director Ross Gumbley, the Gift of Theatre is important as it makes the theatre more accessible for a diverse audience.

"The Gift of Theatre is important because the arts are important. To be able to bring an experience like that to somebody who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it or wouldn't be aware that that was an option for them, is to give a gift of expanding somebody's life. Is there anything better you can do than that?"

Gift of Theatre Charities

Birthright Canterbury believes that all children have the right to a happy, secure and loving home environment. They work with single parents and caregivers to build confidence, skills and resilience within families and their individual members.

New Zealand Red Cross / Ripeka Whero Aotearoa is a humanitarian organisation, which has more than 15,000 members and volunteers. Their mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people, at home and overseas. They do this through mobilising the power of humanity and enhancing community resilience.

Pillars is a charity for children of prisoners, mentoring and sponsoring some of the most vulnerable children in our community to lead positive, crime-free lives.

Cholmondeley Children's Home provides short-term emergency and planned respite care to children (aged 3-12) in times of family stress or crisis. Their aim is to give these children the opportunity to build their resilience, while issues at home are resolved.

To donate tickets to the Gift of Theatre, click here.

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