COLUMN: Waterside Theatre boss announces this year's pantomime

I am proud to announce that this year's Waterside Theatre pantomime will be Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

And as we announce our 8th family pantomime this week, it always marks a time that we look forward to, and always reminds us of the importance of live entertainment and the value of interactive experiences to local children and young adults.

Since beginning my post at the theatre in January last year I have been genuinely impressed by the local, young talent in the town, it really is something to celebrate and be proud of.

Just recently a playwright from our latest production The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time visited 2 local secondary schools and was impressed by their level of interest in the arts and general passion for learning more.

We see numerous dance schools take to our stage throughout the year showcasing their talent, and in a few weeks will welcome 100 local youngsters on stage with the English Youth Ballet.

We’ve seen hundreds of children come through our doors recently auditioning with British Theatre School for a production of Annie, and for the first time this year are joining forces with professional company Vivo D’Arte and AVDC to offer Stage Experience – an opportunity for ambitious performers aged 7 – 23 to perform on our stage this summer.

By channelling the enthusiasm and energy of young people into different projects the town has to offer, they really can shine.

We are one of many organisations able to offer respite from iPads, Facebook and Pokémon hunting(!), and would urge any parents, guardians, schools and young individuals looking to take advantage of such events and try something new, be it workshops, theatre clubs or other community projects, to bite the bullet and get involved.

If any readers are interested in what we can offer as venue we’d encourage them to email [email protected]

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