News: Accessible pantomime performances available for Durham families over Christmas

 

Accessible pantomime performances available for Durham families over Christmas

With pantomime season in full swing, two County Durham theatre venues are providing accessible performances of their Christmas shows, so that all audiences can share in the festive fun.

 

Since late-November, Gala Durham and Consett’s Empire Theatre have been hosting their popular Christmas pantomimes with exciting performances of two traditional tales for audiences to enjoy.

 

At Gala, the theatre has been staging its annual panto with a production of Robin Hood, which will be entertaining families on stage until Sunday 9 January. In Consett, the Empire Theatre is staging its own pantomime with an original production of Treasure Island, running until 31 December.

 

Both venues have been making sure their shows are accessible to audiences of all needs and abilities, with dedicated British Sign Language (BSL), captioned and relaxed performances. Families can visit one of the upcoming accessible shows between December and January.

Characters Gertrude and Benjamin Gunn
in Empire’s Treasure Island

Consett Empire will be staging a relaxed performance of Treasure Island on Wednesday 29 December at 11am. Created for children and adult audiences with autism, learning difficulties or sensory conditions, relaxed performances are designed for those who would benefit from watching the production in a more informal environment.

 

In these performances, audiences are free to talk or move around if they need to, and a time out space is available for anyone who needs a break. Lighting, sound and special effects are slightly altered in order to reduce anxiety levels, and staff are trained to create a friendly setting and assist with any additional needs.

 

The Empire will also be staging a British Sign Language performance on 29 December at 3pm, where the performance will be interpreted by a trained member of the cast.

Robin Hood and Maid Marian on stage at Gala

At Gala, there will be a British Sign Language and captioned performance of Robin Hood on Wednesday 5 January at 6pm, for audiences with hearing impairments who would benefit from assisted interpretation.

 

And on Thursday 6 January at 6pm, Gala will also be staging a relaxed performance of Robin Hood.

 

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “Visiting the theatre is a great trip out for families, especially at this time of year when we have our fun-filled Christmas programme. Our festive season is full of fantastic productions and is a key part of our culture and events calendar, which is one of the reasons the county is bidding for UK City of Culture 2025.

 

“We want all audiences to be able to visit our venues and enjoy our shows, so our accessible performances have been specially adapted to suit different needs and abilities. Following Rose Ayling-Ellis’ success on Strictly Come Dancing, we've noticed a lot of interest from audience members wanting to learn sign language, and our BSL performances have been just as popular.  There is still time to book one of our shows before the year ends, so we encourage families to come along to a performance that suits them and enjoy the fun.”

 

Tickets:

To book a performance for Robin Hood, visit www.galadurham.co.uk or call the Gala’s box office 03000 266 600. For Treasure Island, visit www.empireconsett.co.uk or call 03000 262 400.

 

For more information about the accessibility of each theatre, visit www.galadurham.co.uk/yourvisit/access or www.empireconsett.co.uk/gettinghere/access

 

Following government guidance and to keep each other safe from the spread of coronavirus, visitors must wear face coverings at all times inside the theatre venues.

 

Visitors are being encouraged to take precautionary measures to prevent transmission, such as keeping a one to two metre distance from others and washing hands often and thoroughly.

 

People are also asked not to attend the venue if they believe they have coronavirus, are showing symptoms, have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, or if they have been instructed to self-isolate.

Preview: Dead Lies at Newcastle Tyne Theatre

 

A D V E R T I S E M E N T
No.1 Best Selling Crime Novelist Hilary Bonner’s Dead Lies comes to the Newcastle

Dead Lies

Newcastle Tyne Theatre & Opera House

Tuesday 31^st May – Saturday 4^th June 2022

 

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/DeadLiesTyneTickets

 

The Tyne Theatre and Opera House are proud to announce that No.1 Best Selling Crime Novelist Hilary Bonner’s Dead Lies will come to the Theatre in 2022. This roller-coaster ride of a play, packed with twists and turns will run Tuesday 31^st May – Saturday 4^th June 2022.

​Dead Lies is a fast-moving, hard-hitting political English thriller. The action takes place during a fiercely fought election campaign and follows the story of Peter George, played by Coronation Street’s Richard Hawley, a politician who promises a new kind of politics beyond sleaze and spin. He is welcomed as a messiah by the British public and expected to restore trust in a broken political system. But a shocking secret lies in the past of our country’s hero.

