A group of youngsters from across Perthshire entered a whole new world as they joined the cast of Perth’s Christmas panto, Aladdin.
The 18 children needed no help from a genie as they sailed through auditions last month to land the roles of villagers and chorus in the show.
The successful singers were whittled down from 80 applicants during the workshop and will now appear on stage from December 3 at Perth Theatre.
Director Ian Grieve said, “We were amazed with the response to the call for auditions and were impressed with the wealth of young talent we discovered on our doorstep.
“It was really hard to make a final selection but, in the end, we think we have come up with a cracking group of kids who will throw themselves into the experience with energy and enthusiasm it’s shaping up to be a fantastic show.”
A number of personalities will join the children on their magic carpet ride, including River City actress Lorna Craig as Aladdin, Tom McGovern as Abanazar and comedian Bruce Fummey plays Wishee Washee.
In a bid to keep the age-old story fresh, writers have updated it for the “Facebook generation” and given it a Perth slant with in-jokes and dance routines.
“It’s a total one-off, created specially for our fantastically supportive Perth Theatre panto audience we can’t wait for the reaction,” Mr Grieve added.
The panto will run until January 8 and tickets are available by contacting Horsecross Arts on 01738 621031 or online at www.horsecross.co.uk.