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Virgin Media’s Christmas Stars competition 2019
Virgin Media’s magical Christmas Stars competition is back for its second year, giving UK primary schools the incredible opportunity to have their Christmas play televised to the nation – narrated in person by TV presenter, Stephen Mulhern!
Virgin Media will film a special recording of the winning school’s festive play and make it available, via On-Demand, to its four million Virgin TV customers in the days leading up to Christmas.
Stephen Mulhern will join the winning school’s cast to help tell their story for a one-off performance. The winning school will unwrap a £5,000 cash prize too.
Plus, Virgin Media has teamed up with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit West End show, School of Rock the Musical, to offer the winning school unforgettable experiences. A class will be invited to the show’s Gillian Lynne Theatre in London for an electric, rip-roaring performance masterclass from the cast. The children will also be treated to tickets to watch the blockbuster show and see the talented cast in action.
To keep the Christmas spirit going, School of Rock the Musical will generously give the winning school 10 ukuleles so they can strum their way into 2020.
And, as it’ll be the season of goodwill, there are plenty of prizes on offer for the runner up school and 22 regional finalists. The runner up school will win £1,000 plus 15 ukuleles, while 22 regional finalists will win £100 and 2 ukuleles each.
David Bouchier, Chief Digital Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media, said: “Our Christmas Stars competition is offering primary schools the chance to take their festive play from the school hall into the homes of millions of Virgin TV customers.
“There are some brilliant prizes to be unwrapped; from working with the fantastic Stephen Mulhern and scooping £5,000, to epic experiences thanks to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit West End show, School of Rock the Musical.
“We’re going to make a school shine this Christmas - could your pupils be our Christmas stars?”
How to enter
Schools can enter the competition via www.virginmedia.com/christmas and submit either an original play or one of the fantastic festive tales available from Out of the Ark, one of the UK’s biggest retailers of plays and music for schools.
Teachers can enter any type of Christmas play – from a traditional nativity to a contemporary tale - which should be between 30 and 60 minutes in length. The special performance will be filmed during the first two weeks of December at the winning school.
To enter, primary schools need to answer the question: “why should your Christmas play be made available to 4 million Virgin TV customers this Christmas?” and send either a poster or image promoting their production.
Get your entries in now – the competition closes at 11.59pm on Tuesday 19 November.