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The magic of Colwyn Bay's pantomime re-invented online


December 04, 2020 - 1486 views

A very clever idea from a Colwyn Bay based production company has saved the town's favourite seasonal show this December.

In response to the coronavirus restrictions and the cancellation of many theatre based pantomimes, Stuart Loughland and Libby Edwards of Magic Light Productions came up with a plan to bring their show into local homes and schools with the help of a local video production company.

Filmed at Theatr Colwyn, The Magic of Red Riding Hood is a fun-filled one hour pantomime written, staged and filmed to bring the magic of panto to homes this Christmas.

Libby explained how it all came about.

"Stuart and myself wrote the script ourselves when it became clear that live performances in Wales weren’t going to go ahead this Christmas season.

"We had originally started to write the two-hander pantomime to take into schools and on tour next year, but we quickly adapted it to an online production so we could offer something from Magic Light Productions this Christmas.

"It was really important to us to re think and adapt to the circumstances we found ourselves in as opposed to admitting defeat. Our audiences are so loyal and supportive, not just at Christmas but all year around, and we felt it important to provide them with something joyous to watch this year more than ever.

"Stuart and myself play all 7 characters! Inventing different voices was fun and we wanted to give the show a fuller feel with puppets and mascot characters. As we were in the same bubble, we knew that it was the safest and most feasible option to keep the show to a cast of two. We missed our fellow cast members and dancers terribly though!

"The pantomime has been filmed and edited by local videographer Geoff Tudno of Tudno TV & Films and has been made possible by the support and assistance of all the staff at Theatr Colwyn and Venue Cymru.

"We can only continue to do what we do with the support of our audiences and with theatres in Wales not being allowed to open for live shows for the past 9 months and for the foreseeable future, we are thrilled that this production will also support Theatr Colwyn during these difficult times.

"There is a donation option when you purchase tickets if you feel you are able to donate any more, these donations will be split equally between Magic Light Productions and Theatr Colwyn to enable us to continue our work.

"A huge thank you to everyone who continues to support us in all that we do - we couldn’t do it without you!"

Tickets are on sale now, only £10 for an individual or family viewing link, available to watch at 2.00pm on Christmas Eve or 4.00pm on Boxing Day, and £25+VAT for one class, £15+VAT for each additional class for schools.

Schools can watch the show at a time to suit them between 14th - 17th December.

Ticket are on sale via www.theatrcolwyn.co.uk or by calling 01492 87200.