Aladdin Breaks Box Office Records

ISSUE NO: 1
DATE: THURSDAY 20 JANUARY 2011
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Over 24,000 people through the doors this Christmas

The Courtyard, Herefordshire’s Centre for the Arts, is celebrating after welcoming a record number of people through its doors over Christmas. During the entire festive period, over 24,000 people visited The Courtyard for a number of different shows and films. The 2010 pantomime Aladdin was watched by over 20,000 people, whilst a further 4,000 enjoyed the Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, Christmas Courtyard Comedy Clubs, and a selection of movies including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1 and The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian.

The annual Courtyard pantomime is written and produced in-house and represents 12 months worth hard work from staff and management. Martyn Green, Courtyard Chief Executive commented: “We have been delighted with attendances this Christmas, Aladdin is a very popular pantomime so we were expecting thousands to come and share it with us, but to have over 20,000 people is amazing. It is the highest number of people to attend any single pantomime in the history of The Courtyard and proves how important the tradition is to the people of Herefordshire.”

Aladdin’s main cast of seven actors and four dancers are all professional performers from across the country, many having worked in theatre and the entertainment industry for many years. “The cast complimented us on the friendly people and supportive audiences here in Hereford. They all enjoyed their time in such a beautiful part of the country and we hope many of them will return in the future.”

The Courtyard works with local businesses throughout the year and partnered up with Hereford based employer Cargill for Aladdin. Cargill sponsored the pantomime and as part of this sponsorship deal they give away 50 tickets to employees. The winners were drawn at Cargill’s 50^th birthday party and included a backstage tour and a chance to meet the cast. “Cargill employs a huge number of people from the local area, many of these people have young families and we wanted to give them an experience to remember.” Richard Maxfield, Managing Director at Cargill Meats Europe, commented: “We support a wide variety of local initiatives and this year we felt that it was time to extend that support to reflect the broader needs of our employees’ families. So, as part of our 50^th year of business in Hereford, we were delighted to sponsor The Courtyard’s Aladdin pantomime.”

Tickets to 2011’s pantomime Sleeping Beauty will be on-sale from March, to book for this or any other events or films at The Courtyard call the box office on 01432 340555 or visit www.courtyard.org.uk.

Editor’s Notes:

Tickets can be booked night and day online at our website www.courtyard.org.uk or from 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 2.30pm Sundays, at our Box Office on 01432 340555.

The Courtyard Trust, a registered charity, operates the venue and a full programme of events with financial support from its key partners, Herefordshire Council and Arts Council England.

Contact Details:

Victoria Branson

The Courtyard
Marketing and Communications Officer
Email: victoria.branson@courtyard.org.uk
Direct Line: 01432 346534
Fax: 01432 346549

ENDS