Panto returns to St Columb’s Hall
The Grove Theatre Group are delighted to announce they are bringing their family favourite pantomime back to St Columb’s Hall. The hall often referred to as ‘the people’s hall’ has been an intrinsic piece of the cultural, architectural and historical fabric of Derry City since 1886 and has a rich pedigree in incubating and showcasing the creative of the city “city of song”.
The Grove has been producing pantomimes, musicals and plays since the early 1980’s, starting out in the Little Theatre within the hall, and branching out to some of the biggest stages across the Northwest. The group have been performing pantomime from its inception, only missing one year in its history due to the lockdown of 2020. In recent years, the panto has been staged in the Waterside Theatre, with some stints in the Playhouse, St Mary’s Hall in Creggan and of course on the main stage in St Columb’s Hall in the early/mid 2000’s.
Some of the groups more recent successes include musicals such as ‘Hairspray,’ ‘Grease’, High School Musical’, ‘Wizard of Oz’ and most recently ‘West Side Story’ in June this year. The cast and crew are currently preparing to perform ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ in An Grianan Theatre, Letterkenny from 24th to 27th October. Based in the Millennium Forum, the group meet weekly to learn new skills in acting, singing, and dancing while gaining further opportunities to enhance these skills and build their confidence by participating in productions and other drama activities in the city. The group membership currently extends to over 200 ranging in ages from 11yrs to 18+.
Cinderella runs from Thursday 12th December to Saturday 21st December 2024. There are matinee performances on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th at 2.30pm, with two additional matinees on Saturday 21st at 1.30pm and 5.30pm. Schools and other groups are also able to book morning matinees on Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th at 10am. Tickets can be booked online at www.saintcolumbshall.com or by contacting the Grove at thegrovetheatregroup@gmail.com.