The Priory panto is firmly established as one of the most popular and best value pantomimes in the area.  This year, that success continued with 21 performances of the most spectacular panto of all, "Aladdin".

Aladdin is the tale of a poor Chinese boy who dreams of marrying a beautiful Princess. However, the Law decrees that the Princess may only marry a Prince, so it looks like Aladdin's dreams may never come true!

Then there's his mum, Widow Twankey, who's got those mixed up Laundry Blues...her other son, Wishee Washee is being particularly daft...and they're all so very poor... If only Aladdin could make his fortune, all their dreams could come true...

It was another year of music, magic and panto mayhem!

This supernatural thriller is set in a theatre that has been closed for sixty years following the accidental death of a child during rehearsals for Murder by Poison, a Victorian thriller.

Now Mickey, the great-grandson of the theatre’s original owner has restored the theatre to it former glory and plans to re-open it with the very same play.

Only Mickey’s elderly and eccentric father William knows the truth of what happened all those years ago and tries to warn him that the play is doomed, but Mickey ignores the warning. As rehearsals progress, unusual and mysterious occurrences begin to mount to deadly and terrifying consequences.

When Annie's husband John dies of leukaemia, she and best friend Chris resolved to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room.

They managed to persuade four fellow WI members to pose nude with them for an "alternative" calendar, with a little help from hospital porter and amateur photographer, Lawrence.

The news of the women's charitable venture spreads like wildfire, and hordes of press soon descend on the small village of Knapeley in the Yorkshire Dales. The calendar is a success, but Chris and Annie's friendship is put to the test under the strain of their new-found fame.

Based on the true story of eleven WI members who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund, Calendar Girls is the fastest selling play in British theatre history.

The Priory Theatre's production was one of the first to open on the amateur stage and heralded the start of our 80th Season. Initially planned to run for 13 performances, an additional matinee performance was added to meet demand for this popular show.

The Gala Night was well attended by dignitaries from the local area, our Patron Dave Willetts, and the original Calendar Girl Angela Baker.

This highly popular classic Victorian farce revolved around Lord Fancourt Babberley, called 'Babbs', a jolly little undergraduate with a penchant for amateur theatricals.

He is persuaded by love-sick Charley and love-sick friend Jack to impersonate Charley’s Aunt from Brazil, - "where the nuts come from".  When unexpected guests arrive for luncheon, there followed a dizzy round of manoeuvring.

"Please Sir, I want some more." Oliver's innocent request lands him in trouble and sets him on his famous adventure.

Based on the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, this dramatic, modern adaptation about the adventures of a young orphan boy who inadvertently falls in with a gang of child pick-pockets in Victorian London was performed by the Priory Youth Theatre.

Gary Essendine, famous actor, had it all: wealth, fame, good looks, and a tightly-knit group that pandered to his every whim. The group consisted of his friends, Henry and Morris, his ex-wife, Liz, and his secretary, Monica.

Trouble loomed when Henry married Joanna: young, beautiful and predatory. She was determined to break up the group. Having seduced Morris, she sets her sights on Gary. As Liz and Monica try to foil her plans, the situation became increasingly complicated.

Add a stage-struck girl and her battle-axe mother, a wildly-eccentric young writer, a Swedish housekeeper and a cheeky manservant, and you had all the ingredients for one of Coward’s funniest plays.

Acorn Antiques was first seen on BBC Television 21 years ago and has been a firm favourite with the nation ever since.

The musical follows Miss Babs’ struggle to keep her antiques business open, as shop after shop in the High Street is forced out by faceless chains…

Can she afford to turn down the offer from The Guilty Bean (the world’s second biggest chain of coffee shops- “We’re second so we grind harder”) and if they do update the shop, can they still afford to employ Mrs Overall? And will Mr Clifford ever get his memory back, and remember who he’s engaged to?  And most worryingly, will Mrs Overall be able to tap dance while holding the tray?

All of those questions were answered in our two-week production that sold out before it opened. The waiting list reached 120 people long at one point and we were sorry to have to disappoint so many people.

The most popular of the Sherlock Holmes stories became pure comic bliss in this hilariously played adaptation.  A cast of three quick changing actors donned frocks, assorted wigs and big black beards to pay Conan Doyle irreverent homage.  Tongues were definitely in cheeks but the story was played faithfully and the scary element had an equal priority.

Directed by Mark Jefferies

Another spectacular Christmas production at the Priory Theatre! This year's traditional family pantomime saw Dick Whittington set on a journey towards London to find streets paved with gold.

Along the way Dick met a very friendly cat whose talents of ridding the house (where he had been taken in by Alderman Fitzwarren and his cook) of rats earns Dick the love of the beautiful Alice Fitzwarren. Unfortunately for Dick, this also angered King Rat who created some unpleasant situations for Dick and his cat, sending them away to foreign lands for more adventures and on to a fairytale ending...