Express & Star

Midland theatre guide

Panto lovers can celebrate the history of Wolverhampton's pantomime with a new free exhibition now open to the public at the Light House Media Centre.

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This year's Grand Theatre pantomime is Aladdin and the free exhibition compliments that, running until 22 January.

The exhibition looks at previous Aladdin pantomimes, over 120 years of Grand Theatre pantomime history and has a display of traditional Aladdin costumes.

The Grand Theatre has a long history of pantomime, with the first being Sinbad The Sailor which opened on Christmas Eve 1894, just two weeks after the theatre opened.

The exhibition is home to a patchwork magic carpet, that forms a focal point. The carpet has been pieced together as part of a community project overseen by Head Of Creative Learning and Education, Claudia Gilmour. 24 local community groups and schools participated in the project -– ranging from Teenage Cancer Trust to local primary schools to Age UK. Each group has received a free textile design workshop, supported by donations from the Grand Theatre's Creative Learning Fund.

Participants have experimented with a wide range of textile techniques to create their own individual Aladdin-themed decorative textile designs for a piece of the quilted carpet. One of the completed carpets is now hung in the exhibition, the two carpets feature over 270 individual pieces which have been sewn together. The second carpet will be displayed at the Grand Theatre during the Aladdin pantomime run.

The Lighthouse Media Centre will be closed between December 24 – January 1, 2017. The Centre and exhibition will reopen from the evening of 2 January 2017. Meanwhile, Santa is returning to Stafford's MET Studio to feature on December 22 and 23.

The People's Theatre Company is producing the fantastic, festive, fun-filled family show, Santa In Love. Venue spokesman Thomas Waldron said: "Over the course of four days, families can meet Santa and his team of Elves, and hear all about his recent travails."

He added that the show answered all of the most important festive questions, like: Where the fairy on top of the Christmas tree comes from, or why you never see a Christmas elf?

Santa In Love will be performed in the MET Studio at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre on Thursday, December 22 at 10.30am and 1pm, Friday, December 23 at 11.30am and 3pm and on Saturday, December 24 at 11.30am and 3pm.

Tickets are £9 and can be booked on 01785 619080 or by visiting www.staffordgatehousethea tre.co.uk

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