UK Wide Debut For Theatre Royal
Panto On Hospital Screens
In a UK first, the Newcastle
Theatre Royal panto Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be screened to
hospital bedsides in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland this December.
The
cast has filmed a special performance of the pantomime, which will be screened
for free to 170,000 patients across 180 NHS hospitals on 23 December.
The
screenings are the brainchild of local entrepreneur and Theatre Royal Trustee
Howard Tait who said: “I have always been passionate about bringing children
from hospital to see the panto and seeing their faces light up just made me
want to extend this magic to those children who are too sick to leave their
beds. With the help of the wonderful panto team at Newcastle Theatre Royal,
this has been made possible and I am so proud to see the screenings go totally
UK-wide for the first time ever this year; for many this will be a dream come
true.”
And
cast members of this year’s panto, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, are
visiting The Great North Children’s Hospital today to meet some of their
youngest and biggest fans, who will watch them perform on the 23 December.
Dressed in full costume, the cast will spend time with poorly children and
their families, bringing gifts and signing autographs ahead of the screening on
the bedside tvs.
Emily
Shaw, who plays Snow White, said: “It is a really humbling experience going to
visit the children in the hospital because you can see how much it means to
them. It’s lovely to think we can bring a bit of the Christmas joy we all
experience at the Theatre, to them in their hospital beds both through this
visit and by screening the panto to them.”
The
hospital screening project is a unique collaboration between the NHS, Newcastle
Theatre Royal and Hospedia – the national hospital broadcast network. Ben
Packman, Hospedia’s Strategic Development Director, said: “We are delighted to
be able to provide a platform for the Theatre Royal’s pantomime
screening. Our aim is to make the patient experience whilst in hospital as
enjoyable as possible and we particularly welcome the opportunity to make the
festive period special for all the children in hospital at this time.” The
screening of the panto is free to everyone with a bedside tv and will be shown
at 2pm on channel 34, with repeat screenings at 4pm and 6pm.
Chief
Executive of Newcastle Theatre Royal, Philip Bernays, said: “To be able
to screen the show to so many hospitals is absolutely fabulous – Howard has
worked very hard planning this project and we are delighted to play our part. Our
panto really is one of the best in the world and we are extremely proud of it –
it makes sense that the Theatre Royal should lead the way and be the first
theatre to achieve this kind of truly national coverage.”
Tickets:
Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs is at Newcastle
Theatre Royal until Sunday 18 January 2015. Tickets are available from £12 (a booking fee of
95p - £1.95 will apply to most tickets) and can be purchased from the Theatre
Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 or select your own seat and book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk
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