A 'Purrfect' Cast for the Palace Theatre Kilmarnock Panto

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The Palace Theatre are delighted to announce their full cast for their spectacular family pantomime Dick Whittington.

This year’s panto sees some favourite faces returning to the stage with Fraser Boyle as Dame, Gary Morrison as Idle Jack and River City’s Sally Howitt as Fairy Bowbells. The Palace Theatre are also delighted to welcome back James McAnerney who will be playing Alderman Fitzwarren having been the baddie for the last two years as Dean Castle in Beauty and the Beast and the Demon King in Mother Goose.

James is delighted to be back at his ‘second home’ for the festive season. “I enjoy being at the Palace for panto because the audience are so close to the stage you can see all their reactions really clearly. It always feels like a family working with Imagine at The Palace as the team they put together always get on so well.”

“This year will be a big change for me not playing the baddie as I'm so used to getting booed from the Killie crowd. It will be nice to be able to be part of the story where happiness is happening rather than me trying to stop it all the time. It's also great not being the baddie this year as I'm trying to cut out the booooze in my life – ha ha – I’ll have to try get that one in the script!”

David Haydn, who played Aladdin’s nemesis Abanazar in 2014 is back to play the dastardly King Rat. Amy Scott last appeared in the Palace panto back in 2008 in Mother Goose and is delighted to reprise the role of Alice Fitzwarren that she played at Eden Court in Inverness last year alongside Charlotte Forbes who is reprising her role of Dick Whittington from the same production. Also joining the team as the feisty feline Tommy the Cat is Anna MacDonald.  

As well as performing Charlotte Forbes has had a busy year working on her personal training business as well as running dance and drama workshops. Following on from panto she will be taking to the high seas once more as a performer on Royal Caribbean.

“This will be my first time appearing at the Palace Theatre Kilmarnock and I am very excited to be taking to this iconic stage and working with some brilliant Scottish actors. Dick Whittington is such a great pantomime and he is such a fun character to play. Last year I loved being able to run around the stage fighting King Rat with my trusty side kick Tommy. Playing a principal boy is a huge challenge and it requires a lot of energy to portray their larger than life personalities but it is so rewarding when the audience gets behind you willing you to save the day.”

Don’t miss out on the hilarious swashbuckling panto. Dick Whittington runs from Saturday 25 November to Saturday 31 Dec 2017.

A 'Beauty' of a Pantomime Cast for the Spa Centre

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The Royal Spa Centre are delighted to announce that they are fully cast for this year’s production of Sleeping Beauty.

Joining Spa Centre favourites JP McCue and Sean Dodds are Sally Peerless as the good fairy Gabriella, Denise Pitter as the wicked fairy Carabosse, Chloe Fay as Princess Rosa, Glyn Dilley as the King, James Leeman as Prince Victor and Teddy Moynihan as Carabosse’s side kick, Fran.

Sally Peerless is currently appearing in the UK tour of Sister Act the Musical, having spent much of the last few years in Saturday Night Fever both in the UK and Germany.

Denise also has a strong musical theatre background having appeared in Guys and Dolls in the West End alongside Patrick Swayze as well as the UK tours of Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story and Dancing in the Streets amongst many others.

James has appeared in a number of pantomimes for producer’s Imagine Theatre and is delighted to be spending his first festive season in Leamington. “People I know who have previously having worked at the Spa Centre speak very highly of the team on the panto so that's also quite exciting. Leamington Spa is a beautiful place so I'm looking forward to spending my Christmas there.” 

James has played the Prince in Snow White for the last two years in both Grimsby and Southport and says “I've had great fun playing the Prince in Snow White so I'm excited to spend this season saving another ‘sleeping Princess’ but this time it being Sleeping Beauty.”

The title role of the ‘sleeping beauty’, Princess Rosa, is being played by Chloe Fay in her third professional pantomime. “When I was younger I was in the Junior Ensemble for four pantomimes and I still love appearing in them now. My favourite thing about it is that every performance is different. Nothing is taken too seriously and the audience participation being different every time makes it really fun!”

“I am looking forward to playing a princess as it is every girl’s dream to be a princess and getting to wear such beautiful gowns every day, and always having perfect and pristine hair... Oh and obviously being able to sing all the time without anyone looking at you in a weird way!”

Glyn Dilley is a hugely experienced performer and has appeared in 22 pantomimes clocking up an impressive 1400 performances since making his professional panto debut in The Palace Theatre in Morecambe, his home town. His performances this year have a very royal feel to them - as well as playing the King in Sleeping Beauty he is touring the UK as King Arthur for Story Pocket Theatre.

