Blind and partially-sighted theatre-goers can get up close and personal with the cast, set, costumes and props of the Belgrade Theatre’s pantomime Sleeping Beauty at the theatre’s Touch Tour on Sat 15 Dec.
Craig Hollingsworth as Muddles Sleeping Beauty at the Belgrade Theatre – credit Robert Day
Attendance at the Touch Tour is free to visually impaired patrons and their carers, but tickets must be booked in advance via the Box Office, along with tickets for the 1pm performance on Saturday 15 Dec.
The pre-show tour will begin at 10.30am and lasts for approximately 45 minutes. During this time patrons will be invited on stage to touch parts of the set, which this year includes King Cuthbert’s enchanted castle, Dame Nanny Knot’s kitchen and the wicked Fairy Carabosse’s evil lair. They will also have the opportunity to touch some of the props and costumes and also interact with some of the cast members in order to enhance their experience of the show, which will be audio described for them.
Eamonn Finnerty, Operations Manager at the Belgrade Theatre said: “Our annual panto is an essential part of Christmas celebrations for hundreds of families in Coventry, and the touch tour is a great way for our visually impaired audience members to literally get a feel of the action. As ever, Sleeping Beauty features lots of beautiful and flamboyant costumes and props, and by touching them and talking to the actors, they will hopefully get a better understanding of the show when it is described to them during the performance.”
The Belgrade’s Touch Tour has proved extremely popular with visually impaired theatre-goers in Coventry, with attendance from individuals, families and groups such as Coventry Sensory Support Services.
Iain Lauchlan as Nanny Knot in Sleeping Beauty at the Belgrade Theatre – credit Robert Day
In addition to touch tours, the Belgrade provides a range of access services for patrons with visual and hearing impairments, such as sign language interpreted performances, audio described performances and captioned performances. These are available for a range of shows and further information can be found online and in the season brochure, which is also available in large print and in audio format.
Running on the Main Stage from 28 Nov 2012 to 5 Jan 2013, Sleeping Beauty tells the tale of a beautiful Princess who is cursed at her Christening by the wicked Fairy Carabosse, so on her 18th birthday she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. The good Fairy Azuriel offers some hope by changing the spell to ensure that the Princess won’t die but will fall into an enchanted sleep for 100 years from which she will only wake if kissed by the one she loves.
Throughout the show Nanny Knot, Muddles and the dashing Prince Valiant join forces to battle with dragons and time machines to ensure that the Prince is ready to wake the sleeping Princess on time.
To help bring down the cost of Christmas the Belgrade has frozen tickets for Sleeping Beauty at last year’s prices (excluding online).
Tickets are available now from the box office on 024 7655 3055 priced from £13.25 to £21.75 or via www.belgrade.co.uk where cheaper tickets are available. Concessions and family tickets are also available.
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