Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre is to host its first online panto Jack and the Beanstalk which will be available to stream throughout December as well as being screened at the theatre itself.
The show will be a studio-shot, broadcast-quality production created for the screen and made possible thanks in part to the Belgrade’s successful bid for £999,999 from the government's Cultural Recovery Fund.
Jack and the Beanstalk Online will be written and directed by the Belgrade’s regular panto dame Iain Lauchlan who will also play a number of characters in the show, alongside his regular comedy partner Craig Hollingsworth.
With a career spanning more than 40 years in the children's entertainment industry, Lauchlan is working on his 26th Belgrade panto.
Jack and the Beanstalk Online is produced by Belgrade Film and Digital Ltd, an independent film production arm set up by the Belgrade Theatre Trust. Production services are provided by Sugarswell Studios Ltd.
As well as the panto, the Belgrade will also be hosting 'socially distanced' performances of Santa’s Christmas Rescue, a 35-minute interactive show written by Lauchlan for children aged between two and seven. It will be on the theatre’s main stage to allow for distanced seating.
Jack and the Beanstalk Online will be available to stream at home from Tuesday 1 until Thursday 31 December. Santa’s Christmas Rescue will run from Thursday 10 until Thursday 24 December.