The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury Announces Postponement of its Pantomime, JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury has announced today that its pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk will be postponed until 2021.

The production was set to run between Friday 27 November and Sunday 10th January and would have been enjoyed by up to 100,000 theatre-goers.

The decision has been made in response to an announcement by the government that it will not be possible, until November at the earliest, to clarify whether indoor performances can take place without social distancing.

Co-produced with Evolution Productions, The Marlowe Theatre pantomime is one of the most successful in the country and attracts audiences from across the South East and beyond. This will be the first time in the theatre's history that it has not been able to present a pantomime at Christmas.

The Marlowe's Chief Executive, Deborah Shaw said: "We've waited to make this decision as long as we could, because we know how much our audiences love their yearly visit to see our pantomime. However, we've had to postpone due to the continued uncertainty around when we'll be allowed to re-open the main house at full capacity.

Jack and the Beanstalk will now happen in 2021 and audiences can expect a fantastic show that will bring our gorgeous full-scale pantomime back to The Marlowe, bigger and better than ever. We do have a 'Plan B' for this Christmas, which we're working on with Paul Hendy and Emily Wood from Evolution, to keep the madcap spirit of Pantomime alive this Christmas, which we will announce later in the year."

Writer, Director and Producer of The Marlowe pantomimes, Paul Hendy from Evolution Productions said: "The thought of Christmas without The Marlowe Theatre pantomime is absolutely devastating. However, the audiences at The Marlowe are wonderful and I know they will understand this decision and be supportive of it. Will The Marlowe Theatre pantomime return? Oh yes it will!"

Customers who have tickets for Jack And The Beanstalk will be able to transfer them to next year. The theatre team will be contacting everyone in the next couple of weeks to arrange this and customers are advised that they do not need to contact the Box Office first.

The Marlowe temporarily closed to audiences on Tuesday 17th March 2020 and since then has cancelled or rescheduled some 288 performances. As a non-funded organisation, 99% of The Marlowe's income comes directly from tickets and related sales. These revenue streams disappeared overnight when the venue was forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Marlowe recently launched its Love Your Theatre fundraising campaign and anyone who wishes to support the venue can do so by visiting marlowetheatre.com/supportus or calling the Box Office on 01227 787787.

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