Latest news with #LondonTheatreDirect
The Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Enjoy savings on theatre tickets with London Theatre Direct and Sun Club
ENJOY savings on theatre shows with London Theatre Direct. And exclusively for Sun Club members, you will get an EXTRA 10 per cent off tickets! The event includes all your favourite West End musicals and plays – including Tina, Back to the Future, Clueless, The Play That Goes Wrong, Stranger Things, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and more. 2 London Theatre Direct is one of the UK's leading theatre ticket agencies, specialising in West End theatre tickets. Sourced directly from the theatre box offices, London Theatre Direct offers discounted theatre tickets across all West End shows, as well as the best available tickets for each venue. Whether you are planning a day out for the family or heading for a solo trip, the West End has something for all ages. And for a limited-time only you can join Sun Club for just £1 for 3 months in our summer sale. How to book tickets with Sun Club Sun Club Membership Programme Step 1: To book your exclusive Sun Club discounted theatre tickets join Sun Club now for just £1 for 3 months in our summer sale. Or £12 for an annual subscription for the first 12 months, then £49.99 a year thereafter. Step 2: Then head to the Offers Hub, select the Theatre Tickets tile, click 'Book' and you will be taken to The Sun & London Theatre Direct website. Step 3: Your exclusive 10 per cent additional discount will be automatically applied at checkout. Step 4: Look for the dates marked with stars to check out our exclusive sale prices. Prices show the exclusive Sun Club member savings. Step 5: Enter your details in the checkout and pay. You will then receive an email with your tickets.
Edinburgh Reporter
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Liam Rudden's Must See Theatre this month
The calm before the storm that is the Edinburgh Festivals may leave Edinburgh stages bare but a London theatre break promises something special this month. As Edinburgh theatres fall into their usual pre-Fringe slumber this month, there's only one big touring production heading to town in July and that is Dear Evan Hansen at The Playhouse (1-5 July). The Olivier, Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical is packed with some of the biggest musical theatre songs of the last decade. All his life, Evan Hansen has felt invisible. But when a tragic event shocks the community and thrusts him into the centre of a rapidly evolving controversy, he is given the opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to be somebody else. With a score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the Oscar-winning composers for The Greatest Showman, book by Steven Levenson and direction by Adam Penford, the Artistic Director at Nottingham Playhouse, this brand-new production marks the first time the Broadway and West End phenomenon has toured the UK. It stars Scottish musical theatre star Ryan Kopel in the title role, with Sonny Monaghan appearing as Alternative Evan at matinee performances. I caught up with both Ryan and Sonny as they prepared to take Dear Evan Hansen on the road, you can meet them here. Running time 2 hours 40 minutes including interval, tickets here. With a dearth of shows in the Capital, you could do worse than planning a theatre break this month, and if that means a trip to London, get in early as there's still time to catch the final week of London Theatre Direct's Big Summer Theatre. Now in its second year, the event, which runs until Monday 7 July (keep your eyes peeled though as it was extended by a further week last year), allows you to choose from more than 40 musicals and plays, including The Devil Wears Prada, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Back to the Future the Musical, Clueless the Musical, Matilda the Musical, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and save up to 50% off, with tickets from just £15. This year, however, don't just see the on stage magic, experience it with a series of exclusive photo experiences. Now you can step onto the stage after seeing Hadestown, Titanique, Starlight Express, Fiddler on the Roof and The Great Gatsby, to pose for a professional photo moment – have your photo taken on stage after seeing Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre, snap a pic with a Titanique cast member on the Criterion Theatre stage, toast your West End debut with a complimentary drink and photo op at Fiddler on the Roof, feel like a winner when you race onto the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre stage for a Starlight Express photo op – no skates required, but a complimentary drink is a must – or join the roaring 20's party with an old sport from the The Great Gatsby cast, as you pose on stage with them at the London Coliseum. Ready to make your summer unforgettable? Explore all participating