Old Globe Celebrates 75 Years with 7,500 Free Tickets for High School Students

Executive Producer Lou Spisto today announced that 7,500 tickets will be made available free-of-charge to High School Students as part of The Old Globe's ongoing 75th anniversary celebration. A new venture in its ongoing effort to connect young people with theater, complimentary tickets will be offered to all nine of the Globe's 2010-11 Winter Season productions. Students must register online at www.TheOldGlobe.org/7500 to be eligible for the program. For additional information, visit the Globe online or call (619) 23-GLOBE.

"With this new initiative, we celebrate our past 75 years while looking ahead towards the future of the Globe and the American theater," said Spisto. "Engaging students and giving them access to theater is an essential part of our mission. Generations of San Diegans have had their first experience of live theater at The Old Globe, and we provide free student matinees of our productions for schools throughout San Diego County. Our new program will make the theater a viable entertainment option for teens, while helping the Globe to continue to reach out to the community and build a new theatre-loving public."

Students in grades 9-12 are eligible to receive one complimentary ticket to each of the Globe's Winter Season productions. Tickets are available beginning on the day single tickets for each individual production go on sale. All tickets will be held at the box office and a student identification card must be presented when picking up the tickets. Globe subscribers are eligible for the program and can request tickets upon receipt of their subscriber packets. A limited number of tickets are available for each production and are subject to availability.

This program is dedicated to the memory of extraordinary philanthropist Donald Shiley who, along with his wife Darlene, have designated support for many years to Globe education programs that reach out to young people and introduce them to theater and dramatic literature.

The Globe offers more than 20 different community and education programs with over 50,000 served annually. Introductory and intensive theatre training for children is provided through such programs as Globe Readers, Globe Honors, the Summer Shakespeare Intensive, Production Guides, Grinch Initiatives, School in the Park, Theatre Tots, the Middle School Conservatory, the Southeastern San Diego Residency Project and free Student Matinees and workshops.

The 2010-11 Winter Season features Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound (Sept. 14 - Nov. 7), Welcome to Arroyo's (West Coast Premiere/Sept. 25 - Oct. 31), Jane Austen's Emma - A Musical Romantic Comedy (Jan. 15 - Feb. 27), Death of a Salesman (Jan. 22 - Feb. 27, 2011), Groundswell (March 12 - April 17), Rafta, Rafta... (West Coast Premiere/March 19 - April 24, 2011), Life of Riley (U.S. Premiere/April 30 - June 5) and August: Osage County by Tracy Letts (May 7 - June 12).

LOCATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Valet parking is also available ($10). For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theaters and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for 75 years. Under the direction of Executive Producer Louis G. Spisto, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre, the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre and the 612-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theater's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Catered Affair, and the annual holiday musical, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theaters across the country.

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