National Ballet
Dance Breaks
$30 tickets to the ballet (the "t" is silent) plus a confusing opportunity to bid on cheap orchestra seats. You sign up, get an email from Karen Kain, and poof, you can now access $30 tickets and pretend that Black Swan wasn't the first time that ballet blew your mind. Or, you know, if you liked dance before BW, you can just enjoy cheap tickets. Having not been, I can't comment, but I'm guessing that unless you bid on an orchestra seat you might be in the "Is that a Sugarplum Fairy or a Rat? " territory.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Tsoundcheck $14 tickets to see a show at Roy Thompson Hall. Not every show becomes available through the program; about a week before the show, the TSO will allocate a certain number of Tsoundcheck tickets based on availability. Tsoundcheck is slightly more complicated than other under 30 programs in that you must first sign up as a member here. Once you have signed up as a member you will receive emails letting you know when a batch of tickets has been released. Wise ones don't wait, especially if it happens to be a symphony with name recognition. One great thing about this program is that as a Tsoundcheck member you are able to buy up to two tickets at a time, one of which can be used by somebody of any age (do I smell a birthday present to your father?)
Another thing to note is that Tsoundcheck has a flexible definition of "youth". Anybody under 35 is eligible for discounted tickets.
Canadian Stage Company
C-Stage $12.50 for a ticket to a show a Canadian Stage show. Like Tsoundcheck, C-Stage is something you have to sign up for before accessing cheap tickets (hey, they need to be able to hit you up for a full subscription when you turn 30 somehow). Once you sign up you can see a calendar with ticket availability and purchase online. One thing to note with C-Stage is that unlike other discount programs you must be 29 or under. 30 year olds will need deeper pockets or some fake id. The nice thing about C-Stage is that you can choose your day well in advance, and can even get tickets for a Saturday night if you want.
Canadian Opera Company
Opera for a New Age Opera is probably the art form with the biggest problem attracting the under 30 set, so its good to see them really working to make tickets accessible. About 150 tickets from every mainstage performance are available for $22. The seats are definitely not the best (the sections that the seats are in aren't even listed on the regular map) but when regular tickets range from $70-$260 you can't complain about having to squint to see the surtitles. Opera for a New Age tickets are always released a few days after the regular ticket release day, so if you're a fan you should mark your calendar to avoid being disappointed.
Soulpepper
Stageplay There are two ways to get a $22 ticket to a Soulpepper performance. You can register and buy Monday night tickets in advance, or you can hope for the best and call early on the morning that you want to see a show. If they have weak sales for the night you will be able to purchase them over the phone. If you're under 21 and don't mind disappointment, you can head down in person and pick up $5 rush tickets 30 minutes before the show. Not that I advocate bothering the box office, but...if you gave them a call late in the day they would probably be able to tell you whether or not there is a chance of rush tickets. If the show sells out you can buy a pint next door (Distillery tip - pints of Mill Street are actually cheaper at Pure Spirits than they are at Mill Street, plus there are oysters which can soothe any bad mood)Opera Atelier
Operatix Once again, opera tickets for $20. All you need to do is go to the calendar, choose your show and then write "Operatix" in the field after choosing the discounted tickets. Where you end up sitting will depend on how poular the show is, but just going to The Elgin is an experience, so you can't go too wrong.
