Aladdin breaks box office records and raises nearly £8,000 for Princess Christian’s Farm

The School’s EM Forster Theatre saw its box office records smashed following Wicked Productions’ performances of Aladdin during the festive period.

The latest pantomime delighted audiences with an amazing set, a stellar cast, fantastic dancers, a giant genie and this year’s twist on audience favourite The Boombox.

The Theatre successfully welcomed more than 16,700 people through its doors, breaking visitor numbers from its previous record year in 2022.

Princess Christian’s Farm was the chosen charity for 2023, with £7,857 raised during the panto season. Donations could be made to the charity when ordering tickets online and there were bucket collections after each show.

Kat Portman Smith, Theatre Manager, said: “Audiences have amazed us once again with their generosity. It is a credit to the Theatre team’s hard work that we had so many happy customers through the door, and we are delighted that so much money has been raised for this excellent local charity.

“Both the EM Forster Theatre and Wicked Productions are so grateful to our loyal audiences, who return each year to support the show and the venue.”

Princess Christian’s Farm is a life skills training facility, supporting people with learning and physical disabilities. As a working farm in Tonbridge, the charity also provides a unique day service which helps people to gain confidence, make new friends and develop a range of daily living and employment skills.

Emma Carver, CEO of KASBAH and Princess Christian’s Farm, said: “We are blown away by the overwhelming support of the Theatre and the local community, and cannot thank everyone enough for supporting our charity farm.

“This donation will be put to good use, improving the play equipment on-site for both our service users and visitors, as we are open to the public throughout the year.”

Aladdin attracted many rave reviews from audience members, including the following.
Wicked Productions’ panto was fantastic, hilarious. Even for the grumpiest of dads! Children (even the cool teenager) laughing their socks off. Had such a fantastic time. This will be the only panto we go to and recommend from now on! 

We have been coming to this panto for the past 3 years and it is by far THE BEST we’ve ever been to. We can’t wait to come back next year for Snow White. Well done to the whole cast and crew, you do an amazing job every year!