The Kings Theatre in Southsea remains hopeful over Christmas panto

The latest lockdown measures mean the Kings Theatre’s first performance of Dick Whittington has been postponed until December 8, six days after restrictions are scheduled to be eased.

Chief executive Paul Woolf said: ‘I’ve been determined since the first lockdown was imposed in March that this year’s panto would go ahead.

‘The pantomime at Kings is such a big part of the city’s festive calendar.

‘The professional actors have already started rehearsals for a December 8 start.

‘I want to assure everyone that we are definitely going ahead with Dick Whittington and I encourage everyone to support us as we move through this latest challenge.’

The theatre has put in place a wide range of plans to mitigate the risk of Covid transmission.

This includes temperature checks, regular deep cleaning of the auditorium, a one way system with separate entrance and exit points and hand sanitisers throughout the building.

The theatre has also seen its capacity slashed by around two thirds.

Paul added: ‘We’ve done everything asked by government.

‘The capacity of the theatre is around 1,200 but to maintain social distancing we can sell around 400 tickets.

‘We can be financially viable at this number but the reason I want the panto to go ahead is not for profit but to ensure we are part of the Christmas scene.’

The theatre boss was also keen to stress the wider importance of the pantomime being going ahead.

‘The pantomime and theatre have such a cultural affinity with Portsmouth as well as the economic benefits of the thousands of people it brings into the city centre spending money on transport, food and drinks,’ said Paul.

Paul has given a personal guarantee the value of all tickets will be refunded should lockdown be extended.

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He added: ‘If the government shut us down again then I will ensure people get all their money back. While the theatre is currently shut our box office phone lines are open and I would encourage people to buy their seats early as with restricted numbers, leaving it until late may mean people don’t get the performances they want.’

Beyond the festive period, Paul believes it’s ‘critical’ to get theatres and other arts related industries up and running again.

He said: ‘Theatres are an integral part of people’s lives and the economic impact on communities is immense. As well as generating money for associated businesses there are also thousands of jobs at stake.’

The pantomime is currently set to run until January 3, 2021. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office on (023) 9282 8282.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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