PANTO lovers will be off to see the wizard in Atherton in January.

The New Garrett Theatre's production of The Wizard of Oz will run from Wednesday to Saturday, January 10 to 13, at its Atherton Community School base on Hamilton Street.

Residents can join Dorothy in being whisked away to the magical land of Oz at 7.15pm every night, with extra matinee performances starting at 11am and 2.30pm on the Saturday.

Director Adele Hurst said: "We selected The Wizard of Oz as it has always been a childhood favourite of ours.

"Transforming the classic tale into a funny and up-to-date panto has been great fun and we could not have done it without our amazing cast and crew.

"Please come along to witness such amazing local talent.”

Producer and choreographer Jessica Smith added: "Working with such a wonderful cast and talented directors has ensured that the show will be one of extremely high standards.”

The script was written by Adrian Barradell and tickets to see the panto starring Amy Gaskell as Dorothy are £8 for adults and £6 for children and concessions.

Family tickets for two adults and two children are £22.

Refreshments are included with all tickets.

The panto aims to build on what has been a successful 2017 for The New Garrett Theatre.

Adele said: “It has been a great year for The New Garrett Theatre.

“After a very successful summer show, 9 to 5 the Musical, our popularity dramatically increased.

“So much so that we have added an additional Saturday matinee production to ensure we meet the needs of the community.

“We also recently performed A Night of Musicals at The Atherton Arms.

“The night, which was put together by Megan Lyth, was very successful and further raised our profile within the community.

“We also recently gained sponsorship from The Snug café on Market Street in Atherton.

“We love taking part in community events, including the Atherton Carnival, and cannot wait to continue our services to the community this year.”

For tickets to see the 14-year-old community theatre group’s panto visit ticketsource.co.uk/tngt or call 07927 760072.