“I love panto as it gives so much pleasure to so many people every year. It is also great fun to do. One of my favourite panto memories is being on stage at the Liverpool Empire when a small child told the Queen to go away using a very rude word! It brought the house down and everything to a standstill!”

Teddy Moynihan was part of the RSC’s Shakespeare Live performance to mark 400 years since the Bard’s death when he performed as Chino / Ensemble in the West Side Story routine. He has also played Dandini in Cinderella and is looking forward to getting in touch with his dark side this season.

“I think it will be great fun to play a baddie and I look forward to seeing how loud we can get the kids booing!”

Janice Dunn who has directed the pantomime for the last few years says “I am delighted to have such a fabulous cast. Directing at the Spa Centre is always great fun and I promise we are going to put on another spectacular show this year.”

Sleeping Beauty opens on Saturday 2 December 2017. The show runs until Sunday 31 December 2017 and for more information or to book tickets please call 01926 334 418 or visit www.royalspacentreandtownhall.co.uk

Double Trouble for Cinderella in Southport This Christmas!

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Southport Theatre and Convention Centre are delighted to announce that two familiar faces are returning for panto this year as the deliciously wicked Ugly Sisters.

Jason Marc-Williams who played Dame Dolly Mixture last year returns to don a dress once again, with Alistair Barron who played Jingles the Jester last year, moving over to the dark side as the other half of the dastardly duo who do everything they can to make poor Cinderella’s life a misery.

2017 is a busy year for Jason as he is currently in the UK tour of Trespass and later this year he will be starring in the tour of the Ray Cooney farce It Runs in the Family before heading in to pantoland.

Jason says “Alistair and I have been friends for 5 years now, in fact we are more like brothers, so it is hilarious that we are playing Ugly Sisters this year.  This is fourth consecutive panto season together, until now we have been dame and comic, but we have always talked about how much fun it would be to play Ugly Sisters together.  I have already been giving him some make-up tips to help him out!”

Alistair adds “Me and Jason are the very best of friends, I don't find him annoying in the slightest....! It is so nice to keep getting asked back to places to do panto with one another, but sometimes I wonder when I'm going to be able to get away from him!” 

“I am so excited to play the baddie. I have been the comic for the last three years which has been fun, but I am so enthusiastic about a new challenge! Also it will be the first time that I'll be playing a dame character so a very different panto season for me.” 

Both Jason and Alistair are in agreement that Southport is a great place to spend the festive season.

Jason says “There are many wonderful things about working in Southport, including all the brilliant staff at the theatre. I live in Swansea near the sea so being in a seaside town for Christmas stops me feeling too homesick.”

Alistair is in agreement with this, adding “I am really looking forward to going back to Southport this year to perform in panto as there is a lovely community spirit in the town and at the theatre, and the audiences were such fun. I do like to be beside the seaside, oh I do like to be beside the sea.” 

Don’t miss out on Southport Theatre’s stunning production of Cinderella. The show runs from Friday 15 December 2017 until Saturday 6 January 2018.

Imagine Theatre announce recruitment of further employees as their team continues to expand

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Imagine Theatre announce recruitment of further employees as their team continues to expand

Imagine Theatre are delighted to announce an expansion of their team with the addition of several new key members of staff. Laura Taylor joins them as Head of Marketing and Business Development, Katie Boyce as a specialist props maker and Eric Potts will be writing and directing for them this forthcoming Christmas season.

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Familiar Faces Return to Eden Court for Snow White This Christmas

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The Eden Court’s pantomime preparations are well under way and they are delighted to announce the return of many familiar faces for this year’s production of Snow White.

Taking on the dual roles of director and dame for the second-year running is Steven Wren, with the hilarious Ross Allan returning for more slapstick fun as Jingles the Jester. The role of Prince will be taken on by David Rankine, who was last at Eden Court in the title role of Aladdin in 2014 and the iconic role of the Wicked Queen will be played by Marj Hogarth who is thrilled to once again be playing a baddie having played Carabosse in Eden Court’s 2013 production of Sleeping Beauty.  

Steven says “I had a wonderful time playing dame last year – it was just so much fun getting back on to the panto stage again after five years away from it. The Eden Court panto team are great so it enables me to be able to both direct and perform. We do have a new member of the team this year in Lesley Wood who will both choreograph and assist me with directing the show, and once again the fabulous Will Marshall is back as our Musical Director.”

Marj Hogarth is delighted to be back in Inverness “I love working at Eden Court because it's a beautiful theatre that is very much at the heart of the community of Inverness. I love that people travel enormous distances to come to the pantomime, and I take the responsibility of that dedication very seriously. Although I couldn't get much further away from home as I now live in England!”

