No Christmas pantomimes

CHRISTMAS this year will have to go ahead without the annual, traditional pantomime in Carmarthenshire after performances have been cancelled due to Covid-19.

Pantomimes in both Carmarthen’s Lyric Theatre and Llanelli’s Ffwrnes Theatre were due to take place over the festive season from December 2020 to January 2021 but had to be cancelled due to ongoing Covid19 restrictions surrounding theatres.

Both Jermin Productions’ Beauty and the Beast, which was due to take place in December, and Peter Pan, by the Friendship Theatre Group, which was due to take place in January, will be postponed until the following year.

Tickets will automatically be rolled over to next year, when Jermin Productions will be producing Sleeping Beauty, and Friendship Theatre Group’s panto will remain as Peter Pan for January 2022.

Theatrau Sir Gar, who run both theatres, say they made the difficult decision at this time as rehearsals for the pantomimes would be getting under way this month.

While hospitality industries and schools have reopened, theatres across the UK still remain empty due to social-distancing measures, meaning that they would have to operate at a limited capacity and wouldn’t be financially viable.