AN actor is set to launch a new app and subscription service which aims to get more people to the theatre.

Joshua Beecham, 23, has created ‘Getgo Culture’, a theatre subscription service with the aim of making theatre across the UK more accessible for people.

Echo:

App - how the app will look

The app works with London theatres and a team of working artists who he calls his “arts experts”, to curate monthly trips to the arts, completely tailored to subscribers’ preferences and availability.

The young actor, who grew up in Hockley, trained at the National Youth Theatre and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, said he was inspired to create a service specifically for theatre after so many productions were not getting seen.

He said: “I started out by asking people what stopped them from going to the theatre more often.

“Lack of time, the cost of the tickets, and as suspected, the difficulty deciding what to see, were the three most common barriers that popped up. And it’s easy it see why.

“There are over 200 theatres in London alone. With this in mind, I started dragging friends and family to productions across London. I didn’t make suggestions, I just went ahead and booked events based on what they liked.

“I found that people who aren’t working directly in the arts miss out on so many great productions across London, often because they just know about what else is going on. They can be lured into seeing the same West End shows again and again, when there’s much more out there”

“That’s something I really want to change.”

Those who use the service will pay a monthly subscription fee, less than the average price paid for a theatre ticket in London. Subscribers will sign up with their preferences, availability, and how adventurous they are, before being sent their handpicked event, which will come through to them on the app.

They won’t know what they’re going to, until its booked. The subscription includes the cost of all the tickets, and lots of added goodies like extra monthly events and free programmes.

Mr Beecham, working with director Stephen Bediako and chief of technology Chris Bond, will be launching the crowdfunding campaign at the end of the month in the hopes of raising between £10,000 and £20,000, with the aim of fully launching the app in May, following a successful trial of the business last year.

He added: “There were an estimated 4.5 million unsold theatre tickets in London in 2018, so there’s clearly a problem, and it’s not a lack of amazing work. Getgo Culture feels like the best way to get more people excited about going to the theatre.”

“We’re a small team, but we’ve already got 10 Arts Experts on board and we’re keen to grow. It feels great to know that when people sign up, they’ll be supporting working artists as well as receiving regular trips to exciting arts events.”

To receive updates about Getgo Culture or for more information, visit www.getgoculture.com.