A playhouse which some cynics feared would never reopen will start a new season this winter.

The Palace Theatre in Westcliff will open its doors on December 8 with two productions.

From then on, audiences can look forward to a non-stop programme of performances ranging from high drama to farce.

The theatre will have its own repertory company and will host touring productions and have guest producers. Highly rated playwright Steven Berkoff is pencilled in to direct a production in February.

Tickets go on sale on Monday for A Christmas Carol which will play in the main house from December 8 for five-and-a-half weeks. New artistic director, actor Roy Marsden, has chosen a version of the Dickens classic that went down a storm in the West End.

A play aimed at young children will run for the same length of time in the studio theatre.

The theatre's new production company Green and Lenagan is now putting together the theatre's spring season.

The news will do much to reassure south Essex theatregoers that the Palace is coming back for good.

The company's Julius Green said: "From December 8 we will have four performances a day for over five weeks. Our spring season will start in March but before then the theatre will host productions from our own company and touring troupes.

"There will be at least one play on at the Palace 52 weeks of the year. We will be presenting a range of very high quality entertainment which we believe will appeal to all ages and tastes."

Ten actors who will form the theatre's own repertory company will be recruited in October and Green and Lenagan will be looking for fresh local talent.

The internal revamp of the theatre is pressing hard with the box office, bar and foyer being completely remodelled. A temporary box office has been set up at the Cliffs where ticket sales for the pantomime will be based. The booking line is on 01702 342564, and tickets will also be on sale in some shops.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.