Advent Plays with Oldham Coliseum

Enjoy a theatrical countdown to Christmas with Oldham Coliseum. Advent Plays brings a new short festive play to the theatre’s social media channels every day until Thursday 24 December.

In the absence of the Oldham Coliseum’s popular family pantomime, our friends at Oldham Coliseum continue to spread festive sparkle and cheer this Christmas.

Each play in the series lasts no longer than two and a half minutes and audiences can enjoy watching at home. Tune into Advent Plays whilst you have your first brew of the day and chomp on the chocolate from your advent calendar.

Offering a warm sprinkle of Christmas, each play has been filmed on stage at the Coliseum with a cosy living room set, with props and furniture which audiences may recognise from previous productions at the theatre.

The 24 mini festive productions have been created by 14 writers and are performed by 25 professional actors. The writing line-up includes Coliseum favourites: Cathy Crabb (Meat Pie Sausage Roll and Dreamers); Chris Hoyle (Tinned Up); Nana-Kofi Kufuor (My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored); Rob Ward (Gypsy Queen) and Ian Townsend (All The Bens).

In addition to Advent Plays, the Coliseum has a full digital Christmas offering for audiences to enjoy at home. Audiences can invite Cinderella or Dame Dotty Trott into their homes (virtually) for Panto Digital Storytelling from 12 December to 2 January; people are also invited to nominate people in Oldham who have achieved something great or overcome something challenging during the coronavirus pandemic for Messages from the Dame. In keeping that pantomime spirit alive, Oldham’s Dame Dotty Trott will record a special message for 20 worthy nominees.

The perfect build-up to Christmas for Northern theatre-lovers, we think that this theatrical advent calendar is a welcome pick-me-up for those frosty December mornings.