An open letter to Ticketek and the promoters of the U2/Jay-Z concert being held at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland in November:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I recently rang Ticketek to purchase tickets to the U2 show in Auckland on November 25th, which I’m really excited about. I heard prices of $40 being advertised on the news which was great, and I would’ve happily stumped up $100 for a ticket. So imagine my disappointment when I was told that the minimum cost of a ticket, for a disabled person using a wheelchair, was $179!! Given that I have to bring a support person with me most places I go, and when you add on the booking fee, that brings the total cost of admission to almost $380.

Honestly, I find that borderline offensive. Having recently spent time in Europe, LiveNation and other promoters often subsidise a disabled person’s entry fee to concerts, or that of their support person’s, because they appreciate this exact quandry. I understand you can’t have designated disabled seating in every price bracket, but it’d be great if this was acknowledged by reduced admission like they consistently do overseas!

Why should regular able-bodied folk be able to choose to buy cheap tickets, but people with disabilities are asked to pay through the nose?

I’d appreciate your thoughts on this, as I’m sure the media would, and any changes to this pricing structure would be gratefully received.

Kind regards,

Red Nicholson

Come on now, really? Cerebral palsy and theatre don’t mix! And yet, Bats Theatre in Wellington is challenging that notion by staging ‘KatyDid’, the lead character of which does indeed have cerebral palsy. It’s almost worth a trip down to the capital to see it!

The play is proving so popular that they’re adding extra shows this weekend to cope with the demand. So if you live in Wellington, and fancy a bit of spice with your theatre, grab your tickets now!

Although I’m told, somewhat ironically, that the theatre itself is inaccessible to wheelchair users… sigh!

Isn’t this just a gorgeous image? Captured by the fine folk at Reuters, it shows a group of people in India, with various disabilities, participating in a traditional Indian dance routine. If you’re keen to see some mixed-ability dance back here in New Zealand, maybe it’s time to check out Touch Compass’ upcoming performances.

This is just so exciting. A group of young people from the UK are organising a beauty pageant for people with disabilities called “Disabled and Sexy”, and I’m not gonna lie – these girls look hot! The pageant is supporting a great cause too, the Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

I find it so so frustrating that disabled people are often seen as asexual beings, thanks in part to the media’s tragic portrayal of us the eternal sufferer. So I’m raising my glass to this lot – I’d love to do something similar down under!

Check out their website for more information.

I was booking tickets to a show in Melbourne next month (holiday, yay!) and I was asked if I had a “Companion Card”, which allowed a companion to come to the show for free. Intrigued, I jumped online and had a look. Wow. This is one sweet card. If you’d rather not hear me ramble about how I want to lobby our Government to get one of these up and running, cut to the chase and visit the Victoria Companion

It’s being reported that those distasteful Cadbury dyslexia advertisements I mentioned a few days ago have been pulled, as a result of numerous complaints. Good to hear Cadbury’s listening, but let’s be honest: these never should’ve gone up in the first place. Link to NZ Herald story

My good mate Philip Patston is performing as part of the NZ International Comedy Festival going down in May, and you could see him for free! I’m going to post up a video interview with Philip soon, and I’d like you to be a part of it by asking some questions! Simply post a comment below with your question to Philip, and everyone who does goes into the draw for a double pass to his show, between May 2-9th. Find

This is just wonderful, it really is. Please, share this with others you know that might be interested If there was a country called disabled, I would be from there. I live disabled culture, eat disabled food, make disabled love, cry disabled tears, climb disabled mountains and tell disabled stories. If there was a country called disabled, I would say she has immigrants that come to her From as far back as time remembers. If there was a country called

I’ve been to many Big Day Outs. I’ve never been able to see much, as might be obvious to many of you. I have nonetheless persisted, taking solace in the fact that I’m not only enjoying (albeit sans visuals) world-class music, but also socialising in confined, sweaty spaces with my peers – very important in youth culture, you see. But this year – oh boy, this year – the BDO organisers had erected a platform in front of the main