City News

Birmingham Repertory Theatre has today announced not one, but two Christmas shows for 2009/10, following the theatre’s most successful Christmas ever.

For Christmas 2009 The REP will present a brand new staging of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, followed by the return of The REP’s much-loved production of The Snowman in January 2010.

The announcement comes at a time when The REP is celebrating its biggest box office success in its 95–year history, with The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. The show was seen by over 59,000 people by the time it closed on Saturday evening and it was the first production to take more than £750,000 at the Box Office.  Of this figure, around 20,500 were school children from across the region with around 62% of those schools benefitting from an ‘Early Bird’ booking discount on their tickets.

The REP’s production of The Snowman has also enjoyed a record-breaking year. For the last 11 years The REP has produced The Snowman in London at the Peacock Theatre and this year ticket sales increased by 18% with more than 55,000 people seeing the show.

The two Christmas shows for 2009/10 will appeal to families with younger and older children says Rachel Kavanaugh, Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre.  “Both A Christmas Carol and The Snowman are wonderful stories that make for great stage adaptations, and they make the perfect productions for a family Christmas.” Commenting on the success of Christmas 2008 Rachel Kavanaugh adds “We are absolutely thrilled with the audience response to The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, particularly in light of the current financial climate and we send a big thank you to those who have supported us.”