Cinders will go to the ball in LBT's first panto

The Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield has announced that it is staging its first professional pantomime since opening its doors in 1994.

And directing the much-loved fairytale ‘Cinderella’ will be Todmorden-based Joyce Branagh. She has previously directed pantomimes at Watford Palace Theatre and Salisbury Playhouse, as well as productions at the Orange Tree Theatre, Bristol Old Vic and Battersea Arts Centre.

‘Cinderella’ will be written by Andrew Pollard who has worked with Northern Broadsides and the New Vic Theatre, and appeared in ‘Emmerdale’ as John Bune. He said: “This celeb-free pantomime promises to be a fantastic show for all the family, filled with slapstick and spectacle, romance and toe-tapping songs with a live band.”