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Summerbridge Players are going ‘cuckoo’ in a pantomime that promises to provide pre-Christmas fun for all the family.
Four performances of Alice in Cuckoo Land will be staged at Dacre and Hartwith Village Hall in Dacre Banks, starting from November 30.
Rev Alastair Ferneley (pictured back, third from left) will be swapping his clerical clothes for high heels and a dress, as he takes the part of the Dame.
Peter Nuttall’s panto provides a comical and alternative view on the festive season as Rev Ferneley, the Vicar of Dacre with Hartwith & Darley with Thornthwaite, told the Stray Ferret:
“The evil Queen of Hearts hates Christmas and is determined that it will be banned from her realm. She has even thrown Santa into the dungeons.
“Alice and her friends Chester the Cheshire cat, Floppy the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter set out to rescue him. Of course, there are also the Dame and other colourful characters to add to the fun and games.”
The pantomime, starting at 7.30pm, will be held from Thursday November 30 until Saturday December 2 and there will also be a matinee performance starting at 12,30 on the Saturday. Tickets are available at the J Todd and Sons store in Main Street ,Summerbridge.
Harrogate’s pantomime season starts tomorrow
Harrogate’s much-loved Christmas pantomime returns tomorrow (Wednesday) with a new production of Dick Whittington.
The rags-to-riches story of the poor orphan boy attracted to the capital by promises of streets paved with gold and becoming Lord Mayor of London will follow the familiar format, but with a few local twists.
Co-writer and chief executive of Harrogate Theatre David Bown told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s a fresh take on the old Harrogate formula. With pantomime, there are certain expectations and conventions, and we work with those, and add in some of the events that have happened in Harrogate over the past year to make it relevant. So, it’s a combination of satire and slapstick, and it’s just great family fun.”
The panto will run for 76 performances over seven-and-a-half weeks, finishing on January 14. Anchoring the piece will be perennial favourite Tim Stedman, with newcomers including Naail Ishaq and Faye Weerasinghe.
Harrogate’s annual pantomime is widely regarded as one of the best in the north, and Mr Bown says that’s no accident. He said:
“We work hard at every element. We concentrate very much on the story, and make it nice and clear and imaginative, so that it’s accessible for the younger members of the audience. Then we layer it with jokes for the adults, although we never do innuendo.
“We work really hard to find jokes that work, and mix it all with newer music that’s in the charts now, and older music that more people will recognise, so there’s something for everyone.”
Dick Whittington will open on Wednesday, November 22 and close on Sunday, January 14. Tickets are available online from the box office.
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Advent calendar of offers and prizes from Harrogate businesses
Businesses around Harrogate have united to bring a daily offer to shoppers throughout advent and boost town centre trade.
Each day, a new offer or competition will be posted on social media as part of a project organised by Suzanne Vaughan – better known as the director of Enchantica’s.
While she will spend much of the run-up to Christmas dressed as Chief Elf Tinsel at the Harrogate Father Christmas Experience, she will also share the daily offers to support local businesses.
She said:
“We love delivering Christmas magic for families to enjoy but we knew we could do more for the businesses and organisations in our town and that is how the Harrogate (Social Media) Advent Calendar was born.
“Every day in December you will see Father Christmas opening up the advent door and sprinkling festive fun and magic onto a different business or event in Harrogate.
“Each day will see the reveal of a wonderful range of gifts, special offers and prizes for people to enjoy and together, working with all of the businesses and organisations involved, we have all helped each other to share all of the Christmas magic that we all have to offer.
“By working together we can all help each other and together celebrate the wonderful community of businesses and organisations that Harrogate is home to.”
The advent calendar has launched today with a top prize of a £200 Radley handbag from Hoopers on James Street, as well as discounts on fashion and beauty products. Visitors to the shop today also have the chance to win a family pass to Enchantica’s Father Christmas Experience and a family ticket to the pantomime at Harrogate Theatre.
To see each day’s offers as the advent calendar doors are opened, follow Enchantica’s on Instagram or Facebook.
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The Christmas Experience is held every weekend and during the school holidays until Christmas at the Cedar Court Hotel and is supported by Harrogate BID, as part of its efforts to bring people into town to use local businesses.
Simon Cotton, MD of HRH Group, which runs the Yorkshire Hotel and White Hart Hotel, in the town centre, said the advent calendar was a great way to support local businesses at a vital time of year in retail. He added:
Tribute evening planned for stalwart of Harrogate pantomime“This is a fantastic opportunity for Harrogate and shows just what we can achieve when the community pulls together.
“Christmas is such an important time for everyone in the town and we are happy to support anything that attracts people into the town.”
A much-loved stalwart of Harrogate Theatre’s pantomime is to be honoured with a tribute evening to raise funds in his memory.
Phil Lowe directed and co-wrote the theatre’s pantomime for 13 years before he died unexpectedly in October 2021.
