120 Years of Grand Panto Exhibition Opens at Light House Media Centre

Celebrate the history of Wolverhampton pantomime with a new free exhibition that is now open to the public at the Light House Media Centre.

This year's pantomime is ALADDIN and opens on Saturday 10th December. Throughout the run, the free exhibition is open for the public and panto-goers to visit up until 22 January.

The exhibition looks at previous Aladdin pantomimes, over 120 years of Grand Theatre pantomime history and has a display of traditional Aladdin costumes.

The Grand Theatre has a long history of pantomime, with the first being Sinbad The Sailor which opened on Christmas Eve 1894, just two weeks after the theatre opened. Since then, the theatre has hosted a wealth of star names including John Inman, Linda Lusardi, The Grumbleweeds, The Krankies, Su Pollard, Frank Bruno, Christopher Biggins, Paul Zerdin, Joe Pasquale and his son Joe Tracini, Julian Clary and the Chuckle Brothers - and not forgetting real live lions in a production of Robinson Crusoe!

The exhibition is home to a patchwork magic carpet, that forms a focal point. The carpet has been pieced together as part of a community project overseen by Head Of Creative Learning and Education, Claudia Gilmour. 24 local community groups and schools participated in the project - ranging from Teenage Cancer Trust to local primary schools to Age UK. Each group has received a free textile design workshop, supported by donations from the Grand Theatre's Creative Learning Fund. Participants have experimented with a wide range of textile techniques to create their own individual Aladdin-themed decorative textile designs for a piece of the quilted carpet. One of the completed carpets is now hung in the exhibition, the two carpets feature over 270 individual pieces which have been sewn together. The second carpet will be displayed at the Grand Theatre during the ALADDIN pantomime run.

There is a rail of costumes for children to try on and become a panto prince, princess or an altogether more sinister character. There is a display of archive programmes and walls of information dedicated to memorable moments and performers.

Head Of Creative Learning and Education, Claudia Gilmour said; "The exhibition is a wonderful showcase for one of our magical flying carpets, created with designs by local people of all ages and abilities. It provides an opportunity for local people and audiences to experience a different perspective of the historical magic of pantomime."

Press & PR Manager, Scott Bird said; "As we open this year's pantomime, Aladdin, it's fantastic to have another way in which audiences can get involved with the theatre. It's wonderful to see the exhibition being enjoyed by young and old - just like pantomime itself."

The Lighthouse Media Centre will be closed between 24 December - 1 January 2017. The Centre and exhibition will reopen from the evening of 2 January 2017.