AUDIENCES can expect the stage of a £1.5m children’s theatre to be set as a woodland wonderland for the first production to be played out at the new arts venue.

Theatre Hullabaloo – attached to the Darlington Hippodrome within the former Edwardian fire station off Borough Road – will stage its opening night in December.

Bear and Butterfly, a Theatre Hullabaloo production, will become the first act on stage at the site which is the only specialist theatre of its type to cater to younger audiences outside of London.

The 50-minute show carries a small cast of three from the North-East who will open the theatre on Monday, December 11, before completing a run of 21 shows until the end of the year.

The production will then carry on as a national tour in the New Year in a bid to establish Darlington as a theatre town exporting arts to the rest of the country.

Miranda Thain, creative producer at Theatre Hullabaloo, said: “It is incredibly exciting to be opening a national centre of theatre for young audiences here in Darlington.

“We hope that The Hullabaloo will be taken to the hearts of families across our region and beyond, and we’re proud to announce that the opening show will be our very own Bear and Butterfly.”

The show will be performed alongside the newly commissioned installation, the Enchanted Forest, which invited families to walk through an interactive environment with musical flowers and trees.

The opening of the site comes after an 18-month building period alongside the multi-million pound refurbishment and rebranding of the former Civic Theatre to become the Darlington Hippodrome.

Laura Case, development director at Theatre Hullabaloo, said: “We can’t wait to open the doors to children and their families.

“This venue is all about creating and presenting the best work in the best environment for children.

“We can’t wait to welcome our audiences through the doors so that they can play, have fun and make memories.

“Bear and Butterfly is the perfect show for children and families to start their journey with us.”

Tickets are available by calling the Theatre Hullabaloo box office on 01325-405405.

Alternatively, visit theatrehullaballoo.org.uk