Bring Me Sunshine: A Tribute To Phil Lowe will be an evening of songs and comedy routines performed by pantomime cast members past and present, plus a special guest appearance from UK Foo Fighters’ Jay Apperley.
Hosted by panto regulars Tim Stedman and Howard Chadwick, the one-off event, on Thursday, January 12 from 7.30pm, will be a celebration of Phil’s most memorable moments with Harrogate Theatre.
Audience members are invited to pay what they like for tickets, from £10 to £40; VIP tickets, which include a complimentary prosecco on arrival and canapés at the interval, cost £50, and boxes are £200.
The proceeds will be split between the British Heart Foundation and Phil’s children.
Read more:
- ‘Irreplaceable’ Harrogate Theatre pantomime director Phil Lowe dies
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Harrogate Theatre misses out on Arts Council funding until 2026
Harrogate Theatre will not receive any funding from Arts Council England from next April until 2026.
The funding body had previously given the White Rose Theatre Trust, which runs the theatre, just over £140,000 a year since 2015 through its national portfolio scheme.
The last round of awards from 2018 to 2022 gave the theatre a total of £563,636.
In today’s funding announcement, however, the theatre misses out completely — and no other organisations in the Harrogate district are included either.
Deborah Larwood, chair of the Harrogate Theatre board, said:
“Following this news, the board and leadership team will take some time to reflect and reimagine our plans from April 2023, as we continue to support the [ACE] Let’s Create agenda and ensure that Harrogate Theatre continues to deliver a vibrant cultural offer for people of all ages across the Harrogate district.
“We will continue to work alongside Arts Council England and to advocate for the value of the arts in all our lives.”
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In a statement, the theatre said it was disappointed by the news, but was grateful for ACE’s support to date.
It said the money had enabled the theatre not only to bring a “fantastic range” of artists to Harrogate, but also to engage with children and young people and to support emerging artists – as well as putting on the annual pantomime.
Arts Council funding has helped Harrogate Theatre to put on its popular annual pantomime. Photograph: Karl Andre
Theatre chief executive David Bown said:
“I am proud of the positive impact Harrogate Theatre has on our community. Our extensive programme of events and workshops reach an audience of over 150,000 per year due to the extraordinary talent and dedication of our staff, volunteers, board and the incredible artists on our stages.
“Harrogate Theatre has played a key role in the economic recovery of Harrogate post-pandemic and will continue to provide a rich artistic programme to inspire and entertain the town and its visitors.”
‘New organisations’
ACE said it was sharing out £446m each year across 990 organisations around England.
It said the list of organisations receiving funding was “richer and more varied than ever before”, featuring the likes of Blackpool illuminations, Unlimited in Yorkshire which commissions work by disabled artists, and community arts organisation intoBodmin.
ACE chief executive Darren Henley said:
“Together, each of the 990 organisations that have been offered funding today will contribute to a portfolio that is rich, varied and truly national. This is our widest ever spread of investment across the country, ensuring that many more people will have access to a wider choice of exceptional art, culture and creative opportunities on their doorsteps.
“We are in tough times but we must remember creativity brings with it extraordinary dividends, boosting our country’s economic growth, creating jobs, bringing communities closer together, and making us happier as individuals.
“Everyone deserves to enjoy the benefits it brings, and with this investment, we believe we’ve taken a decisive step towards making that vision a reality.”
The organisation’s chair, Sir Nicholas Serota, added:
Tim Stedman returns for 22nd panto at Harrogate Theatre“As well as continuing our commitment to our many established and renowned cultural organisations, I am deeply proud of the support we will be giving to those new organisations which will help ignite creativity across the country.
“We are facing economic pressures at present but this funding is about an investment in our future. This portfolio will support the next generation of visionary inventors, makers, performers and artists. In particular, the growth of our funding for organisations that support and develop work for children represents a profoundly important long-term investment in our country’s talent.”
Harrogate pantomime star Tim Stedman will be returning for a 22nd season this festive season, it was announced today.
Mr Stedman has become as much a part of Christmas in Harrogate as the Bettys hamper and lights on the Stray.
He will return to play Wishee Washee in Aladdin, which runs from November 23 to January 15 at Harrogate Theatre.
This year’s performances include a socially distanced show on November 27 and a signed show on December 10.
https://twitter.com/HGtheatre/status/1577249795801894914
Panto regular Howard Chadwick will also be back, playing Widow Twankey, Ebony Feare will be the genie and Colin Kiyani takes the title role of Aladdin. Marcus Romer will direct the production at the town’s Victorian theatre.
It will be the first pantomime since 2019 not affected by covid.
David Bown, chief executive of the theatre, said:
“We are going back to the cast levels and production levels of 2019 and everything is going very well.
“Tim loves Harrogate as much as we live him. I’m excited to see the rest of the cast as well.”
Tickets are currently available for every day, but availability on some dates close to Christmas is extremely limited. Prices start at £18 on most days.