Organisers at a County Durham theatre have hailed the success of its recent Christmas pantomime, and are already looking forward to entertaining audiences once again next December.

Durham County Council’s Gala Durham production of The Adventures of Robin Hood has come to a close after a six-week run full of laughter and festive fun.

This year’s production brought the popular tale to life on stage, telling the story of heroic outlaw Robin Hood and his band of merry men and women, as they battled to thwart the evil Sherriff of Nottingham.

Since its opening night on Wednesday 24 November, the show’s cast entertained close to 27,000 visitors, performing both standard and accessible performances to ensure everyone could share in the Christmas magic.

Organisers and cast members were overwhelmed by the positive feedback they received from families and audiences at the end of the show’s run.

Responding to the Gala’s Facebook page, one visitor said:

“I came to see the show with my grandchildren for a Christmas treat from their great grandad and we were in the front row. I’ve never laughed so much, and thoroughly enjoyed it as much as the kids. Fantastic.”

On the back of last year’s success, tickets are already on sale for Gala’s 2022 pantomime, Sleeping Beauty.

Tickets are priced from £7, with family tickets from £54, but an early bird offer is available until Monday 31 January where audiences can save up to £5 per ticket on selected performances.

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “After welcoming back audiences for the first time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, we are delighted with the response we have had and the success of Robin Hood. We would like to thank audiences for their continued support and lovely feedback from this year’s production. This hasn’t gone unnoticed, and we will be channelling this positivity into our next panto in December.

“We are looking forward to entertaining both old and new audiences once again this year, as we prepare for our production of Sleeping Beauty. We have already sold 7,000 tickets so far, so we would encourage everyone to make use of our early bird offer and book soon to avoid disappointment.”

Gala Durham’s pantomime is part of the county’s festive theatre programme, a key time in Durham County Council’s culture and events calendar. The wide variety of entertainment that Gala offers all year round showcases the vast cultural talent in the region and is one of the reasons the county is bidding for UK City of Culture 2025.

To find out more about Sleeping Beauty and to book tickets, visit www.galadurham.co.uk


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