Didcot – Polka Dot Pantomimes

Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot

25 Station Road, Didcot, OX11 7NE

Professional pantomime arrives at Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot this Christmas as we welcome award winning Polka Dot Pantomimes to present a tale as old as time - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

Suitable for the whole family the show features spectacular scenery, glittering costumes, amazing special effects, toe tapping tunes and plenty of audience participation, as well as real panto pooches! This is family pantomime at it’s best so book your tickets now and be our guest for Didcot’s finest festive treat.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE

Programme

Polka Dot Pantomimes are delighted to welcome you to Cornerstone Arts Centre and this production of Beauty and the Beast. This is the first pantomime we have produced here and we hope that you will enjoy watching this beast of a fairytale as much as we have enjoyed producing it.

For the 2025/2026 season we are producing nine professional pantomimes in Spalding, Bolton, Grantham, Harpenden, Grays, Hastings,Bristol, Christchurch and Didcot. Our pantomimes are consistently of the highest standards and we are delighted that every year we get to work with exceptionally talented performers, wonderful theatre staff, dedicated and hard working backstage teams, and our amazing creative teams - all of who put 100% effort into making our shows accessible and successful! We also love working with our three teams of children’s chorus and our wonderful chaperones – we had over 100 young people attend the auditions and the chosen 24 amaze us every day!

Since 2005 we have produced professional productions of Aladdin, Jack & The Beanstalk, Peter Pan, Robin Hood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Wizard of Oz, Rapunzel, Dick Whittington and Beauty and the Beast.

We are delighted to be producing professional pantomime at Cornerstone Arts Centre this year and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting your local theatre – we appreciate you spending your time with us and choosing to watch this production.

THANK YOU!

From all of us at Polka Dot Pantomimes, we hope you enjoy this wonderful show and we would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2026!

History of Beauty and the Beast

Like Cinderella, the tale of Beauty and the Beast is one of the best-known stories in the world. The history of Beauty and the Beast is quite different from the other stories in the popular fairytale canon.

The earliest versions of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and many others are lost in the pre-Gutenberg era with just a few recorded versions hinting at elusive histories. Many scholars post that those tales began as folklore, passed from generation to generation, from storyteller to storyteller, until enterprising authors published them on rare occasions, capturing them on paper for us to read and enjoy centuries later.

Beauty and the Beast, on the other hand, did not start out strictly as folklore, although it incorporates folkloric elements. It has a discernible birth and history, beginning in 1740 with Madame Gabriel le-Suzanne de Villeneuve, a French writer influenced by the fairytales written by authors, such as Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy and Charles Perrault, in the French salons during the earlier part of the century.

Villeneuve's story did not remain exclusively hers, for it provided the building blocks for another writer, Madame Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, in 1757. While Villeneuve's primary audience was adults, Beaumont’s was children with a didactic message about good manners and behaviour as well as physical beauty. Ultimately, Beaumont greatly bridged and rewrote the tale, giving us the version so well recognised today, but her version wouldn't have existed without Villeneuve's original work.

In the end, Beauty and the Beast continues to be shared and retold to each new generation. New picture books, new novels, and new films appear on a regular basis, exploring the tale, some finding new meanings and subverting old ones while others cherish the original.

Our version of Beauty and the Beast is a spellbinding story of a selfish prince who is destined to spend the rest of his life hidden in his castle in the guise of a grotesque beast. Resourceful, the heroine Belle, our Beauty, rushes to the rescue with her madcap pals. Can our heroine save the day and learn to love the Beast?

We hope you find our version of this classic tale C'est Magnifique!

Principal Cast

BELLE - Izzy Double

Izzy graduated from the Italia Conti Academy in 2021. Since then, she has built a career across stage, screen, and music.

Her credits include: Beryl - Made in Dagenham (Italia Conti Academy 2021) Missy - 9-5 the musical (Italia Conti Academy 2021) Cirque Stratosphere (workshop) featured vocalist for Patoranking (music video vevo) Princess Jasmine (Polka Dot Pantomimes 2021) and performing internationally as part of a girlband from 2022 to 2024 — with shows in Los Angeles, Marbella, Paris, and across the UK

Izzy is thrilled to be returning to the stage with Polka Dot Pantomimes.

PRINCE LUCIAN - Craig Plant

Craig trained at Bodywork Company in Cambridge, graduating in 2010 with a Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre.

His extensive professional credits include Lead Vocalist for Carnival Cruises (Carnival Sunshine), Lead Vocalist for Princess Cruises (Caribbean Princess), and Lead Vocalist for MSC Cruises on board both the Meraviglia and the Poesia. He has also worked as a Swing Vocalist for Potters Theatre Company, performed with the Show Team for Bourne Leisure, played Prince Charming for The Panto Company, appeared as Ensemble in Robinson Crusoe, and performed as a Singer in Legends Experience in Mallorca.

