AUDIENCES may be used to seeing him in pantomime as a Dame and as a performer with The Storytellers Theatre Company, but for the first time at Thwaites Empire Theatre in Blackburn, Ian Fox is presenting a solo show.

Proceeds from the evening are going to the theatre’s roof repair fund. Ian has had a long association with the Thwaites Empire Theatre, having first walked through its doors in 1996 when he auditioned for a position in Pendle Productions’ Christmas season.

“The theatre was called The Red Brick back then,” said Ian. “It was the first time I’d been to Blackburn and little did I know I would still be here 17 years later!

“My audition was a few days before my birthday so this concert really is an anniversary for me — a celebration of my work in this theatre and my 40th birthday is the day before. I remember in those early rehearsals, the snow was falling onto stage through holes in the roof. Since then, there has been this amazing transformation of the building to what we see today. So when I heard that the roof needed work again, I really wanted to give something back.”

The concert promises something for everyone with music ranging from Ian’s classical repertoire through to songs by Take That, Sarah Brightman, Madonna and Michael Buble He will also be welcoming some special guests — Graham and James Edgington, who were in the live semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent as Father and Son, and soprano Emily Jones, who attended Westholme School and played Christine in their production of The Phantom of the Opera.

New Beginning … A Musical Evening, Thwaites Empire Theatre, Blackburn, Thursday, October 31. Details from the box office on 01254 685500