“I have been playing the panto baddie for 25 years. It's always a joy. We all love to be a little bit scared, and I love playing formidable women. The Wicked Queen in Snow White is one of the most well-known of the panto ‘bad girls’ and I am sure I will have great fun in the role.”

Recently Marj has been writing a series of female characters that will form a one woman show as well as being involved in developing immersive theatre experiences for children and young people with special needs. 

This year both Ross Allan and David Rankine have appeared in productions at the Edinburgh Science Festival. Ross has been appeared in Uncanny Valley for Borderline Theatre Company / The Gaiety Theatre Company while David starred in Cosmonaut. David has also Appeared in Avoidable Climbing for the Take Me Somewhere Festival, Real Hoosewives Fae Glesga for the Pavilion Theatre and Lost in Music with Magnetic North.

Ross says “Inverness is definitely like a second home to me now as I have spent nearly two months here every year for the past five years. I obviously worked with Steven last year and I was also in Aladdin with David and Sleeping Beauty with Marj and it will be great to work with all of them again.”

David is delighted to be taking on the role of the Prince. “Over the last few years I have played the title role in Aladdin and the arrogant and vain Hunter in Beauty and the Beast and I will be playing a dashing Prince this year. They are all very different roles and I feel very fortunate to get the opportunity to play so many contrasting characters.”

Stephen Boden, Managing Director of Imagine Theatre who produce the pantomime, says “We are thrilled to have such a strong cast coming together for Snow White. Ross is very popular with the Eden Court panto audiences and is now in to his fifth year with us, and teaming up with Steven Wren last year was a great success so we are delighted to have them both at the helm once again. David is a really versatile performer who has a great understanding of panto and Marj plays a wonderful baddie. With such a fabulous cast in place I am really confident that Snow White will be another brilliant panto.”

Snow White is one of the most popular tales of them all so we advise booking your tickets early to avoid disappointment. The panto runs from Tuesday 5th December 2017 until Sunday 7th January 2018

Soap Star Jonathan Wrather to Star in The Palace Theatre Newark’s Beauty and the Beast This Christmas

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The Palace Theatre are delighted to announce that soap superstar Jonathan Wrather will be spending the festive season in Newark as the odious Eugene in the brand new comedy panto Beauty and the Beast this Christmas.

Jonathan is a familiar face to soap fans all over the UK as he is currently playing the controversial character of Pierce Harris in Emmerdale.

Jonathan also played bad boy Joe Carter in Coronation Street from 2002 until 2003 as well as having roles in Fat Friends, Clocking Off, Holby City, Casualty, Silent Witness and the US hit series Bones amongst others.

A RADA trained actor, Jonathan has spent much of his career on stage including playing the iconic character of Harry in the UK tour of When Harry Met Sally, as well as starring in productions such as Edward II, The Duchess of Malfi, Romeo and Juliet, Othello and The Grapes of Wrath. This will be Jonathan’s second appearance in pantomime having previously appeared in the Victoria Theatre Halifax’s production of Jack and the Beanstalk way back in 2003.

Jonathan says "Doing panto is always enormous fun. Playing the baddie in one is great fun too as you get such strong reactions from the audience. Beauty and the Beast is a terrific story and I can’t wait for rehearsals to start this autumn.”

Steve Boden, Managing Director of Imagine Theatre who produce the pantomime says, “We are delighted to be working with Jonathan for the first time this year and thrilled to have him on stage with us at Newark. He is a hugely talented and experienced actor and, as per his character in Emmerdale, portrays a great baddie! Our panto character Eugene is similar to that of Gaston in the Disney version – his vanity makes it impossible for him to believe that Beauty does not love him and so he plots to kill the Beast. He really is a true panto villain!

This is our third year producing panto at the beautiful Palace Theatre in Newark with word spreading around the region about the quality and sales going from strength to strength. We are confident that Beauty and the Beast is going to continue the tradition of top quality panto at the Palace and will be another fabulous show.”

Beauty and the Beast runs from Friday 8 December 2017 until Wednesday 3 January 2018.

Jon Clegg Making An Impression at Grimsby Auditorium This Christmas

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The Grimsby Auditorium are delighted to announce that Britain’s Got Talent finalist Jon Clegg will be playing Buttons in their spectacular family pantomime Cinderella.

Jon Clegg won the hearts of the nation in the 2014 series of Britain’s Got Talent with his impressions of everyone from Homer Simpson to Simon Cowell himself!

Jon says “I think my favourite impression would have to be Ant and Dec! It's the impression that was so popular on Britain’s Got Talent, and their reaction will always be a highlight.”

