Rochdale Observer

Rehearsals underway for panto fans’ treat

- BY STEVE COOKE

REHEARSALS have begun for Oldham Coliseum’s Robin Hood - An Oldham Coliseum Theatre traditiona­l pantomime.

This year it’s Robin Hood with the perfect blend of slapstick, silliness, hit songs and panto magic.

The Coliseum’s traditiona­l pantomime has been delighting audiences for generation­s, mixing all the best panto traditions with pop culture to bring each unique production bang up to date.

This long-establishe­d and much-loved festive spectacula­r is enjoyed by over 35,000 people each year putting the extra sparkle into their festive season.

UK Pantomime Associatio­n Award nominee (Best Principal Boy, Aladdin 2021) Shorelle Hepkin returns, this time playing the titular role of Robin Hood.

Liz Carney is back to her wicked ways as The Sheriff.

Stepping into the Pantomime Dame wardrobe is Charlie Ryan as Nurse Nellie.

Fresh from the Coliseum’s September 2022 production of Road, William Travis returns with a very different role as Friar Tuck.

No stranger to Oldham,

Sophie Ellicott joins the company playing Ellen A Dale.

Making their Coliseum debuts in 2022 are Nathan Morris as Failsworth, Ian Crowe as Sir Guy of Gisbourne and Sarah Pearson as Maid Marian.

Young people from Oldham will once again perform alongside the theatre’s profession­al actors, with three pairs of young actors playing the Babes in the Wood and the return of the pantomime’s chorus of young dancers.

Last year’s pantomime Aladdin won the UK Pantomime Associatio­n Award for Best Costume Design, with Designer Celia Perkins also up for

Best Set Design and Shorelle Hepkin nominated for Best Principal Boy.

The Coliseum last presented a pantomime of Robin Hood in 2004, then starring national pantomime legend Eric Potts as the Dame.

Robin Hood runs from Saturday, November 12, 2022 - Saturday, January 7, 2023.

For those who don’t know the Coliseum it as a traditiona­l theatre venue with a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. One of the most establishe­d venues in the north west with a rich history dating back to 1885 - one of the oldest theatres still operating in

Britain today.

The Coliseum produces original production­s which are presented at home, on tour and online and include new commission­s, encouragin­g a flourishin­g community of new writers.

For more informatio­n, visit: https://www. coliseum.org.uk/spektrix/ spektrix-events/robinhood.

 ?? ?? ●●RH Nathan Norris, Shorelle Hepkin, Sophie Ellicott and Charlie Ryan. Photograph­y by Darren Robinson
●●RH Nathan Norris, Shorelle Hepkin, Sophie Ellicott and Charlie Ryan. Photograph­y by Darren Robinson

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