Sydney Theatre Company Invites You to See Any Play for $20

Unfortunately for many Sydneysiders, the defining aspect of theatre is not the spellbinding performances but the daunting price tag. With tickets for Sydney's big theatre venues sometimes costing towards the three-figure mark, Sydney theatre, unlike its more government-subsidised European counterparts, can be derided as a middle-class luxury. Yet fear not oh beleaguered theatre buff, as the Sydney Theatre Company is doing their little bit to make Sydney's top-line theatre more accessible.

The company announced today that, thanks to a new partnership with Suncorp, they are now offering $20 tickets to every show. That includes Cate Blanchett's highly anticipated return to the Sydney stage in The Maids, the pairing of Tim Minchin and Toby Schmitz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Hugo Weaving and Richard Roxburgh for Waiting For Godot.

This initiative has been a labour of love for STC's co-artistic directors Blanchett and Andrew Upton, who have spent their five-year tenure searching for a sponsor to make theatre tickets more affordable. The partnership is set to run for two years, with the Suncorp Twenties tickets going on sale each Tuesday at 9am for the following week's performances. There is no transaction fee and tickets are sold in twos.

The first lot of tickets will go on sale on May 14 for Joanna Murray-Smith's STC-commissioned family drama, Fury.

For other sources of discounted theatre tickets, see our complete guide.