One of Kent’s top pantos is about to introduce its Christmas production to thousands of families.

This festive season, the Orchard Theatre in Dartford is welcoming audiences to enjoy its panto, Cinderella, starring Union J’s George Shelley, comedian Bobby Davro and Dancing on Ice champ Regan Gascoigne.

The cast also includes rising star Ellie Jane Grant in the title role, who shared her excitement ahead of the show.

“I was a panto babe when I was younger, and I always looked up to the leading lady,” says the former BRIT School student. “I'd be like, wow, I would love to do that one day. It's always been a dream of mine to play the lead in a show.”

After leaving drama school, Ellie made her theatre debut in the touring production of South Pacific, which recently stopped off at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury.

However, this Christmas marks her first panto as an adult - and she isn’t alone.

“With Regan and George, this is their first role in pantomime as well, so I'll be able to learn with them,” says Ellie. “You just get to know different people who have different backgrounds. You can always learn from different performers. And of course, I look forward to laughing at Bobby’s jokes!”

Panto is a tradition that many families treasure at this time of year, but Ellie believes that the magic of panto is felt by the cast just as much as the audience.

“With panto, you get to create a family,” says the 21-year-old. “You bond so well with other cast members and crew for such a short amount of time. It will be so nice just getting to have a lot of laughs and fun, you don't have to take yourself too seriously.

“And I love the audience participation. I've worked with kids in the past, performing to children, and it’s something I just really enjoy. You take them on a magical journey, and they love the story of Cinderella.”

While she is telling the story of Cinderella with her cast mates, London-based Ellie will be spending most of the Christmas period in Dartford - and she’s very much looking forward to it.

“I'm looking forward to exploring the town and seeing what's out there on my days off. I’ll definitely go on some walks - and do some Christmas shopping in Bluewater!”

You can see Ellie in Cinderella at the Orchard Theatre from Saturday, December 10 until New Year’s Eve. Book online here.

What’s On readers can also save £5 on Band A and B tickets to the below performances by entering the promo code KMPANTO at the checkout:

Saturday, December 10 at 7pm

Sunday, December 11 at 5pm

Tuesday, December 20 at 1pm and 5pm

Wednesday, December 21 at 1pm and 5pm

Thursday, December 22 at 1pm and 5pm

Friday, December 23 at 1pm and 5pm