A ROMANTIC boyfriend got down on bended knee and proposed to his sweetheart on a theatre stage – in front of more than 200 people.
Love-struck Jamie Harris asked his girlfriend Laura Kelly to marry him just minutes after a pantomime production at Louth Playgoers' Riverhead Theatre had finished.
Jamie, 26, of Upgate, Louth, made his romantic request to Laura, 21, after a production of Beauty And The Beast.
He had been directing the show and Laura was appearing in it.
Jamie said: "We have known each other for two-and-a-half years. We were best friends for six or seven months of that and we discovered there was something more than friendship there.
"We have been together ever since and moved in together in June. About three or four months ago, I decided I wanted to propose.
"I talked to my friend, Derek Smith, who was the producer of the pantomime I directed, Beauty And The Beast.
"I bought the ring about eight weeks ago. After the final scene in the pantomime, I got down on my knee at the end of the final night.
"I just said in front of 209 audience members, 31 cast members and the 15 backstage team: 'Will you marry me?' This was the perfect place to do it."
Laura said: "We both love the theatre. I was in the pantomime playing Brigette. Jamie called me forward.
"I was a bit surprised, obviously, because everyone knew apart from me. I was a bit shocked.
"I just said 'Yes' and there was a big scream and a round of applause from the audience."
Jamie added: "The curtains closed and then we had our after-show party and a little celebration."
Laura said: "It was very special. It was a lovely way to propose. We have mentioned proposing before but I never thought it was going to be in our home town theatre."
Jamie said: "We would love to have our wedding at the theatre but they don't have a licence for it. We will have our engagement party here.
"We thought it would be quite fitting to have our engagement party in the place where I popped the question.
"When you propose, it should be to do with something you both enjoy. We are never away from this place.
"You can do it at a restaurant, where it's not very personal, but the theatre is a very special place for both of us, so it seemed a fitting place to do it."
The couple expect to marry in 2017 in or around Louth.
Jamie, originally from Hereford, has been with Louth Playgoers for four-and-a-half years. He has acted in 11 shows and directed three. He also does lighting.
He is rehearsing for his next acting role in Journey's End, as Captain Stanhope, in March.
Jamie works as an accounts administrator for a chip and PIN machine company in Grimsby.
He hosted the 2014 Grimsby Telegraph Community Awards, celebrating North East Lincolnshire's unsung heroes, at the Humber Royal Hotel, in November.
Laura, from Ashford, in Kent, has been with Louth Playgoers since 2009 and usually appears in pantomimes and musicals.
She is rehearsing for the King And I, as a royal wife, in May. She works for Waterloo Housing Group, Louth, as a housing apprentice.