shows and secure your seat at the hottest event of the season here. Back in Edinburgh, there's a chance for little ones to get their introduction to theatre at The Playhouse when, for one day only, The Dinosaur That Pooped – A Rock Show (24 July) comes to the Greenside Place venue for two performances at 1.30pm and 4.30pm. When Danny and Dino's favourite rock band are playing their last ever concert, they go on a quest to get the last two tickets. But with a villainous band manager lurking, nothing goes to plan. Will the band perform? Will Danny rock out? Or will Dino's rumbling tummy save the day? Adapted from the No1 best-selling books by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter, the whole family will have a poopy good time enjoying a brand, new story for the stage. Featuring new songs by the McFly favourites Fletcher and Pointer, a lot of laughs and a whole lot of poo. Running time 1 hour with no interval. Tickets here. Now if ever a venue was made to host a production of the work of Transporting author Irvine Welsh, it surely has to be the old Leith Town Hall Theatre, now better known as Leith Theatre, and that's exactly what the venue is set to do when it brings Porno (18 & 19 July), to 28 Ferry Road. Adapted by Davie Carswell from Welsh's novel of the same name, the stage production of Porno started life as 50 minute one-act play at The Pleasance as part of the 2022 Fringe, however, it's the full-length version that comes to Leith Theatre, one that has already sold out runs at the Liverpool Olympia, Crewe Lyceum, Manchester Waterside as well as a seven week season at the Art's Theatre in London's West End. Porno, the follow up novel to Trainspotting, reveals what has become of Renton, Sickboy, Spud and Begbie some 15 years on from their original exploits. It goes without saying, sure that swearing, drug use and language of a sexual nature are the order of the day, which makes the 13+ advisory seem quite liberal. Running time 2 Hours including interval. Tickets here Next month, of course, we'll be spoiled for choice as the Festival and Fringe comes around once again. The Edinburgh Reporter will once again exclusive carry my Fringe Hot Ticket hit lists, in the meantime you can keep up to date with the shows coming to Edinburgh in August that are catching my eye by visiting And please do keep an eye out for the three shows I'm directing. If you like a supernatural tale or two, Fallen Angel, my new one-man play, and The Omega Factor: By The Pricking Of My Thumbs, by Natasha Gerson and myself, might be right up your street. If it's comedy you're looking for, check out Hingin' Oan Fir Googsie, by John McColl, starring River City's Jimmy Chisholm, will definitely be worth a look. Tickets here. Until August, happy theatre going, Liam Like this: Like Related
The Sun
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Save up to 60 per cent on theatre shows with The Big Summer Theatre Event with Sun Club
ENJOY the cheapest tickets in town and save up to 60 per cent on theatre shows with The Big Summer Theatre Event! London Theatre Direct's Big Summer Theatre Event is a must for all theatre fans. Take advantage of exclusive offers of up to 50 per cent off on over 40 West End shows. 2 And exclusively for Sun Club members, you will get an EXTRA 10 per cent, meaning you could save up to 60 per cent! The event includes all your favourite West End musicals and plays – including Tina, Back to the Future, Clueless, The Play That Goes Wrong, Stranger Things, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and more. 2 London Theatre Direct is one of the UK's leading theatre ticket agencies, specialising in West End theatre tickets. Sourced directly from the theatre box offices, London Theatre Direct offers discounted theatre tickets across all West End shows, as well as the best available tickets for each venue. Whether you are planning a day out for the family or heading for a solo trip, the West End has something for all ages. How to book free tickets with Sun Club Sun Club Membership Programme Step 1: To book your exclusive Sun Club discounted theatre tickets join Sun Club now for just £1.99 a month for your first year. Following this, £4.99 a month. Or £12 for an annual subscription for the first 12 months, then £49.99 a year thereafter. Step 2: Then head to the Offers Hub, select the Theatre Tickets tile, click 'Book' and you will be taken to The Sun & London Theatre Direct website. Step 3: Your exclusive 10 per cent additional discount will be automatically applied at checkout. Step 4: Look for the dates marked with stars to check out our exclusive sale prices. Prices show the exclusive Sun Club member savings. Step 5: Enter your details in the checkout and pay. You will then receive an email with your tickets. Offer is open to UK residents aged 18+ only. Save an additional 10 per cent off tickets. Offer ends at 23:59pm on Monday, July 7, 2025. Full T&Cs apply, see below.
