Credit Ghostlight Studio
By Grace Hatchell
I have seen Cinderella performed in plenty of theatres over the years, but this Christmas she is packing up the glass slippers and moving somewhere rather grander.
East Riddlesden Hall near Keighley is being transformed into the setting for Cinderella: An Immersive Pantomime Experience, a brand-new production from Electric Press Productions running from 4 to 23 December 2026. Rather than sitting in a traditional auditorium and watching the fairytale unfold from a safe distance, audiences will step inside the 17th-century National Trust property and journey through the story.
And now we know who will be waiting inside.
Meg Kent will take the title role of Cinderella, while RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 7 runner-up Elle Vosque swaps the runway for fairytale duties as Cinderella’s guiding fairy godmother, Peggy. I suspect Peggy may have a little more sparkle than your average fairy godmother.
JJ Broadbent makes his professional debut as Prince Max, with Sophie Hygate and Kemi Stewart also making their professional debuts as step-sisters Paige and Kitty. Nigel Fyfe takes the throne as the King, while Jonny Mills plays the prince’s witty wingman Dandini. Laura Judge completes the rather less friendly side of the family as evil stepmother Bev.
Aimee Sanderson-Bates and Joshua George will appear as swings, both making their professional debuts, with Hannah Day joining the ensemble. It is lovely to see several performers getting their first professional credits as part of the production.
Cinderella, But Not Quite As We Know Her
There is another reason this particular Cinderella caught my attention. They have been tinkering with the ending.
The story begins on familiar ground. Cinderella dreams of escaping life with her stepfamily and sharing her voice with the world. Prince Max hears her singing at the village Yuletide Fayre, becomes captivated and announces a grand ball at the Royal Palace to find her. So far, so Cinderella.
Then midnight arrives.
Instead of simply following the ending we have known for generations, this Cinderella challenges what is expected of her and encourages Max to choose music, freedom and adventure over royal duty. The production uses the familiar fairytale to explore independence, self-expression and the idea that perhaps happiness does not have to look the way somebody else tells you it should.
I rather like that. Cinderella has been losing shoes and marrying princes for long enough. Let the woman make some decisions of her own.
A Pantomime Built Around The House
What makes this production particularly intriguing is that East Riddlesden Hall is not simply being used as a pretty backdrop. Director Emily Susanne Lloyd says the team has been using the historic house itself as part of the storytelling, creating a world filled with big characters, music, silliness and heart.
The production has been created by Electric Press founders Samantha Creswick and Emily Susanne Lloyd and written by Calum Finlay, blending live music and traditional festive ingredients with an immersive experience shaped by its unusual surroundings.
Electric Press specialises in taking immersive theatre into non-traditional spaces, alongside developing new writing and previously untapped stories. The company also has a strong northern commitment, with every production featuring creatives or cast members who come from or are based in the North of England and a particular focus on Yorkshire.
That makes a National Trust house near Keighley feel like rather a fitting place for them to cause a little festive mischief.
Cinderella: An Immersive Pantomime Experience runs at East Riddlesden Hall, Riddlesden, Keighley, from Friday 4 to Wednesday 23 December 2026. The production runs for approximately 80 minutes and is suitable for families and audiences aged five and over.
Being Yorkshire born and bred myself, I am particularly pleased to see something like this happening right on the doorstep for Yorkshire. We spend plenty of time talking about festive productions in London and other big cities, but there is something rather lovely about having an ambitious immersive show taking over a historic house here in Yorkshire. More importantly, it means my imaginary postal round to deliver this particular bit of theatre news is considerably shorter. The satchel is grateful.
I shall be keeping an eye on this one. A historic Yorkshire house, immersive theatre, a drag fairy godmother and a Cinderella who has apparently decided there is more to life than marrying royalty.
That is certainly one way to go to the ball.
Cinderella: An Immersive Pantomime Experience – Buy tickets
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