This will be his fifth panto with Imagine Theatre having appeared in both Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk at The Hexagon in Reading as well as two years in Leicester at the De Montfort Hall for Snow White and Jack and the Beanstalk.

Since finishing Britain’s Got Talent Jon has toured the world with his one-man impression show and is looking forward to spending the festive season in Grimsby.

“This is my first time working in Grimsby, but I have visited there before - and have worked a few times in nearby Cleethorpes, mainly appearing at Thorpe Park holiday park. Last year I did a show at Cleethorpes Pier with former football manager Ron Atkinson.” 

“I'm really looking forward to playing Buttons again, for the third time. It's probably my favourite panto role, as I get to play the fool but also have some poignant moments too!"

“This year in the run up to panto I am mainly sailing the seven seas on cruise ships, but am also working in hotels across the Mediterranean. So far this year I've been to Dubai, Oman, India, Sri Lanka, the Caribbean, Spain and Cyprus!” 

Steve Boden of Imagine Theatre who produce the panto in Grimsby says “We are thrilled to be working with Jon once again. He is extremely talented and a pleasure to work with and always builds up a great rapport with his audience.” 

“The popularity of the Grimsby pantomime has grown immensely over the last few years and we really enjoy working with the team at The Auditorium. We are really excited to be continuing to build on that success this year with Cinderella and to cementing panto as an important part of Grimsby’s festive calendar.”

Cinderella runs from Friday 15th - Thursday 28th December 2017.

A Fairytale Cast for Beacon Arts Centre’s Snow White

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Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock are delighted to be able to announce that casting is well under way for their spectacular family pantomime Snow White.

After a hugely successful 2016 season with Beauty and the Beast Beacon Arts Centre are promising another festive treat with many of the cast returning for another year of panto fun. Once again Jane McCarry gets to strut her stuff as the baddie of the piece as she plays the Wicked Queen with Still Game co-star Mark Cox returning to play her Henchman. Donning an array of elaborate frocks will be Jimmy Chisholm as Dame Dolly Mixture with Lee Samuel causing more mayhem than ever as Jingles the Jester.

Jane and Mark have a busy year ahead of them filming series 8 of the hugely popular comedy Still Game over the summer but are looking forward to being back in Greenock for the festive season.

Jane says “Mark and I genuinely had a lovely time at the Beacon last year. It's a beautiful building with a combination of the best view the best audiences anywhere in the UK. This will be my second time playing a baddie and I can't wait..... ohhhh it feels good to be bad and the Wicked Queen will have a costume to KILL for. I might sneak it in my bag after the run!”

Well away from the world of panto, Jimmy has recently been starring as Autolycus in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale at the Lyceum Theatre to rave reviews.

“I am thrilled to be back at the Beacon as Dame again. I had a lot of fun as Dame Betty last year and all those costume changes certainly keep me fit and I am really looking forward to working with Lee again!”

 Snow White runs from Friday 8 December until Sunday 31 December 2017.

River City Star Sally Howitt Returns To The Kilmarnock Palace Panto

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After a terrifying but terrific performance as Deadly Nightshade in last year’s Beauty and the Beast The Palace Theatre are delighted to welcome back River City star Sally Howitt for their hilarious family pantomime Dick Whittington this festive season.

This year Sally will be on the side of good as the feisty and quirky Fairy Bowbells.

“I'm very happy to be asked back to The Palace Theatre again for another panto! Beauty and the Beast was a very enjoyable experience with a lovely company so I can’t wait to return. I loved playing one of the baddies last year and I know that the script will be just as good this year. The character of Fairy Bowbells will be great fun to play and I will once again have another fantastic dress to show off.” 

“I enjoy the live performance of panto. There is nothing like hearing the whoops of excitement from the audience as the lights go down and knowing you are about to take them away fromreal life for a few hours into to a magical story with colourful characters in which they will laugh, shout out loud, and perhaps even be a little scared!”

Sally is currently filming another series of River City in which she plays Scarlett Adams, a role she has played since 2003.

“I find theatre and television very different in that in theatre you get an immediate reaction the minute you walk on stage but in TV in a studio it's very controlled and quiet and it's hard to tell what an audience at home might think or feel about what you're doing until it's broadcast into their living rooms at a much later date.” 

Steve Boden from Imagine Theatre who produce the pantomime says “We are delighted to be working with Sally once again. She is a great character actress so will be ideal for the role of Fairy Bowbells! Poor King Rat doesn’t stand a chance!”

Dick Whittington runs from Saturday 25 November to Saturday 31 Dec 2017.