Durham County Council’s Gala Christmas show, Sleeping Beauty, written by Gary Kitching and directed by Rachel Glover, is a new telling of the classic following the adventures of Briar Rose as she tries to escape a marriage to poetry-mad Prince Chad of Middles-boroughly.
Meanwhile, having not received an invite from King Archibald of Durham-ion to Briar Rose’s Christening, Evil Witch Karen has plans to cast a curse.
Sleeping Beauty brings together a North East cast mixing new and familiar faces. Returning for his third panto at Gala Durham, Jacob Anderton, who played Robin Hood in last year’s production, will play King Archibald. Also returning is Lauren Waine, who previously appeared in Snow White and Robin Hood and this year plays Hester the Jester.
Prince Chad will be played by Benjamin Storey, who appeared in The Nutcracker Re-Miced at Gala Durham last Christmas, and Chloe Jane Millar plays Briar Rose. Sammie the Dog will be played by County Durham actress Jude Nelson, who recently appeared in A Way Home, and Steve Byron, an actor with 35 years of working in theatre in the region, will play the Nanny.
Zoe Lambert rounds off the cast, as Karen.
The show opens November 23 and runs until January 8.