Panto's 'brilliant' initiative sees record sales

A Doncaster theatre has broken its record for ticket sales with its "magical" pantomime.

Cast announced that 28,523 tickets were sold to the recent production of Jack and the Beanstalk, the most in the theatre's history.

Among those who saw it were 280 people whose tickets were paid for through funding from City of Doncaster Council and ward councillors

These included children with disabilities, young carers, refugees and people who use family support services in the area.

"Councillors of every political persuasion pooled their funding to ensure even more families than last year could enjoy the unique experience of seeing live theatre," said Cllr Dave Shaw.

"Without this brilliant initiative, many more children in Doncaster would grow into adulthood without experiencing the wonderful tradition of Christmas panto."

Cast also recorded an "as live" show to be played in residential homes, provided discounted tickets for children on free school meals and put on BSL, audio-described and captioned performances.

Deborah Rees, director at Cast, said the recent production was "magical", and the fact so many new visitors were included by the initiatives fills the team with pride.

Cast, which opened in 2013, welcomes over 105,000 visitors each year.

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