Open auditions for children aged nine to 16 to join Halifax pantomime cast

Auditions will be held at The Victoria Theatre on Sunday September 10.

The auditions are being held to find young dancers aged between nine and 16 and in school years four to 11.

Steve Boden, managing director of Imagine Theatre and pantomime producer, said: “We are one of the only UK-wide pantomime companies to continue to host open auditions for our junior ensemble each year for pantomime.

"This is very important to us as we believe in offering youngsters from every background and with all levels of experience the chance to be part of pantomime and the opportunity to work in a professional company, maybe for the first time.

“A number of pantomime stars we work with tell us that performing in the junior ensemble in their local pantomime was what sparked their love of theatre and say that this is where they believe their acting careers began.

"We want to continue to nurture this talent year on year.

“Open auditions allow absolutely any child of the right age to come along and try out for the show. Theatre and the arts are an integral part of local communities, and we are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity out widely to local youngsters.”

On the day the children will be taught a routine that they perform as a group back to the audition panel. As well as their dancing, the producers will be looking for that little something that makes them stand out and sparkle on stage.

This year Adam Stafford returns as the dame and is joined by Nathan Morris as Buttons. They will be joined on stage for an extra splash of panto magic from duo Mathew Pomeroy and Natasha Lamb – also known as The Conjurors – who will play Cinderella's Fairy Godparents.

Adam Said: "I'm really looking forward to this Cinderella at the beautiful Victoria Theatre with some fantastic new faces, magicians with amazing illusions and a wonderful script by Eric Potts.

"It's the greatest panto story of them all and I know the Halifax audience will love it. See you there."

Having performed across the world delivering their exceptional magic and in pantomimes across the UK Matthew said: "We both love panto and are so excited to be in Halifax this year in Cinderella.

"We're looking forward to bringing some special magic to the stage for you all as Julian and Juniper, Cinderella's Fairy Godparents – but this time with our magic wands.”

Cinderella runs from Saturday December 16 until Saturday January 6 and is on sale now at www.victoriatheatre.co.uk

If you think you’ve got what it takes to bring that little bit extra to this year’s pantomime you can find out more about the auditions, including further information on age and attendance requirements www.victoriatheatre.co.uk or www.imaginetheatre.co.uk.