Christmas 2017 sees three new Tyneside panto venues and a change of producing company for another.
After around 25 years at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House, the Newcastle Panto Company, founded by the late Brendan Healy and Maxie Peters, left the Westgate Road venue for the last time when Beauty and the Beast finished on 30 December 2016.
Its place is being taken by Kent-based Enchanted Entertainment which will present Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from 8 to 31 December. In the cast will be Charlie Richmond, who has been the venue’s panto comic for a number of years, as Muddles. Further casting will be announced later.
Newcastle Panto is moving across the river to Gateshead where it will present Sleeping Beauty in the first of the two new venues, the 800-seater Indoor Stadium Theatre at Gateshead International Stadium, from 8 to 30. Casting has yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, Nice Swan UK is moving in the opposite direction, from the Pantodrome in the sports hall of Wickham Comprehensive School in Gateshead to a new 1000-seater pop-up Pantodrome in Times Square, Newcastle, where, from 11 to 30 December, it will present Jack and the Beanstalk, starring Denise Welch as Mother Nature. Again, further casting will be announced later.
Finally, NE6 Suite in Walker, Newcastle will host its first ever panto this year. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will run from 1 to 15 December. Most of the casting has been announced: Ruby Barker (CBBC’s Wolfblood) will play Snow White, Dale Jewitt will be Prince Charming, Viktoria Kay and Lawrence Neale will play Brimstone and Treacle, Jessica Johnson will be the Wicked Queen and Courtney Jackson will play the Dame, Sally the Sausage.