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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
THE HEXAGON PANTOMIME 2020/21 POSTPONEMENT.
Statement date - Thursday 16th July 2020
Dear friend,
After careful consideration and in light of the most recent guidelines issued by the UK Government, it is with enormous regret that we have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2020/21 pantomime Beauty and the Beast, at The Hexagon.
However, we are not saying goodbye completely, oh no we’re not! Beauty and the Beast will return for our Christmas season in 2021-22. Rest assured that Justin Fletcher and Paul Morse will be with us in 2021.
All existing tickets and seats will automatically transfer over to the relevant 2021/2022 performances, where possible. (Please see the schedule below).
We have made this decision after assessing the options open to us in relation to social distancing within our venue as well as the financial risk for us and our producers, but most importantly we believe that you need to experience a pantomime in a packed auditorium with a large audience full of families who can interact with the actors on stage, as that is the beauty and tradition of pantomime. If we are unable to achieve that this year then we would not be doing the art-form justice. Therefore, postponing until next year feels like the most sensible, fair and safe option. The well-being of our customers, staff and performers must be our first priority.
Steve Boden, Managing Director, Imagine Theatre:"We are very disappointed that we will be unable to stage pantomime in the Hexagon this Christmas but are delighted that this is only a temporary postponement and that Justin and Paul will star in Beauty and the Beast in December 2021".
Cllr Karen Rowland, Reading’s Lead Member for Culture, Heritage and Recreation:
“Reading’s award-winning panto is one of the highlights of the entertainment calendar – so this is very sad news indeed – but understandable given the current safety restrictions in place for theatres. We will all eagerly look forward to its return the following year".
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE HEXAGON AT THIS STAGE, we will email you again in the next seven to ten days with full instructions and options. You will of course have the option of a full refund, transfer of tickets to a different performance or a credit to your Reading Arts account, if you can't make your rescheduled performance date. Please note that the Reading Arts phones lines are currently unavailable.
In the meantime, please check the date and performance that you booked below against the new dates:
Download the 2021/22 Panto schedule here
We would like to sincerely thank you for your patience, continued understanding and support in these difficult circumstances and we look forward to welcoming you back to The Hexagon soon.
Very best wishes,
Sarah Cox, General Manager, on behalf of the Reading Arts Team and all at Imagine Theatre.
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The Hexagon’s spectacular family pantomime this year is Beauty and the Beast with children’s television megastar Justin Fletcher.
Beauty and the Beast has all the ingredients for a magical trip to the theatre, with hilarious slapstick humour, plenty of audience interaction and marvellous musical numbers that you will be singing for days afterwards, all in one magical show that is suitable for everyone to enjoy whether they are 3 or 103!
Beauty and the Beast will be sure to make you laugh, cry and fall in love with a host of hilarious and hairy characters. It runs from Saturday 5th December 2020 - Sunday 3rd January 2021.
Casting
Junior Ensemble
Junior Ensemble auditions were due to take place on Sunday 19th July. However, due to current circumstances we can confirm that the date is being moved to some time in September 2020. We will announce the final date shortly.
