Shiver me timbers – it's panto season for Shrewsbury and Telford
The curtain has risen on Shropshire's pantomime season – and that means weeks of hard graft on stage for Captain Crabsticks and his trusty parrot.
The Captain, alias actor Ben Thornton, will be on stage twice a day until January 10 at Shrewsbury's Theatre Severn.
See also: Top pantomimes across the West Midlands and Shropshire
And about 40,000 theatre-goers are expected to turn out during the season to enjoy Dick Whittington. Actors, including Brad Fitt and Radio Shropshire's Eric Smith, will take part in 65 performances in total.
Theatre Severn's Craig Reeves said: "It is wonderful as we are welcoming more than 2,000 schoolchildren and support staff to our opening performances this week. That is followed by our opening weekend when audiences of all ages will get their first opportunity to see the show."
Telford's Oakengates Theatre will launch its Snow White panto on Tuesday.