 

As buried truths rise from the ashes, his rise to power is under threat of destruction by ghosts from another time. Personal and political influences begin to shake the faith of those closest to him, and a media cascade threatens to bring down Britain’s new saviour. The question is how far will he go to save his own career, and how far will those around him go to save their own skins?

 

A former Fleet Street journalist, Hilary Bonner is now a full-time author and former chair of The Crime Writers' Association. A celebrated crime writer, Hilary has written 21 novels. She lives in the West of England where she was born and raised, and where most of her novels are set.

 

Director Joe Harmston said, “Hilary does that rare thing writing a thriller for the stage: like Christie, she puts psychology first, making Dead Lies the best sort of “Why” Done It. Placing her drama amid the hopes and dreams of a new political movement brings the genre bang up to date. The success of her endeavour is already evident, with a host of fantastic actors interested in the roles and I look forward to realising the play next year with an impressive ensemble.”

 

Joe Harmston directed Bill Kenwright’s Agatha Christie season for many years as well as many other West End and No. UK Touring productions.

 

Tickets are on sale now from the theatre box office and online from Eventim UK: https://tinyurl.com/DeadLiesTyneTickets

 

Preview: Priscilla Queen of the Desert at Darlington Hippodrome

 North East theatre company all set to dazzle once more with Priscilla 

Priscilla Queen of the Desert 

Darlington Hippodrome 

Wednesday 27 April - Saturday 7 May, 2022

Get your glitter on and take the ride of your life with the hilarious and heart-warming Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert live on stage at the Darlington Hippodrome in April next year. 

Following their most recent production, Strictly Musicals 3, Darlington Operatic Society stages this international smash hit musical complete with a dazzling array of over 300 outrageous costumes and head-pieces created by the team at Carry On Costumes who have produced specialist pantomime costumes for Christopher Biggins and Paul O’Grady as well as costumes for the recent West End hit Elf the Musical. 

Completing the fun is a hit parade of infectious dance songs from the 70s and 80s by Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, Donna Summer, The Village People, Kylie Minogue and many others and include “I Will Survive”, “Don’t Leave Me This Way”, “Hot Stuff”, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, “True Colours” and “I Love The Nightlife.”  

Casting includes Ben Connor (Tick), George Hurley (Adam), Julian Cound (Bernadette), David Murray (Bob), Jess Harrison (Diva), Claire Willmer (Diva), Jenny Poole (Diva) and Kirsty Furness (Marion), supported by a full company of 25 performers and a live 9 piece band. 

Based on the 1994 smash hit movie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert follows the journey of two drag queens, Tick and Adam, and a transgender woman, Bernadette, as they travel across Australia in their bus, named Priscilla. Tick has been asked to perform at a hotel in Alice Springs by his estranged wife, Marion. Taking Adam and Bernadette along with him, the trio drive from Sydney to the remote resort town in the middle of the desert. Tick tells his companions that the trip is a favour to his ex-wife, but does not reveal that he also has a young son he does not know, but who now wants to meet his father. As they head west, Tick, Adam, and Bernadette learn to accept and support each other, whilst encountering a number of strange and colourful characters along the way. After experiencing violent homophobic threats, Adam is forced to realize that not everyone is accepting of his flamboyant lifestyle, whilst Bernadette opens up to the possibility of love again following the death of her husband. Upon reaching Alice Springs, Tick finally meets his son, Benji, who accepts his father’s drag queen persona. The trio perform at the resort and realize that they have forged a bond that will last forever. 

 

Priscilla Queen of the Desert is a flamboyant, funny, disco-fuelled musical that is guaranteed to get the audience up on their feet. Don’t miss the bus! Hop on for a journey to the heart of fabulous! 

Photos: Images from DarlingtonOS production of Priscilla in 2018 by Scott Akoz

Tickets:

Priscilla Queen of the Desert runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Wednesday 27 April to Saturday 7 May, 2022. Tickets are available now from www.darlingtonos.org.uk or by calling the ticket hotline on 01325 244659. Age recommendation 14+ 

REVIEW: Cinderella at Darlington Hippodrome

Cinderella 

Darlington Hippodrome 

Until Friday 31st December 2021

Cinderella is always a popular pantomime. The magical tale can easily transport the children in the audience to a fabulous world for a couple of hours. The audible gasps as the real ponies appeared to whisk Cinders away to the ball showed that this production ticked the boxes for the youngsters in the audience.

