Your Midlands and Shropshire am dram guide

From January 2 to 4, Shawbury Village Players are presenting their annual panto and this year they have chosen Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

Follow the tale of Ali Baba presented by Scheherazade, complete with thieves, caves, plenty of fun and frolics and of course, the pantomime happy ending.

This is a really good, traditional family pantomime, so please go along and enjoy it.

Catch Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves at Shawbury Village Hall, with performances at 7.30pm nightly and a 2.30pm Saturday matinee.

For tickets priced at £10 for adults and £5 for children, visit www.shawburyvillageplayers.co.uk, call into the Post Office or Craftnutter Supplies in Shawbury or call 01939 250070.

In Bridgnorth at the Theatre on the Steps, the pantomime is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which plays from January 4 to 25.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? Go along and see for yourselves.

Visit www.theatreonthesteps.co.uk or call 01746 766477 to purchase tickets and for details of performance times.

Roleplay Theatre Workshop will present Jack and the Beanstalk on December 21 at Llanymynech Village Hall, with a 2.30pm matinee performance and a 7.30pm performance that evening.

This is a panto with a difference, as all the songs are composed by none other than the international super star, Elton John, so it’s rock and roll all the way.

The profits from this panto are going towards the upkeep of the village hall and also to Hope House Children’s Hospices.

For tickets priced at just £4.50 for adults and £3.50 for children, call 07722847344 or call into the Llanymynech shop.

The Kidderminster Rose Young People’s Theatre, or KRYPT as they are affectionately known, will present Once Upon a Panto on December 21 at the Rose Theatre in Kidderminster.

Disaster has struck - Oh yes it has! The fairy Godmother’s wand is broken; Cinderella can’t go to the ball and with the end of her story resting in the hands of two nondescript, non-magical children. what could possibly go wrong?

Join both the senior and junior KRYPT groups as they embark on a magical adventure through Pantoland. It’s a pantomime with a twist, as KRYPT sing and dance their way through four traditional tales to foil the baddies and save the day.

For tickets, visit www. http://rosetheatre.co.uk/Shows/Once-Upon-A-Panto or call 01562 743745.

I always suggest to amateur panto groups to go and study professional pantomimes at every opportunity.

There is so much to learn from professional dames and comedians in particular. Comic timing, delivery of lines, movement and entrances on and off stage are so much slicker in professional panto.

Then of course there’s the costumes, the scenery and the special effects which although amateurs cannot replicate perfectly, they can still get some ideas from.

Why not pop along to the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre this festive season and take a look at Dick Whittington? Or maybe the Birmingham panto which this year is Snow White. It’s the largest panto outside of London, so well worth a visit.

On a more serious note and for lovers of classic music at Christmastime, there is a performance of Handel’s Messiah on December 21, at St. Alphege Church, presented by St. Alphege Church choirs.

Celebrate Christmas in style with this wonderful piece. Hear the Christmas story unfold through music and enjoy celebrated choruses including Hallelujah, featuring local talent from the Solihull area.

For tickets visit http://www.solihullparish.org.uk/ or call 0121 705 5350.

At the Arena Theatre at the University of Wolverhampton, there is production of Dark Tales in Winter presented by Drama Arena Theatre and Beautiful Shadows, from December 20 to 21, at 7.30pm nightly.

The evening comprises of two pieces – The Open Door by Charlotte Riddell, adapted for the stage by Hannah Torrance and The Signal Man by Charles Dickens, adapted by Matt Beams.

In the midst of winter, these are two classic Victorian ghost stories, each newly adapted for the stage by contemporary playwrights and brought to life by a single performer.

In Charlotte Riddell’s mysterious tale, a young woman attempts to solve the puzzle of the open door and secure a future for the owner of Ladlow Hall and herself, and Dickens’ classic tale tells of a lonely man is driven to the brink of endurance by foretelling ghostly visions.

These dark winter tales are set together in an evening of entertainment that will bring a delightful chill to the season.

For tickets, visit https://www.wlv.ac.uk/arena-theatre/ or call 01902 321321.

Looking forward to the New Year, there are new member’s auditions for Telford Youth Theatre on January 6 at The Old Police Station in Shifnal, starting at 7pm.

Are you aged 9 to 21 years old and keen to perform? If so, for more information, email telfordyouththeatre@mail.com or call 07772389883.

Well that’s all for this week. Please send all your news and good quality colour photos to me at a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on 01902 319662, or follow me on Twitter @AlisonNorton or on Facebook.

Merry Christmas everyone and break a leg!