Tron Theatre delays 2020 pantomime by a year

The Tron Theatre in Glasgow has delayed its annual pantomime until 2021.

In a statement the venue said that: "In light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation and uncertainty around Scottish Government timescales for the phasing out of lockdown as well as not yet knowing what restrictions might be in place in order for us to operate safely, we have taken the very difficult decision to reschedule our beloved pantomime."

The 2020 production, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, has now been moved to new dates, running from 24 November 2021 to 2 January 2022. It is written, directed and performed by Johnny McKnight, with design by Kenny Miller.

The theatre went on to say: "We've looked at all the options open to us in relation to safe social distancing in our venue as well as the considerable financial risk associated with producing a pantomime on the scale that we do (we do not subsidise our Christmas production from Creative Scotland and Glasgow City Council grant income and therefore rely solely on ticket income to cover the cost of staging the annual extravaganza).

"In addition to this, we very much feel that pantomime needs to be enjoyed in a packed auditorium, with audience and performer interaction integral to the overall experience as well as a company who are able to work in close proximity to one another in the all-singing, all-dancing style that our pantos have become synonymous with. In considering all these factors, we have concluded that we would be short-changing our audiences if we were to deliver anything other than our usual panto experience, and that postponement is currently the most sensible option."

Any current ticket holders can choose to move their seats to the new dates, exchange them for refunds and credit or donate the price to the venue.