The National Arts Centre's phenomenally popular Live Rush™ programme enters its fourth successful year
September 02, 2003 -
OTTAWA -- The National Arts Centre`s innovative Live Rush™ programme begins its fourth year with incredible momentum – almost 5500 members signed up for the 2002-2003 season in Ottawa and Calgary! Eventual expansion nationwide is planned for the Live Rush™ programme, which allows students to purchase low-cost last-minute tickets to live performing arts events.
Live Rush™ is the National Arts Centre's uniquely affordable programme which enables high school, college, and university students to explore the world of live classical and pop music, classic and contemporary theatre, and ballet and modern dance – all for the price of a movie. In Ottawa-Gatineau, students have access to hundreds of events -- including all those produced by the National Arts Centre, Opera Lyra Ottawa, and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra -- for only $9.50. In Calgary, 12 separate performing arts groups have signed up for the programme, allowing students to attend productions by Alberta Ballet, Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary Opera, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts, Honens, Lunchbox Theatre, One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre, Theatre Calgary, Theatre Junction, and Vertigo Mystery Theatre.
During Student Orientation festivities across Ottawa-Gatineau, the NAC's team of enthusiastic staff members spread the word about Live Rush™ to students at Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, Algonquin College, la Cité Collégiale, and l'Université de Québec à Hull. All full-time and part-time students are urged to pick up their 2003-2004 Live Rush™ membership cards and register (or, if they are returning students, to re-register) for the free programme. Cards are also available at the NAC's Live Rush™ Centre, at all OC Transpo Sales and Information Centres, on STO Société de transport de l'Outaouais buses, during OC Transpo and STO photo-renewal campaigns in high schools across the region, at University of Ottawa radio station CHUO 89.1 FM, and at Carleton University radio station CKCU 93.1 FM.
Live Rush™ was inaugurated in September 2000 – and since then, over 12,000 students have registered for the programme and over 25,000 Live Rush™ tickets have been sold. Shows in all artistic disciplines have proved popular, but theatre and classical ballet have consistently outperformed all other events in the last three years. The bilingual website www.liverush.ca allow students in both cities to access information about upcoming performances and to buy tickets online. Hyperlinks are provided to all sponsor sites, and the site encompass an online newsletter.
The National Arts Centre gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our partners in the Live Rush™ programmme. In Ottawa-Gatineau, the programme's sponsors are OC Transpo, STO Société de transport de l'Outaouais, Ottawa University CHUO 89.1 FM, Carleton University CKCU 93.1 FM, and CKTF-FM 104.1 Radio Énergie. In Calgary, the programme's sponsors are The EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts, Calgary Transit, and CJSW 91 FM.
Live Rush™ is a top priority for our generous donors and is proudly underwritten by the National Arts Centre Donors' Circle. Donors' Circle supporters have responded enthusiastically to the challenge of meeting the financial demands of this new initiative; Donors' Circle funds will continue to be directed to the Live Rush™ programme throughout the year and beyond.
For additional information, please visit the Live Rush™ website at www.liverush.ca or the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca.
