Oldham theatre postpone Aladdin panto

Oldham Coliseum Theatre has announced the postponement of its annual Christmas Panto this year "with a heavy heart". 

A trip to the Coliseum’s annual pantomime has been a festive tradition for the people of Oldham and beyond for many generations.

It was scheduled to be Aladdin this year, but it will now take place from 13 November 2021 to 8 January 2022. 

People who have already purchased tickets are advised to wait for the team to make contact in the coming weeks. Tickets have been rescheduled to the 2021 dates.

Artistic Director Chris Lawson commented: "A trip to the Coliseum’s annual pantomime has been a festive tradition for the people of Oldham and beyond for many generations and we’re incredibly disappointed that this year will be different. We have been working on Aladdin for months now with our amazing staff and creative team and we’re saddened that we’ll have to wait another year to share this with our audiences.

"However, our first priority as an organisation is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our staff, audiences, cast and crew, and our second priority is to ensure that we as a company are here to create the magic of theatre in Oldham for years to come. We feel that trying to stage Aladdin as planned this Christmas would put both of these priorities in jeopardy." 

Chief Executive Susan Wildman added: "It is simply not possible for us to stage our pantomime with social distancing in place. The high-quality panto people have come to expect from the Coliseum requires significant investment – an investment we cannot afford to make if we’re only able to sell a small percentage of our seats.

"The Government has stated that it cannot give theatres any indication of when they can reopen without social distancing until November at the earliest – the month our panto was due to open." 

The Coliseum is also fundraising to "ensure that the magic of live theatre continues in Oldham". Anyone who would like to make a donation can find out more details of how to do so at www.coliseum.org.uk.