Darlington Hippodrome is a fabulous venue to watch shows. Thanks to the pandemic, it hasn’t hosted as many shows as were originally planned since its refurb and the alterations still feel fresh. For a traditional styled theatre it does feel pretty intimate. It also has a proper orchestra pit, which in this show, has a live band under musical director Chris Pugh performing. Hidden from view it is easy to forget what an asset they are to this show as they keep the music flowing no matter what levels of chaos reign on stage.

No stranger to North East panto, Faye Tozer is a great choice as the Fairy Godmother. She is naturally assured as an actor and a singer, but she is not fazed by any madcap antics that can spontaneously occur in the three ring circus that is panto.

Less experienced, but equally as impressive were Tanisha Butterfield, as Cinderella, Jacob Leeson as Prince Charming and Spin as Dandini. Each one had their part to play as the tale unfolded. Singing, dancing and engaging the children in the audience, they helped keep this show magical.

The show looked wonderful and fairy tale-like. The bright outfits and sets all add to the atmosphere. The children were loving the ride.

Regular readers will be getting ready for the “but” and here it comes. Was it the nature of the timing of the 1.30 show? Was there a party last night after opening night (and yes - the recent political news has found its way into the script)? Was it me (and that is quite possible)? But some of the comedy was struggling to land for me. Was it the comic’s head appearing between the legs of Cinders when she was sitting on a wall…or the suggestion about what will happen to the ugly sisters in prison? The near nudity in one scene? Perhaps it was me…though it was my companion, wee-man, who mentioned it first on the way home. I may have been in a minority but the comedy wasn’t making me laugh. Sorry…

Despite that - I still enjoyed the magical fairy tale, the glamour and the live music. …and those ponies were really cute!

Review: Stephen Oliver

Photos: Scott Akoz Photography

Tickets:

Cinderella runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Friday 10 to Friday 31 December 2021. Tickets are on sale now, with early booking advised. For full details and to book visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk or call 01325 405405.

Preview: Treasure Island on tour

 Audiences Invited To ‘set Sail’ This Winter With Swashbuckling Family Production Of Treasure Island

Innovative Sunderland based immersive theatre company Theatre Space North East are returning with their hugely popular annual festive family tour, a year after their tour of Hansel & Gretel braved the elements and COVID restrictions to bring a slice of Christmas magic to audiences across the region.

Renowned for the Plays in the Parks season of free outdoor Shakespeare performances, which have taken over green spaces in Sunderland every summer for over a decade, Theatre Space’s Christmas shows are a relatively new addition to the company’s line up, which kicked off with an

immersive retelling of A Christmas Carol in Newcastle Castle in 2018. This year, the company tackles another timeless classic, with a specially adapted version of Treasure Island set to whisk would-be adventurers off on a daring high-seas expedition, filled with dastardly pirates and treasures galore.

The production will be touring small community venues throughout the North East, ensuring communities across the area can access affordable festive entertainment, with a mix of indoor and outdoor stops on the tour.

The show, which is performed twice nightly at 6pm and 8pm, will play Newcastle’s The Bike Garden on 9 th December, followed by Jarrow Hall at the former Bede’s World on the 10 th . The tour then moves to St Paul’s Church in Murton on 11th and then St Andrews Church in Roker, Sunderland on 14th . Dates at Hexham Abbey, Locomotion in Shildon, Trimdon Village Hall, and Sedghill Community Centre in Cramlington follow from 15 th -18 th . In the week before Christmas, the tour then visits Hebburn’s Hedley Hall on 20 th December, followed by Emma Hall in Crawcrook on the 21st a further date at St Andrews in Roker on the 22nd ,

finishing in Durham at the Greenhills Centre on the 23rd .

Dates at Hexham Abbey and The Bike Garden are outdoors. Audiences are advised to wrap up warm and dress for the winter weather.

Robert Louis Stevenson ‘s classic tale has been specially adapted by local writers for this tour, featuring all of the memorable parts with Theatre Space’s own unique twists. Brave Jane Hawkins is in search of the dastardly pirate Captain Flint’s treasure, said to be buried somewhere on the fabled Treasure Island. Along the way, she encounters a menagerie of colourful characters and seafaring scallywags, all of whom wouldn’t mind a slice of the pirate’s bounty.

