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The 2020 pantomine at the Millennium Forum in Londonderry will not go ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Forum's Chief Executive David McLaughlin said it was with "deep regret" that the production of Sleeping Beauty has been postponed until 2021.

The forum said social distancing in the theatre was a "key problem".

Mr McLaughlin has called on "a clear pathway" from the executive regarding the reopening of theatres.

Ticket holders will be contacted directly about transferring their tickets to next year or a refund.

Millennium Forum management said the decision was due to "concerns about social distancing within the venue" and "the financial risk of presenting such a huge production in the current climate".

They said a "key deciding factor" was that they believed the experience of safely interacting with the performers in a packed theatre would "be compromised" due to the pandemic.

"It is devastating to have to make this call to reschedule the 2020 pantomime as, each Christmas, we welcome nearly 30,000 patrons to our spectacular production," Mr McLaughlin said.

The rescheduled dates for Sleeping Beauty are 26 November to 20 December 2021.