Curtain Up on Children’s Theatre Festival
4th February 2015
Three classic children’s productions will be brought to life on stage during the February half term when the Thwaites Empire Theatre stages a programme of children’s theatre taking place across three afternoons with performances at 2pm. Tickets are £5 for either adults or children and families are being offered a festival ticket for the week for families of four to see three shows by Pendle Productions for £50.
“Alice in Wonderland” opens the festival of fun on Monday 16th February and is described as a lovable musical romp through the timeless pages of Lewis Carrol’s classic tale with Alice, The Mad Hatter, The Queen of Hearts, The Duchess, the White Rabbit, March Hare and the Mock Turtle.
An adaption of the “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett takes place on Tuesday 16th February. The story starts in India, where Mary Lennox has the misfortune of being orphaned but her life’s journey takes her to the Yorkshire countryside to meet Mrs Medlock, the house keeper at Misselthwaite Manor. Outside the house she finds a secret garden. Mary spends much of her time creating her own world and with the help of Dickon (Martha the maid’s brother) they set about clearing and replanting their garden.
The festival concludes with the delightful tale of “Wind In The Willows” (Thursday 19th February). This musical adaptation follows Toad, Ratty, Mole and Badger and their antics on the River Bank and in the Wild Wood. From Ratty’s picnic with Mole to the troublesome Mr Toad and his love for driving Motor Cars, this production is sure to enthrall and entertain.
The festival celebrates the 30th anniversary of touring for Pendle Productions the resident professional company at the Thwaites Empire Theatre who will be presenting Jack and the Beanstalk as this year’s annual pantomime at the venue in December.
Theatre Chairman, Michael Berry said, “The Thwaites Empire Theatre has always been a community venue with something for everyone and we look at promotions such as this as way of reinforcing our commitment to provide the best entertainment possible at an affordable price. We hope that by making the price of tickets accessible to all it will encourage new audiences to the venue at a time of the year when families are looking for good value things to do with their children. We would like to encourage old friends and new to join us and celebrate this festival of family fun”.
Tickets can be obtained by telephoning the box office on 01254 685500 or by visiting the web site on www.thwaitesempiretheatre.co.uk
Alice in Wonderland, Monday 16 February 2pm Tickets £5
The Secret Garden, Tuesday 17 February 2pm Tickets £5
Wind in the Willows, Thursday 19 February 2pm Tickets £5
Family Ticket (4) for all three performances £50
