Christmas to come early at Storyhouse as it announces with “most joyous show ever”

Storyhouse has announced its “most joyous show ever” as ‘A Christmas Carol’ is set to be released in early November.

It will be limited to an audience of 200 people per show, around 40 per cent of the normal capacity, due to social distancing guidelines.

The venue is expecting a demand in tickets, so is therefore meeting it by starting the shows earlier than expected.

Storyhouse’s Artistic Director, Alex Clifton, is both writing and directing the adaptation.

He said: “It’s going to make you cry and giggle your heart out; it’s the ultimate tale of redemption and how Christmas can make us all realise what’s important to us – family and community, something we all need more than ever right now.

“It’s a tale for every generation and hopefully can give us all a joyful taste of our normal lives, as we spend Christmas together at Storyhouse.”

Being the only major theatre nearby which is planning a full-size Christmas show, Storyhouse are currently bucking the trend.

Most UK theatres are closed until at least spring of next year, so CEO Andrew Bentley is keen to point out that closure is not a choice for his organisation.

He said: “This is about preserving jobs and serving our community, simple as that.

“Storyhouse was the country’s first theatre, first library and cinema to re-open, we’re doing that because we’re wanted and needed; we can’t expect our city to help us if we’re not prepared to go the distance.”

Their battle for survival amidst the COVID-19 pandemic continues following a successful summer of open-air theatre and cinema screenings

Mr Bentley said: “The prospect for the UK’s cultural venues is becoming worse since the summer, with venues opening dates getting pushed further and further back.

“We expect subsidies to become harder to find as government budgets are harder come by and at the moment 70% of UK theatres are still at risk of extinction beyond Christmas; the danger is they’ll be bailed out in the short term but find they have no audience left.

“We have had over 4,000 new members join us since the summer and we would urge everyone to help save Storyhouse by joining with us at Christmas, we’ll be repaying the love with a cracking family holiday show.”

Storyhouse has been open safely since 4 July.

Audiences are required to social distance and shows have no interval to avoid a queue, otherwise theatre audiences can experience the same as cinema goers.

None of the air in the theatre is re-circulated and the venue is cleaned between shows.

Tickets for ‘A Christmas Carol’ go on sale Friday 18 September for Storyhouse Members, membership costing £4 a month, whilst general sale is 12 October.

Find out more at storyhouse.com.

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By Jordan Adams