A County Durham theatre celebrated a bumper number of visitors as the last petal fell on its Christmas pantomime.
Over 27,000 people went to Gala Durham to see its take on a tale as old as time, with its production of Beauty and the Beast.
Featuring an all North East cast, the pantomime ran for 67 shows and was acclaimed by audiences and critics alike.
It ran several accessible shows, including relaxed, British Sign Language integrated and captioned performances.
For the first time, the venue introduced an audio described performance and touch tour for audiences with sight loss, as well as the opportunity for audiences to peek behind the curtain with a behind-the-scenes tour.
A recording of the production was also provided to the Treetops Ward of University of Durham Hospital, following a visit from the cast, so that children and their families could enjoy the show over the festive period.
Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “Taking a trip to the pantomime is a Christmas tradition for many families so here in County Durham we put a lot of effort in to make sure our productions are the highlight of people’s festive calendars.
“We are delighted that so many people enjoyed our production of Beauty and the Beast. We are already making preparations for this year’s pantomime, and we hope audiences will come back to join us for some more festive fun in December.”
Audiences can expect more Fe-Fi-Fo-Fun next Christmas when Gala Durham will produce Jack and the Beanstalk.
Brave and kind-hearted young Jack has big dreams and works hard to make ends meet for him and his loving and eccentric mother.
But everything changes the day Jack is offered some “magic beans” by a mysterious stranger with the promise they will change his life.
With beautiful costumes, hilarious gags, dazzling dance routines and sing-along songs, audiences can join Jack in his adventure from Thursday 20 November to Wednesday 31 December.
For the first time, £10 tickets are now available across all performances with audiences encouraged to not snooze like the giant and to book early to get cheaper tickets.
Accessible shows will be available with relaxed performances on Friday 5 December, 1.30pm and Tuesday 16 December, 6.30pm, a British Sign Language interpreted performance on Saturday 6 December, 2pm, Audio Described performance on Saturday 6 December, 6.30pm, and captioned performance on Saturday 13 December, 6.30pm.
Tickets can be booked by calling Gala Durham’s Box Office on 03000 266 600, or online at www.galadurham.co.uk/jack-and-the-beanstalk.