Fast Company
08-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
What 25 years in travel tech taught me about the future of personalization
Twenty-five years ago, my friend, Emmanuel Ciolfi, and I were just two broke dreamers sharing a cramped London flat and a single laptop. What we lacked in resources, we made up for in vision. We launched London Theatre Direct, the UK's first online theatre ticketing platform. The internet was still the Wild West back then; Google was barely a blip, Facebook didn't exist, and smartphones were years away. But I had this gut feeling that technology was about to turn the travel and entertainment world upside down. Fast forward to 2025 and I'm still amazed at how far we've come. This isn't just evolution—it's a revolution. We've entered the age of agentic AI, and it's changing everything. BREAKING FREE FROM THE ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL TRAVEL BOX Traditional online travel agencies were once the disruptors, but in my opinion, they've always treated travelers like interchangeable data points rather than actual humans with quirky preferences and spontaneous desires. Today's travelers (myself included) want something that actually feels intuitive. Not just systems that know we've been to Paris three times, but ones that understand why we keep going back. Maybe it's that specific patisserie on the corner of Rue Cler that makes those perfect pain au chocolat we can't stop thinking about. This is where agentic AI is changing the game. When we built tickadoo, I wanted technology that didn't just passively recommend options from a static menu but actively anticipated what might delight users. I still get goosebumps watching users' faces light up when they realize our platform isn't just responding to what they've explicitly asked for—it's also reading between the lines of their past choices to suggest experiences they didn't even know they wanted. THIS ISN'T SOME FAR-OFF DREAM—IT'S HAPPENING NOW What moves me is the democratization happening here. The kind of personalized service that once required a platinum credit card or knowing someone who knows someone is becoming available to everyone. That's the mission that gets me out of bed every morning—making the exceptional expected and building loyalty through genuine understanding rather than marketing tricks. I've had countless conversations with executives at legacy travel companies, and I see the fear in their eyes. Embracing agentic AI isn't just about updating some software—it requires completely rethinking how they relate to customers. The companies brave enough to make this leap won't just survive—they'll lead. Those who cling to outdated models? Well, I've seen enough disruption in my 25 years to know how that story ends. BEYOND BOARDING PASSES AND HOTEL KEYS This transformation extends far beyond my industry. Health care systems are starting to predict and prevent issues before they arise. Entertainment platforms are beginning to understand not just what genres consumers like, but what emotional experiences they're craving on a rainy Tuesday evening. At tickadoo, our AI Concierge doesn't just mechanically suggest activities. It learns the subtleties of our users' preferences. It notices that while they enjoy museums, they specifically light up at interactive exhibits. It remembers that they prefer evening shows after a relaxed dinner, not rushed pre-theatre meals. These aren't just conveniences—they fundamentally change our relationship with technology. HOW TO GET STARTED WITH AGENTIC AI Agentic AI isn't just another tech upgrade—it's a fundamental shift in how businesses connect with customers. Here are practical steps to help you begin this transformation: 1. Start with vision, not technology. Define what anticipatory service means in your industry. Is it predicting health care risks before symptoms appear? Is it understanding emotional states for entertainment recommendations? Is it anticipating style preferences in retail? 2. Invest in deeper customer understanding. Move beyond transactions to behaviors and emotions. Tools like sentiment analysis and journey mapping reveal the subtle preferences that AI can transform into compelling differentiation. 3. Launch focused pilot projects. Retailers can test recommendations based on lifestyle signals rather than just purchase history. Health care providers might flag subtle health changes proactively. Entertainment brands can suggest content based on real-time emotional engagement. 4. Blend human expertise with AI insights. The magic happens when empowered humans use AI-driven intelligence to create extraordinary experiences. Train your teams to interpret and apply these insights with empathy. 5. Create a culture of experimentation. The biggest barrier isn't technical but cultural. Value insights gained through testing as much as immediate outcomes. Build an environment where rapid learning is celebrated. 6. Prioritize transparency. As AI becomes more integrated, customers want to understand how it works. Be clear about how you use AI and how it respects privacy. Transparency transforms skepticism into trust. 7. Find strategic partners. You don't need to build everything in-house. Collaborate with startups and specialists to accelerate learning, reduce investment risk, and shorten time-to-value. 8. Develop new metrics. Traditional KPIs may miss the real value of agentic AI. Consider measuring predictive accuracy, emotional satisfaction, or proactive retention alongside conventional metrics. Sometimes when I'm jet-lagged in yet another hotel room, reviewing metrics on my tablet, I think back to that cramped London flat where it all started. That scrappy operation with a shared laptop feels worlds away from our current AI infrastructure. But the core excitement, that belief that technology can make travel and entertainment more accessible, more personal, more human, remains exactly the same. With our recent launch of memberships, we're doubling down on personalization. This isn't just the future I predicted all those years ago. It's the one I've been working toward, step by step, for a quarter century. And now that it's here? I can't wait to see where we go next.
