AFTER a great run of festive pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk, Milford Haven’s Torch Theatre is already planning this December’s panto - Rapunzel - as well as reflecting on the success of the ‘One More Time’ campaign.

Daisy the cow has left the theatre for pastures new and Jack is happily toiling the soil at Trott’s Tater Farm, but the Torch’s panto (this year sponsored by Valero) remains an all important Christmas treat for young people across Pembrokeshire.

A record record number of schools took advantage of the Arts Council of Wales’ Go and See Fund, which offers support to attend cultural events.

The Torch also received over 200 entries for its ‘Giant’s Golden Object’ competition, which saw many schools submitting designs from pupils across all age ranges. Winner Jac of Haverfordwest High School saw his fabulous Golden Croc dazzle thousands of audience members across all the performance run.

Tim Howe, Senior Manager Youth and Community, said: “It was terrific to see so many young people attending, many for the first time. Panto is a vital opportunity for children to connect with live theatre. We are honoured that the Torch is that first memory for so many members of our community, many of whom go on to join our youth theatre.”

Thanks to the generosity of Elder Meadows Nursery, each school attending received some beans to grow their own beanstalk. The Torch will be hosting a competition later this year to see which school has grown the tallest bean plant.

Back in September, the Torch Theatre launched its ‘One More Time’ campaign, asking audience members to attend the Torch one more time during 2024 than they normally would, and they responded in force. To thank audiences for their on-going support, the Torch is offering a special winter sale with all cinema tickets just £5. This offer runs until March 6, so get your tickets now!

Artistic Director Chelsey Gillard said: “As a charity we are extremely grateful for the support we’ve received and thanks to the generosity of our audiences we’ve been able to achieve more than ever with our programme of work on stage and with our youth and community work. But, as always, we’ve got ambitions for 2025 to be even better, with loads of brilliant cinema, broadcasts and live theatre coming up we know you’ll find something that will make you want to come ‘One More Time’ in 2025.”

The Torch’s 2025 pantomime will be a first - the hair-raising adventure Rapunzel. Early Bird tickets are selling well with all tickets frozen at last year’s prices until March 6.

“Let your hair down and join us for this twisty, tangled tale about the girl with the magical hair, locked away in a lighthouse off the coast of Pembrokeshire. It’s a festive treat that will keep the whole family entertained with hair-larious jokes, audience participation, original songs and plenty of silly shenanigans,” Chelsey added.

Rapunzel will run from December 6 to 28. Visit torchtheatre.co.uk or call 01646 695267.