‘We’ll be back’ says panto star Steven Wren the writer and director of Eden Court’s Cinderella, who also plays Nanny Rosie in the show, after the latest pandemic-related restrictions were announced this week
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Panto supremo Steven Wren had a sinking feeling when the latest pandemic-related restrictions were announced this week.
The writer and director of Eden Court’s Cinderella – who also plays Nanny Rosie in the show – is desperately disappointed for the people who will miss out due to its cancellation.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Tuesday that audiences for indoor seated live public events would be limited to 200 people from Boxing Day. On Wednesday, the Inverness venue announced it was calling a halt to one of its most lucrative shows of the year.
Performances will cease from Boxing Day, leaving around 10,000 audience members disappointed.
The panto was due to run to January 8.
Mr Wren said: “When the new restrictions came in, I knew we were done for. The weekly cost of running a show of this size can’t be covered by 200 tickets a show.
“Bryan Beattie, Eden Court’s interim chief executive said to me ‘we have a civic responsibility to do everything we can to keep the show alive,’ but everything we could do, just wasn’t enough in such restrictive circumstances. There’s also a civic responsibility to keep the population safe and if mixing in groups larger than 200 is deemed unsafe, then we have no option but to close.”
It comes as a blow after the panto was cancelled last year due to the pandemic – but Mr Wren enjoyed getting on stage this time.
“We’ve had such a time of it in the 20 or so performances we’ve been able to do,” he said. “That’s the one thing that’s keeping me from crying when I think of closing.
“I’m desperately disappointed for the people who have tickets booked beyond December 26 –my family in Edinburgh are among them. Just when you think you’re going back to traditions and everything’s fine, it’s taken away from you. I’m so terribly sorry for that. I wish it was otherwise, but there’s the bigger picture of public health and safety that takes precedence. We’ll be back. We’ll entertain you, bring you joy and laughter and create memories for you another day.”
Eden Court is now beginning the process of contacting all customers who have panto tickets, offering them the option of transferring their booking to the 2022/23 Peter Pan show. Alternatives include offering a credit note to the value of their booking, a full refund inclusive of booking fees, or the opportunity to donate their ticket price to Eden Court.
The venue will remain open over the next three weeks, providing cinema and hospitality services in line with restrictions for indoor events.