The show comes after one of the most tumultuous and turbulent periods arts organisations and theatres have faced in a generation and its down to the dedicated and loyal audiences Theatre Space has been lucky to retain that the company have been able to weather the storm. The company’s summer season once again saw record numbers attend in July & August, as lockdown weary Shakespeare fans clamored to get their theatre fix. The company was also boosted by the UK government’s Cultural Recovery Fund which saw a vital cash injection fund new jobs at the company’s Nile Street HQ as well as allowing the company to stage their productions safely amid crippling COVID restrictions.

Since the start of the pandemic, the company has been able to support over 40 creatives, freelancers, actors and practitioners and provide performing opportunities to many performers who were facing up to having to leave the industry due to the nationwide shutdown of UK theatre. Theatre Space’s unique brand of site specific, immersive theatre meant they could be the first theatre organisation in the North East to return to live performances and welcome audiences back after lockdowns were eased with last year’s Hansel & Gretel being one of the sole festive productions able to go ahead.

Audience feedback from last year’s production was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees praising the writing, creative staging, energetic performances from the cast and crew of 4 as well as recognition of soldiering on through the challenging conditions.

Funding from the Cultural Recovery Fund has also helped to fund this production, allowing the company to keep ticket prices capped at £10 for adults and £8 for concessions and emergency services personnel, ensuring affordable, accessible theatre is available to all. The fund will also go towards staging an innovative dystopian play ‘Girl in the Machine’, touring in early 2022.

Tickets:

Tickets are available at https://www.theatrespace.org.uk/productions/  (booking fees apply) and must be booked in advance. On the door sales are not available. Strict covid safe procedures continue to be in place, including the wearing of face coverings at indoor performances, temperature checks on arrival and extra sanitisation stations throughout the performance area.

Audiences may be required to show proof of a negative lateral flow test or their COVID vaccination status upon entry. Patrons showing signs or symptoms of COVID-19 should not attend.

A full list of dates and show times can be found at

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/theatrespacene/treasure-island-winter-tour/e-llkred 

REVIEW: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Whitley Bay Playhouse

Blue Genie Entertainment presents

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Whitley Bay Playhouse

Until Sunday 2^nd January 2022

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/SnowWhiteTicketsWBay

The Playhouse regulars, comic Steve Walls and panto dame Daniel Mawston, are joined by Linda Lusardi and her real life daughter Lucy Kane and seven dwarfs in a fun filled panto. The sell out Whitley Bay crowd were definitely the loudest and most enthusiastic we have come across this season. The production appeared to be the most lavish that Blue Genie have staged at the Playhouse and it shows.

There may have been a time when the Playhouse panto was a poorer relation to some of the shows held in bigger theatres nearby but that is no longer the case. It has managed to keep the aspects that made it popular with families but it will now appeal to a broader age range. So yes, the humour is still safe for the youngsters and grand parents alike but there are clever, rather than smutty, jokes in there as well. After the promise shown in the 2019 show, this is the year the Whitley Bay panto has also come of age.

The on stage relationship between Steve Walls and Daniel Mawston, as Muddles and Patsy, continues to blossom. They work well together and helped ensure that the show was full of light hearted moments. Sure some of the jokes are as old but they land well every time. There was as much laughter coming from the adults as the kids around where I was sat.

This year the cast are joined by Linda Lusardi who appeared to relish the role of the evil stepmother, Queen Scowlalot. Each time she came on her face lit up at the audience's reaction. Many of the kids around me were becoming more and more animated as the show proceeded as the Queen cast her evil plans. You really couldn't ask for more from a panto baddie.

Quite often Snow White is cast by a relatively new actor straight out of drama school, but that is not the case here. Lucy Kane gave Snow White a confidence that is often missing. Like her mother, Lucy has a good singing voice which was put to good use throughout the show. The other actor who had a good set of pipes was Andrew McLeish, who appears at Prince McCharming. His range was put the the test at the end during an 80s mega mix in which he hit the high notes of Michael Jackson. The songs were well chosen in this show as they fitted the story as much as they gave each actor a chance to shine.

The dwarfs were given plenty of dialogue in this show too. Sometimes the pressure to give the star(s) enough stage time means that the dwarfs are given only a brief time to act but that wasn't the case here. They also had a share of the jokes - obviously aft the year we have had Sniffly was going to be told to self-isolate.

