MORE than 19,000 people visited The Anvil theatre in Basingstoke during the festive period.

Anvil Arts’ panto Cinderella has now ended but many have said it was the "best panto" they had ever seen. 

Word of mouth and social media reaction was very positive and ticket sales during the run were the highest for 10 years – a stark contrast to the last couple of Covid years.

The investment in Anvil Arts by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council allowed the charity to provide subsidised schools performances for more than 3,000 students, a relaxed performance which broke the record for the biggest attendance ever, and also helping groups including Young Carers, and Stop Domestic Abuse Basingstoke, among others, to enjoy the magic of Cinderella.

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A spokesperson from Anvil Arts said: “We’re delighted that we were able to give such an enjoyable end to the year to so many children, families, schools, Basingstoke companies and youth groups. All the cast loved performing for such enthusiastic audiences throughout the run. We’ll be working hard to make sure our 2023 panto is even bigger and better!”

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Anvil Arts is also very grateful to audiences who attended Cinderella for generously donating more than £4,000 to support its free music project The Musication Station through the year, through a bucket collection at the door after each show.