St Marys' School, Cloughcor, has announced it will be performing at the Alley Theatre, Strabane, supported by RE/MAX, on June 19th at 7.30 p.m. in the hilarious show "Panto Pandemonium."

Patrons will see the Wicked Witch (played by Niamh Haughey) determined to rule Pantoland by extracting the magic from three magic objects, namely the glass slipper from Cinderella, the magic lamp from Aladdin and the beanstalk from Jack and the Beanstalk. The story then becomes a quest by the Good Fairy (played by Maeve Doherty) and four children to locate these objects and retrieve them from the Wicked Witch and so return Pantoland to happy times. Will the wicked witch win the battle for Pantoland or will our heroes prevail?

This is the first time this local primary school have attempted to put on a show in a professional theatre, so the staff and teachers are excited to be performing on the famous Alley stage. Sean Haughey, a teacher involved in producing the show stated "We have experience of Christmas shows in school that have been very successful and attracted large audiences but this is a step into the unknown for all concerned though we are confident that our pupils will prove well up to the task and produce a show worthy of the excellent setting of the Alley Theatre. We are indebted to a number of sponsors who have provided financial support allowing us to publish a professional programme that will be provided free of charge to all who attend the show as well as proving a memorable keepsake for all the young actors and singers as they shortly move on to secondary school."

Nathan Flatman, Marketing Officer at the Alley, said, "The show looks great and the pupils are busy preparing hard for their performance. I would recommend anyone looking to see the show book early, as demand for this spectacular show will be tremendous, a guaranteed sell out is expected!" For further information about the forthcoming show please contact the Alley Box office on 028 7138 4444 or visit online at www.alley-theatre.com

Meanwhile, Gaelscoil Uí Dhochartaigh presents (Jack and the Beanstalk) at the Alley!

The school is set to become the first school or drama group to ever to grace a professional stage within Strabane and perform a full show in the native Irish language, a tremendous achievement for this Irish speaking school which has grown from humble origins to becoming one of the leading educational establishments within Northern Ireland in the Irish medium.

Seán agus an Gas Pónaire (Jack and the Beanstalk), which will be taking place on June 26th and 27th (7.30 p.m.) will feature all of the children who attend the Gaelscoil in this hilarious pantomime about poor Jack and his magic beans and his amazing journey to the land of giants.

Directed by celebrated local actor/writer/director, Aodh McCay, the pupils have been busy working hard at pulling together this fantastic school show since May, and have uncovered some fantastic actors and actresses who will surely have the audience demanding more by the end of the night.

"This will have you splitting your sides laughing as you take in the visual comedy and fast flowing production of this show. I must say the kids are working really hard and I know everyone connected to the school and the children involved in the show will be tremendously proud of their performance" said Aodh McCay after recent rehearsals.

The show will be performed in Irish, the first time a group or school have achieved this tremendous feat within Strabane District, although for non-Irish speakers there will be subtitles at certain stages and with the "slapstick" of pantomime there will be plenty of fun and comedy for everyone to enjoy - with or without a fluency in the language.

"The Alley is delighted to welcome back Gaelscoil Uí Dhochartaigh to our award winning venue and we look forward to seeing this amazing panto. The show is a guaranteed sell out, therefore I would advise anyone looking to watch the show to book early to guarantee a seat." stated Nathan Flatman, marketing officer from the Alley Theatre. For further information please contact the Alley Theatre Box Office on 028 7138 4444 or visit online at www.alley-theatre.com