THERE'S nothing like a Christmas show to help get you in the festive spirit and this year Musical Theatre students at Stockton Riverside College are promising a spectacular performance of a children’s classic - but it is no pantomime.

Cinderella set to the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein will take to the stage at The Arc in Stockton this December.

But the College’s Performing Arts Musical Theatre lecturer Sara Durkin is quick to point out that the Christmas production is not a pantomime.

She said: “Containing all the professional direction, magical effects, spectacular sets and costumes that audiences have come to expect from our stars of tomorrow, the show promises a dynamic and exuberant performance.”

Performed on the Arc stage for two weeks in December, she added, the show will give students the chance to experience working life in a professional venue.

Describing it as one of the theatrical highlights of the season, she said the students’ performance of this magical rags-to-riches story will build on the College’s successful productions including Grease, Beauty and the Beast and Annie.

To officially launch the show the cast headed over to the National Trust, Ormesby Hall to capture a sense of what life would have been like for their characters.

Cinderella will be on show at the Arc, Dovecot Street, Stockton, from December 5-19. Tickets are £10 and concessions £8.

For tickets go to arconline.co.uk or call The Arc box office on 01642 525199.