Youngsters are invited to audition for the Christmas pantomime at the Woodville Halls in Gravesend.

Imagine Theatre, producers of this year’s pantomime, the magical tale of Beauty and the Beast, are on the hunt for youngsters to join the cast as panto babes.

Children between the ages of nine and 16 are being invited to tread the boards and show off their fancy footwork and audition.

The audition takes place at the Woodville Halls on Sunday, September 8, at 1pm for a 1.30pm start.

Producer Steve Boden of Imagine Theatre, which also produced last year's pantomime at the theatre, Jack and the Beanstalk, said: "Auditioning youngsters for the panto is always a lot of fun, but also a real challenge as we see so much talent!

"We are looking for children with the 'X Factor’ – that something special that makes them stand out from the crowd. They need to be bubbly, confident and great dancers who are prepared to work hard as well as having lots of fun!”

The pantomime runs from Saturday, December 14 to Saturday, January 4, 2014.

Tickets for Beauty and the Beast are on sale now. Call the Woodville box office on 01474 337774 or visit www.woodville.co.uk