PR Productions

PR Productions was established by Ray Durkin and Paul Gibson in January 2000 ready for their first production of 'Aladdin' to be performed in January 2001 at the Abbey Theatre & Arts Centre

We chose Aladdin as our first pantomime as we believe it to be one of the most spectacular of all with the genie of the lamp, a glittering cave of jewels and a flying carpet to add to the magic. We wanted the production to be new and innovative without straying too far from the traditions of the good old British Panto.

The Scripts

From the writing team that put the Sin into Cinderella and put the Robbin' into Robin Hood. (Though we're not looking forward to Dick Whittington)

The scripts are especially written for PR each year by Ray Durkin, Rob Hiatt & Paul Gibson. Aladdin was the third pantomime that the trio have penned, the first two being the hugely successful 'Jack and the Beanstalk'- Bedworth Civic Hall 1996 and 'Robinson Crusoe' - Bedworth Civic Hall 2000.

"Writing a pantomime is not simply a matter of throwing a few tried and tested gags at a fairytale to see if they stick (although it works for some). We begin by developing a very strong story then adapting the comedy, music and dancing around this story. Our aim is to capture our audience, children and adults, and take them on a magical journey - often a rather silly journey with a few wrong turns, but a journey none the less. And when the journey is over, we hope that our audience have enjoyed themselves enough to want to return year after year."

The Music

To complement the script we welcome the immeasurable talent of composer Andy Mackereth who has put together original music and lyrics for each of our pantomimes so far.

The Dancing

Dance schools from all over the borough are invited to audition for our two 24 strong teams of dancers.For our productions of Aladdin and Robin Hood the choreography was under the watchful eye of Julie Bromage. For Cinderella we have invited choreographer and dance lecturer Lisa Gudger onto our production team.

The Venue

Over recent years the Abbey Theatre has gone from strength to strength, it is Nuneaton's ONLY working theatre and is run entirely by volunteers. The auditorium seats 250 and is perfect for pantomime in that everyone feels involved in such an intimate venue.

The Abbey Theatre can now boast a packed programme with something for everyone.

For more details about the Abbey log on to www.abbeytheatre.co.uk