Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Moray theatre group prepares for giant challenge of first panto

Post Thumbnail

A Moray dramatic group is involved in a giant undertaking as it stages its first full-scale pantomime.

The Out of the Darkness theatre company is busy making final preparations for a performance of Jack and the Beanstalk next week.

Organisers say the show is their biggest yet, and hope the event can become am annual tradition every Christmas.

The Elgin-based outfit differentiates itself from other theatre groups by encouraging performers with disabilities to perform prominent parts.

Autistic 21-year-old, Grant Christie, will take the title role in the famous fairy tale during the production at Elgin’s St Giles Church.

Mr Christie, from Miltonduff, only caught the acting bug last year, but has “worked very hard” to stake his place as one of the ensemble’s best performers.

He said: “Sometimes I get nervous on the stage, but if I do a good job, my confidence increases.

“I enjoy that feeling, and I’d like to continue acting as I get older.”

The cast of 28 performers is comprised of people with learning difficulties and Moray College students.

The technical crew began preparing for the show in September, and were tasked with creating dazzling costumes and sets.

Writer Kevin Oakes penned the script, and said he was inspired by the “magic” of the Jack and the Beanstalk story.

He added: “We have done small shows touring schools for a few years, but this is our first big public pantomime.

“There’s a huge set, and a beanstalk that’s nearly 20ft tall, so we are making it a spectacle.”

Shows will take place on Monday and Tuesday, with doors opening at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

Elgin City North councillor, Patsy Gowans, is a firm supporter of the charity and was among the first to book her ticket for Monday’s curtain-raiser.

Ms Gowans said: “Out of the Darkness’s spirit of inclusion is something I am keen to promote, the group means a lot to me.”

The organisation has been running for 24 years and lists Elgin-born movie star Kevin McKidd among its patrons.