Cinderella runs at the Central Theatre Chatham from 11 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. Every date and time, the access performances, and two council prices that disagree.

Medway’s pantomime this year is Cinderella at the Central Theatre in Chatham, from Friday 11 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. It is already on sale.

There are 39 performances, of which 36 are open to the public and three are schools-only morning shows. Both figures come from the box office system behind Medway Tickets Live, which is run by Medway Council.

Checked on 4 September 2026 against the council’s and the theatre’s own published material.
Show Cinderella, produced by Jordan Productions
Where The Central Theatre, High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS
Runs Friday 11 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027
Preview Friday 11 December, 7pm
Box office 01634 338338

Two council prices, and they do not match

This is the thing to know before you book. Medway Council and Medway Council are quoting different prices for the same show.

The council’s news release of 20 August 2026 says: “Preview night takes place on Friday, 11 December, with tickets costing £18. Tickets for other performances start at £21.50.”

Its own box office site says: “Preview Night tickets are available at just £20.00, and tickets for other performances start at £23.00.”

That is £2 on the preview and £1.50 on everything else. The box office page is the one that takes your money, so treat £20 and from £23 as the operative prices and the press release as out of date. Neither page publishes a full price band table, and the ticketing system does not expose one, so the only way to see the actual band prices is to open a performance and look at the seat map.

Two more price notes from the council’s own pages. Children under 18 months get in free but still need a ticket, booked through the box office rather than online. Groups of more than ten should phone for the group rate. School bookings are held at 2025 prices “until September”, so any school still deciding has days rather than weeks.

Every date and time

Afternoon and evening shows on most days, with two mornings at Christmas and two at New Year.

Date Times
Fri 11 Dec 7pm (preview)
Sat 12 Dec 2pm, 6pm
Sun 13 Dec 2pm, 6pm (BSL signed)
Tue 15 Dec 10.30am schools only, 5.30pm
Wed 16 Dec 10.30am schools only, 5.30pm
Thu 17 Dec 10.30am schools only, 5.30pm
Sat 19 Dec 2pm, 6pm
Sun 20 Dec 2pm, 6pm
Mon 21 Dec 2pm, 6pm
Tue 22 Dec 2pm, 6pm
Wed 23 Dec 2pm, 6pm
Thu 24 Dec 11am, 3pm
Sat 26 Dec 2pm, 6pm
Sun 27 Dec 2pm, 6pm
Mon 28 Dec 2pm, 6pm
Tue 29 Dec 2pm, 6pm
Wed 30 Dec 1pm, 5pm (relaxed and BSL signed)
Thu 31 Dec 11am, 3pm
Sat 2 Jan 2pm, 6pm
Sun 3 Jan 11am, 3pm

There is no performance on Monday 14 December, Friday 18 December, Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Those four gaps are the ones people book around and get wrong.

The theatre says doors open 30 minutes before curtain up. Its ticketing record for this production also notes that customers may not bring alcohol into the venue and that random bag searches will be in operation.

The two access performances

  • BSL signed: Sunday 13 December, 6pm. This one is bookable online like any other performance.
  • Relaxed and BSL signed: Wednesday 30 December, 5pm. House lights stay on, loud noises and special effects are removed, and the audience may move around the auditorium.

The relaxed performance is not on sale online. The theatre’s system has it closed to web booking, and the venue’s own instruction is to contact the box office, who will also give you the pricing. That is on 01634 338338. If you are planning a relaxed visit, phone rather than hunting for a link that is not there.

The theatre also runs a loop system for some performances and recommends Band A seats, rows A to N in the stalls, if you are using it.

The cast

Ellie Clayton, from CBBC’s So Awkward, plays Cinderella. Zaraah Abrahams, from EastEnders, plays the Wicked Stepmother. The Ugly Stepsisters are the comedy duo Luke & Elliott. Alex Anstey returns as the Fairy Godmother and Andrew Curphey returns as Buttons, both from last year’s Sleeping Beauty.

It went on sale a year ago

The panto’s tickets opened for web booking on 11 December 2025, a full year before opening night, under an embargo lifted on the same date. That is worth knowing for next year: if you want a Saturday afternoon in the week before Christmas, the queue starts twelve months out, not in October.

Getting there, and the Chatham parking problem

Chatham railway station and Chatham Waterfront bus station are both a short walk from the theatre, and the theatre’s own advice leads with both.

Driving is harder than it was. The Brook multi-storey, the largest car park in Chatham at 467 spaces, closes for good at midnight on Sunday 6 September 2026, along with the Solomons Road Blue Badge car park. This will be the first panto season without it. Our piece on where to park in Chatham now the Brook has gone lists the alternatives with bay counts, and the full tariff picture is in parking in Medway.

For Blue Badge holders, the theatre has a side entrance next to the Fullagers Yard Blue Badge car park, which opens 30 minutes before a performance and closes once the show starts. The main front entrance has ramp access, a central handrail and automatic doors. The balcony is not suitable for wheelchair users.

Check Medway roadworks and travel before a matinee, because Chatham town centre roadworks run through the autumn.