The show also has a compliment of both four professional dancers and several younger dancers from a North East dance school. Jo Walls choreography filled the stage with movement and colour. Indeed this show features the best movement by the ghost in the take off scene. Mind you - the bench in that scene is so much part of the show that I'm surprised it doesn't have its own social media account.

Snow White hasn't fallen down the rabbit hole of tacky gimmicks. Instead it sticks to the story, delivers it well and keeps the audience laughing. If you haven't been to the Playhouse then I should also point out that every seat has a good view of the action (I was in row X) and the theatre has some of the comfiest seats in theatreland. The show, at our performance, ran just over 2 hours 30 including interval which is about right for this type of event. (You don't want panto to go on for too long as we witnessed a few years ago at another theatre).

As we were chewing it over in Pantrini's afterwards (that place has been a part of our Whitley Bay tradition too) we couldn't think of anything bad about the show. Now that doesn't happen very often.

A great cast delivering a funny script in a comfy theatre. What more could you want? A great start to the festivities.

Review: Stephen Oliver       

Tickets:

Tickets are now on sale from the theatre and online from our affiliate Ticketmaster UK: https://tinyurl.com/SnowWhiteTicketsWBay

REVIEW: Sleeping Beauty at Newcastle Tyne Theatre and Opera House

 Sleeping Beauty

Newcastle Tyne Theatre and Opera House 

Until Monday 3rd January 2022

Local Tyne Panto regulars Charlie Richmond and Lewis Denny return to the Tyne Theatre for the first non-socially distanced pantomime for a couple of years. The result is a very good traditional pantomime that had the kids screaming, booing and cheering throughout.

The live band fired up as the lights went down and with a bang, Fairy Fortywinks appears. Jojo Hatfield immediately gets the audience to cheer her entrance Here’s the thing with this show, the audience were only asked to give a simple acknowledgement for the entrance of just two of the characters and that works really well. Too many pantos drown as each actor wants their own moment with the audience. Keeping it simple is best for a great family panto.

Then we are introduced to the classic panto love triangle between the Princess Tamara (Laura Baxter), the Prince Kristoff (Collabro’s Matt Pagan) and the comic Chester (Charlie Richmond). The royal couple are given opportunity to show off their singing skills, Charlie gets to deliver the jokes. Music wise, this show has got the mix about right - not too many songs and with the right people singing. Joke wise: Charlie Richmond, along with Lewis Denny is making his debut as the Dame, takes the audience on panto’s Greatest Hits. Each joke is a well crafted, time served quip (four hates makes 32 did you know?) 

But the show has a hi tech moment. Now I’m no fan of 3D in a theatre, however, the use of it for the take off scene was inspired. No spoilers here, but having more than just a member of crew wrapped up as a mummy had the youngsters screaming!

This is also a traditional panto in that it tended to stick to the story - making it suitable for the younger members of the family. The only brief diversion was for the 12 days of Christmas, which is a long tradition at this theatre.

Which brings us to the north east stars that have deserved much more credit in the region. Charlie and Lewis have both managed to develop the craft of delivering both comedy and blasts of exposition. Both deserve much recognition in turning around a panto that was, a few years ago, becoming stale. I know it may seem a contradiction but it is possible to keep a show traditional but also to keep it fresh and fun. It was also good to see that the humour was safe for the whole family - unlike some shows which push the limits of what is quite rude.

So this panto delivered a nice story, had a charming cast in pretty costumes and some great singing voices delivering some challenging songs. It had some new tech that was used judiciously.   All in all, a decent panto for the family to enjoy.

