A Christmas Carol is set to be the first Christmas show staged at the Palace Court Theatre in over 34 years.
Coming to the Hinton Road stage on Saturday 14 December for one matinée and one evening performance only, the family-friendly Christmas show is presented by as collaboration from the Forest Forge Theatre Company, Bumblefly Theatre, and Mischievous Theatre.
Bournemouth's historic Palace Court Theatre is enjoying its first Christmas back in the limelight after spending the last 34 years as a place of worship rather than a place of theatre. Acquired by Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) in 2021, the theatre is one of Bournemouth’s last surviving 1930s Art Deco theatres.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing Christmas back to this beautiful theatre after so long," adds Nicola Cartlidge, Theatres and Venues Manager at AUB. "It feels very apt being A Christmas Carol with tales of Christmases past, current, and future. Here’s to the theatre’s newly reinvigorated future!”
“Our Travelling Players really bring this Yuletide classic to life," says Jo Billingham, co-artistic director at Forest Forge Theatre Company, which is also the Industry Patron of AUB's BA (Hons) Acting course. "With their suitcases bursting with merriment, mayhem and humbug. They tell the haunting tale of a mean and miserly old man, the tight-fisted curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge.
“Our show’s suitable for all ages, and as it’s not a pantomime, it offers a different kind of festive treat for families. There’s quirky storytelling, live action, music, a puppet or two, a host of Gothic surprises, some ghostly flights of fancy and some clanking of chains!
The cast will include Liz Garland, formerly of the West End's Gangsta Granny, portraying Scrooge, as well as local actor George Attwill, who first joined Forest Forge as a teenager. He's since gone on to join the Artist Development programme there, and is now a professional theatre maker. Completing the trio is seasoned actor Dom Phillips from Bumblefly Theatre.
“Join us for this heartfelt hug of a tale," says Jo. "After all, as Dickens said, ‘There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour’.”
A Christmas Carol will be shown at 14.30 and 19.00 on Saturday 14 December at the Palace Court Theatre in Bournemouth’s town centre. For more information, visit the event's page on our website.
