MAMMA MIA! UK Tour to Offer Free Tickets, Dance Classes at Winter Gardens Opera House

Would-be Dancing Queens are being given the opportunity to grab FREE show tickets and learn from the professionals in a special MAMMA MIA! dance class.

The hit international musical is currently part way through a full 12-week Summer Season at the Winter Gardens Opera House in Blackpool.

As it's now the summer holidays, a special "Kids' Week" is taking place between 5 and 7 August, when there will be extra matinee shows and the opportunity for all youngsters attending these shows to take part in an official MAMMA MIA! dance class in the Winter Gardens Floral Hall.

In addition, FREE child tickets will be available to all adults purchasing full price tickets to the extra matinees.

Winter Gardens Managing Director Michael Williams said he expects Kids' Week and particularly the dance class to be very popular.

He said: "We are delighted to be offering a Kids' Week initiative during the MAMMA MIA! run as this is such a popular family show. Many Kids' Weeks are just about offering a ticket deal but we thought it would be extra fun to give people the chance to learn from the professionals involved in the show and actually take part in a MAMMA MIA! dance class. And at that dance class we want to see everyone up on their feet. It doesn't matter whether you are four or 104, the music of MAMMA MIA! and Abba is loved universally and it will be fantastic to see so many people learning a show routine from the professionals."

The FREE ticket offer applies to all people purchasing full price tickets to the matinee shows on Tuesday 5, Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 August. One free child ticket will be issued for each full price adult ticket purchased. Free child tickets are available for children aged up to 16 years. Additional children's tickets will be available at these matinees for £17.50 each.

The Dance class will take place in the Floral Hall from 10am on Tuesday 5 August when cast members from the MAMMA MIA! International Tour will teach theDancing Queen Finale.

MAMMA MIA! can be seen at the Blackpool Opera House until 14 September.

MAMMA MIA! is Judy Craymer's ingenious vision of staging the story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs with an enchanting tale of family and friendship unfolding on a Greek island paradise. To date, it has been seen by more than 54 million people in 39 productions in 14 different languages. MAMMA MIA! The Movie is the highest worldwide grossing live-action musical film of all time and one in four households in the UK has the DVD, which is now Amazon UK's biggest selling DVD ever.

From West End to global phenomenon, the London production of MAMMA MIA! has now been seen by more than 10% of the entire UK population. It is one of only five musicals to have run for more than 10 years both on Broadway and in the West End, and in 2011, it became the first Western musical ever to be staged in Mandarin in the People's Republic of China.

With music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. The production is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material & arrangements by Martin Koch.

The MAMMA MIA! International Tour is produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East & Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, Stage Entertainment and NGM.

Notes to editors: Photograph/filming opportunity at the MAMMA MIA! Dance Class in the Winter Gardens on Tuesday 5 August at 10am.

Photo Credit Brinkhoff & Mögenburg