Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to inspire a lifelong love for theatre.
明年，政府将向年轻人发放数万张戏票，以激发他们对戏剧的终身热爱。
The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26 — funded with £2.5 million of taxpayers’ money — was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.
文化部长安迪·伯纳姆昨日宣布，计划用250万英镑的纳税人资金为18至26岁的人提供免费座位。它受到了一些艺术界人士的谨慎欢迎，他们担心门票可能无法惠及最弱势群体。
The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 percent on 2006, itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost £470 million.
这项计划出台之际，西区剧院正在迎来创纪录的观众，这主要归功于音乐剧与电视选秀节目的合作。观众人数2007年为1360万，比2006年增长了10%，这是创纪录的一年。总销售额比2006年增长18%，达到近4.7亿英镑。
One theatre source criticised the Government’s priorities in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s wasting money on this. The Yong Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”
一位剧院消息人士批评了政府在养老金领取者难以购买食物和燃料时优先资助免费门票的做法，他说：“我不知道政府为什么要在这方面浪费资金。正如《泰晤士报》今天报道的那样，Yong Vic以低廉的价格提供出色的演出。”
There was praise for the Government’s plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”
皇家宫廷剧院的多米尼克·库克对政府的计划表示赞赏，他说：“我支持任何让年轻人进入剧院的举措，尤其是旨在让年轻人进入整个英国，而不仅仅是伦敦。”
Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.
95家由政府资助的剧院可以根据这项两年计划申请资金。作为回报，他们将为18至26岁的年轻人提供每周至少一天的免费门票，先到先得。可能是周一，传统上是剧院安静的夜晚。
Mr. Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”
伯纳姆先生说：“年轻人看戏剧会发现这是一次激动人心的经历，并受到启发去探索一个新的世界。但有时人们会错过它，因为他们担心这“不适合他们”。是时候改变这种看法了。”
Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”
影子文化部长杰里米·亨特表示：“真正的问题不是让热情的孩子们进入剧院，而是改善艺术教育，让更多的年轻人想去，因为太多的儿童剧院都是禁区。”
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