Review: Stephen Oliver

Tickets:

#ad Tickets are on sale now and are available from the theatre and Eventim UK: https://tinyurl.com/TynePanto2021

Coming up:

The Wizard of Oz Easter Panto – running Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th April 2022 starring Bobby Davro and Charlie Richmond – Tickets: https://tidd.ly/3uWMG1V

Preview: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice at Newcastle Northern Stage

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Newcastle Northern Stage

Until Friday 31 December 2021

Northern Stage will produce a magical new adaptation of family favourite The Sorcerer’s Apprentice this Christmas (27 November - 31 December). Set in the streets of Newcastle but not quite as we know it, audiences will be treated to live music, puppetry, magic and illusion as they follow the adventures of Hatty Rabbit and her friends after a mysterious letter arrives inviting Hatty to an interview for a sorcerer’s apprentice…

Maria Crocker will direct her first main stage show for Northern Stage. Maria trained on the theatre’s first NORTH programme in 2013 where she met her fellow founders of The Letter Room, and has performed in several Christmas productions at the Newcastle theatre including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz adapted by Caroline Bird. An associate artist at Headlong, Maria’s credits include associate director on the Tony Award-winning Hadestown for the National Theatre and Local Hero for The Lyceum. She says, “It’s thrilling to be making a show for the epic space, having trained on Northern Stage’s NORTH scheme in 2013. This Christmas is all about making the normal feel magical. We have a fantastic team of creative wizards working tremendously hard to bring this Newcastle story to life in the most enchanting, sparkly way, and to spread some much needed festive joy.” 

Adapted by Laura Lindow (The Snow Queen/Northern Stage, Key Change/Open Clasp), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is designed by Amanda Mascarenhas (Run It Back/Talawa Theatre Company, Cuttin’ It/Royal Exchange Theatre), with lighting design by Jai Morjaria (Wuthering Heights/National Theatre & Bristol Old Vic), sound design by Matthew Tuckey (Wolf!/Kitchen Zoo, Repeat Signal/November Club), movement direction by Gavin Coward - a performer, member and collaborator with balletLORENT, and original music by Katie Doherty who has created music for the Royal Shakespeare Company, five family Christmas productions for Northern Stage and the award-winning musical Beyond the End of the Road. Molly Barrett-Manasseh will design and make the puppets, with puppetry direction by Thomas Walton, and associate director is North East dramaturg and director Rachael Walsh - one of two recipients of the 2021 JMK Victoria Wood Bursary.

Magic is a key part of the production, so Dr Will Houstoun has been enlisted as illusion designer and director. As well as numerous theatre credits with the Royal Shakespeare Company, West End shows, Northern Ballet and the Royal Opera House, he has worked on film and TV shows including Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, award-winning BBC drama series Wolf Hall starring Mark Rylance, and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind for Netflix. He says, “I’ve missed theatre enormously during the pandemic, so I can’t wait to be back using magic to help share astonishing moments in magical stories. And The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is full of magic, so I can’t imagine any illusionist who wouldn’t want to try and bring some of that to life on stage!” 

Beth Crame from Newcastle will play Hatty Rabbit, the little girl who has a big job to do after she receives a mysterious letter inviting her to an interview for a Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Beth said, “I grew up in the North East and went to Newcastle College to study Musical Theatre so it really is a dream to perform at Northern Stage! Hatty Rabbit can find the positive in every situation, even if things aren’t going her way which I think is a magical power of hers.”

She is joined by Talia Nyathi - a South African born Zimbabwean native, Talia is making her stage debut having trained at Manchester School of Theatre where she won a Laurence Olivier Bursary and was nominated to be a Spotlight Prize finalist in 2020; Nick Figgis (War Horse/West End) who played Scrooge in Northern Stage’s 2019 production of A Christmas Carol; Jessica Johnson - most recently seen starring in the 40th anniversary tour of Educating Rita with Stephen Tompkinson, Jess first appeared at Northern Stage in 2007 while studying at Newcastle College in a Christmas show directed by Erica Whyman; Hong Kong born, British-Thai Patrick Munday (West Side Story/BBC Proms); Heather Dutton (Treasure Island/National Theatre, Primetime/Royal Court); and Alice Blundell (The Winter’s Tale/Royal Shakespeare Company, The Wizard of Oz/Northern Stage). 

The show will be filmed by award-winning North East filmmakers Meerkat Films for Northern Stage at Home enabling audiences to watch online, and there will be BSL, captioned, relaxed and audio described performances.

Writer Laura Lindow says, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has made 2021 a really magical year for me already; Christmas is a chance to make dreams come true right in front of us. To tell stories that can really enchant. To create characters who can really live. Adventures that can really play out. It’s an honour and a privilege to play a part in so many peoples’ Christmases and hopefully offer even more festive sparkle to take away.”

Tickets:

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice runs from 27 November – 31 December. Tickets start from £10. Book online at www.northernstage.co.uk or call the box office on 0191 230 5151.