ANYONE looking for some traditional, festive, family entertainment this winter need look no further than the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham.

This Christmas, Daylight Theatre's hugely successful and much loved fairytale Ivan's Christmas Eve, comes to the Everyman's Other Space from Wednesday, December 22 until Friday, December 31.

Based on a Russian Fairytale, and set in a small wooden hut on Russia's snow smothered steppes, Ivan's Christmas Eve is the hilarious and hugely exciting story of a young man who dreams of one day marrying a princess.

Ivan's ambitions, however, are crushed by a strict mother who is increasingly concerned by his insistence on handing out their winter food supplies to his animal friends.

It is only when Boris the Bear arrives, choking on a magical pinecone, that so begins this wonderful adventure.

This hilarious and magical production is made all the more enthralling by its superbly detailed set.

The result is a cosy environment in which the audience regularly find themselves participating - especially when it is time to hide Boris the Bear.

Packed full of Russian tradition and myth, including a chance to sing the Russian Christmas song Father First, Ivan's Christmas Eve has had audiences enthralled in what is both an educational and magically entertaining show.

Hugh Young, from Daylight Theatre, said: "It's a unique, panto-style experience that children just find hilarious - the most amazing thing is how it engages and mesmerises kids of all ages between three to 11 tremendously."

Daylight Theatre has been specialising in children's entertainment for more than 10 years and, as well as regularly touring local primary schools, their shows have taken them much further afield, touring in London and around the country.

Tickets for Ivan's Christmas Eve in the Other Space are available from the box office on 01242 572573 and cost £6.

Win a stay in London and raise Swan cash

AN overnight stay for two in London including coach travel and a show, a hamper worth more than £50 and shopping vouchers are just some of the prizes on offer in a Grand Christmas Draw being held to raise money for the Swan Theatre.

Tickets for the Friends of the Swan Theatre draw are on sale from the theatre box office or Huntingdon Hall office in CrownGate and winners will be picked on Tuesday, December 21.

The Friends are always looking for new members to join them.

Annual membership is £10 per person and while the subscription year is April 1 to March 31, those joining now will still be entitled to concessions.

More details are available from the Swan Theatre during performance times or from Huntingdon Hall box office, or by calling membership secretary Mary Sayers on 01886 832156 or Jan Vale on 01905 351392.

Brummie show stars Brummie Carrott!

THE ultimate Brummie show will star Birmingham's favourite comedian, it has been announced.

Jasper Carrott will join the cast of Go And Play Up Your Own End when it comes to the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham in May.

The show portrays life in Birmingham in the early 1950s and features a wealth of characters in a touching story of friendship, occasional conflict and real Brummie warmth.

Carrott, who will play George, said: "How could I resist the chance to be in a real Brummie story with Malcolm Stent and Don Maclean, friends that I first worked with many years ago."

Tickets for the performance, which takes place from Tuesday, May 24 to Sunday, May 29, are available from the box office on 0870 6077533.