There is good news for Ipswich Panto fans, as Peter Rowe has re-imagined his Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto and adapted The Snow Queen story for a Live Streamed show that the New Wolsey Theatre will be staging this Christmas.
Following the outstanding 5* reviews recently for their online collaboration What A Carve up!, the New Wolsey Theatre is proving it can adapt to lockdown and make great new theatre online.
The Snow Queen will be much more than a show on stage with a camera pointed at it: this is an extremely ambitious blend of live action, animation, audience interaction, pre-recorded film and all the musical numbers you’d expect.
The show will go on, even if we’re still in lockdown in mid December. There are rigorous Covid-19 safety processes in place, so everyone can be kept safe.
The cast includes New Wolsey favourites such as James Haggie, Lucy Wells, Steve Simmonds and Adam Langstaff, with Natasha Lewis as the eponymous Snow Queen.
Not only is this an incredibly ambitious production, The New Wolsey Theatre have strived to raise the game to be even more accessible than ever before. As all shows, both online and live, will have captioning and audio description available as an option. The British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted show takes place on Weds 23 Dec at 7pm, accessible both from home and in the auditorium. They are also developing a plan for a Relaxed Performance version of the show, which will be available to watch from home. If anyone is interested in making use of this service, please let them know by emailing tickets@wolseytheatre.co.uk.
The New Wolsey Theatre has some key things to shout about:
Fans can be in the show! We’re inviting audiences to send us a recording of themselves dancing to Beyonce’s Love On Top. We’ll then do our best to include it in the show. We’re encouraging dressing up, silliness and plenty of showing off. Further details are on their website.
They also have a surprise for people watching the Live Streamed show, as they will need to collect an item from someone watching the show at home during the show. With Covid-19 safety all carefully worked out, this item is essential to finishing the story… will they get it or will it all go hilariously wrong?
The Carers’ Big Night In. The New Wolsey theatre are giving away 400 free tickets to local carers for the Live Streamed show. They have done an extraordinary job of caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities over the last few months, often putting the needs of others before their own. As a way to say a great big THANK YOU to our Carers, the 7pm performance of The Snow Queen on Tuesday 22nd December is dedicated to Carers. If the theatre are permitted to open the auditorium, we’ll include auditorium seats in the offer, but we think most Carers will want to watch from the safety of home. We’re working on an invitation list, so if you know of anyone (individual or a care home) that would benefit from a great big New Wolsey hug in the form of a free ticket, please email carers@wolseytheatre.co.uk.
We’ll be able to give away even more than 400 free tickets if the public get behind this idea and ‘Pay It forward’ by making a donation to the theatre when they book their own tickets for the show. We’d love your help to spread the word.
The Snow Queen runs from Thursday 17th – Thursday 24th December, with online streaming and limited seats in the auditorium available.
Tickets for the Live Streamed show are £25 per screen, and are on sale now – bookable through the website only. The Box Office phone lines are open for people who require assistance to make the booking. Note: They will also be making one of the show recordings available for people to watch between Boxing Day and New Year, for a one–off payment of £25 for as many viewings as they like.
If Government guidance permits, they will also have space in the auditorium for up to 140 people per show within their household bubbles of two, four or six (£50, £100, or £150). Availability is obviously limited compared to the usual Panto, but they have made sure that watching from home will be just as much fun. Tickets for the limited auditorium seats go on general sale on Saturday 14th November.
For more information or bookings, visit www.wolseytheatre.co.uk.
