THURROCK Council has announced the the doors of the Thameside Theatre are about to reopen - and there will be a panto this year!

The museum within the Thameside Complex is also to reopen.

A statement from the council this afternoon (Friday, 3 September) says: "The Thameside Theatre and Thurrock Museum are reopening their doors in September, allowing visitors to enjoy performances and collections including the much loved festive panto celebrations.

"The Thameside Theatre will reopen on 7 September and Thurrock Museum will reopen on 14 September.

"All confirmed Theatre bookings, including the Christmas panto, will take place through to January 2022 while both a final decision is made on the future of the Thameside Complex building and a new cultural strategy is developed.

"The new strategy will ensure arts, culture, and heritage can thrive across Thurrock in new and innovative ways that promote greater community participation and opportunity to create, engage and experience culture, arts and heritage."

Cllr Deb Huelin, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: "I'm pleased the theatre and museum can reopen. It has been a difficult 18 months that has challenged the arts and heritage sector generally to think differently about how to harness the power of culture to support the well-being of individuals and communities and its positive impact on social change and tackling inequalities.

"Over the coming months, we will continue to look at our cultural offer as a whole, including the long-term social and economic benefits for residents across the borough. We will be exploring ways to provide greater opportunities to develop and improve the arts, culture and heritage offer in Thurrock and we will continue to work with production companies, local groups, and existing borough-wide facilities to establish a new shared vision to support cultural services that are both inclusive and accessible."

Cllr Mark Coxshall, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: "The Thameside Theatre's audiences can once again enjoy its shows while we continue to engage with local groups to discuss future service delivery models to support cultural regeneration and economic growth across Thurrock.

"Reimagining our culture offering will allow our services to run more effectively without the physical constraints of some dated buildings and meet the needs of the borough's residents. This is an exciting opportunity to improve and secure the arts, culture and heritage offer in Thurrock for years to come."

Shows set to take place include The Best of Franki Valli, Oliver, We Will Rock You and a Halloween workshop before panto season starts on 21 November.