Craig is absolutely delighted to be playing the role of Prince/Beast in Beauty and the Beast at The Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot, and he hopes you all have a fantastic time at the show!

MAURICE - Phil Towers

Over many years Phil has performed in Film, TV, Theatre.

His favourite part being Patsy in Spamalot for Theatre, Sgt Riley in Dangerfield for TV and reporter in Film on Miss Marple. Phil’s last Panto was Robinson Crusoe at the Pavilion Theatre Hastings in which he played the King – back then he did not have grey hair so had to improvise with talcum powder. This was constantly blown off by other cast members in the Panto.

Phil ran his own theatre company for 11 years in which he produced, directed and performed in. Doing such plays as Blood Brothers, Darling buds of May playing POP, Faulty Towers and the Playwright Barry Heath Trilogy, Me Mam Sez, Ya Shunta Joined and Seaside or Bust about a family in war torn Britain in the Forties.

Phil looks forward to playing Maurice in this production of Beauty and the Beast for Polka Dot Pantomimes and hopes you enjoy it too.

DOLLY DOUGHNUT - Joshua Chandos

Joshua trained at East 15 Acting School and Russian Institute of Theatre Arts. His theatre credits include Friar Lawrence in Romeo + Juliet (Chelmsford Civic Theatre), Sam in Winter ‘53 (East Theatre),Oberon/Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (SE Theatre), Orsino in Twelfth Night, Aramis in The Three Musketeers and Raoul in Phantom of the Opera (Tread The Boards Theatre Company).

His work in short films include Simon in Treble Me This (Palm Haven Studios) for which he won Best Supporting Actor at the New Jersey Film Awards.

He has been the Dame in many a pantomime, most recently playing Sarah The Cook in Dick Whittington and Nurse Sally in Sleeping Beauty at The Attic Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon.

GRIMALKIN - Emily Oakes

Emily trained at Chichester Conservatoire and is excited to be spending her Christmas season with Polka Dot Pantomime for the second year in a row! Oh yes she is! She can’t wait to help bring the magic of panto to Didcot.

Theatre credits include: ‘Fairy Superior’ In Cinderella (2024) ‘Pat the Pig’ in Three Little Pigs the Musical (Lost the plot 2023), ‘Singer’ in Jubilee Singers Tour (2022), ‘Lead Vocalist’ in West End Sundays (2022), ‘Fairy’ in Puss in Boots (Lada Productions, 2021)

Tv/Film credits include: Presenter for Luno Advert (2023), Dr Oekter Christmas Advert (2022), Mukbang Dates for Snap Chat (2022) Secrets of the Fast Food Giants (2022)

FAIRY FABULOUS - Daisy Anna Locke

Daisy is absolutely delighted to be joining this year’s pantomime cast as 'Fairy Fabulous'!

Daisy-Anna trained professionally at Emil Dale Academy (2023 graduate), where she performed in a range of musical theatre productions including 'The Wedding Singer' (Glens Secretary), 'Kipps: Half A Sixpence' (Aunt Susan), and 'Cabaret', (Texas and understudy Kost). Daisy-Anna made her professional debut as an ensemble dancer in the 'Elf Christmas Spectacular Arena Tour', performing in major venues across the UK.

She has a strong passion for storytelling and connecting with live audiences and is particularly excited to be part of a production that brings joy to families during the festive season.

FRENCH FRANC - Daniel Noah

Daniel trained on scholarship at The URDANG Academy London and Sylvia Young Theatre School London, where he served as Head Boy.

Stage Credits include: Toto- The Wizard of Oz (Icon of the Seas) ; Sonny- Grease (RCCL) ; Nick- GODSPELL (Off West End, London); Leon- Imagine This (London); Captain Silver- The Pirates of Treasure Island (Dubai); Perky- Naked Boys Singing The Musical (London); Gruff/Mr Primm- Columbus The Musical (RCCL); Prince Rupert- Banquet of Anthony & Cleopatra (Abu Dhabi); Shelldon- The Little Mermaid (QE2 Cruise); Jack- Jack & the Beanstalk (Sussex); French Franc- Beauty & the Beast (Essex); Mowgli- The Jungle Book (Dubai) ; Ensemble- Jack and the Beanstalk & Peter Pan (Derby Arena); Invitation to Dance (RCCL); The Effectors (RCCL)

TV/Film/Other: Son- ZestyLife TV Advert ; Backing Vocalist- Eurovision (RAK Studios) ; Various English Learning Language Tapes; Paloma Faith (BRITS 2018)