Producing A Pantomime
The Background Info
Being an extroverted person, when I was in high school, I use to take part in the school productions. My favourite type of production was the pantomime. I loved the zany characters, the vast array of songs and the huge amount of audience interaction and participation.
I was in two pantomimes or pantos as they are known, when in high school. One year I played the Dame, a comic character who although being a woman, is always played by a man. And the next year I played the character that helps develop the plot and assist the principal character in achieving his intentions.
The costumes with their lavish and extravagant appearance, the music with its jolly and uplifting temperament, the characters with their outrageous and over-the-top personalities and the sheer quantity of slapstick comedy and innuendoes was more than enough to have me falling madly in love with this British theatre tradition.
The Intent
I left high school in the summer to attend university on a Drama, Theatre and Media course. I soon realised that because I was no longer part of the school, I couldn’t be in the school pantomime. This upset me slightly but I soldiered on in uni, learning more and more about drama every day.
That December, I went to the school to see the pantomime and realised how much I had missed in not taking part. The panto was hilarious as ever and looks like it had been a great production to be involved in. This left me feeling upset for a moment or two. Fortunately, I’m a very impulsive person and decided there and then that I would write my own panto and then produce and star in it. It seemed very doable at the time.
I have decided that I will write up my attempt to produce a panto in order to give you an insight into what writing and producing a panto involves… and also to allow plenty of time for the idea of seeing this panto to be solidly planted in your head!
The Research
I went home after the school panto and immediately started thinking about my panto. The first choice I had to make, besides of course choosing to do this, was which panto I should make. There is a vast array of pantos in British theatre, many of which originate from folktales and stories centuries old. I settled quickly on Aladdin as this is my favourite Disney film (besides of course The Emperor’s New Groove). I soon discovered though that the story of Aladdin is actually over a thousand-years-old and was first shown as a pantomime in 1788 in Covent Gardens. I did research on all the characters and the story, origins and whatnot, but there is so much, none of which I’m sure would be of great interest to you, so to cut it short, I decided to write and produce Aladdin!
So, my plan is to now start to write up, almost a diary about the panto, it’s progress, any problems I encounter or already have encountered and will hopefully give you an insight into what it’s like producing a pantomime – one of Britain’s most beloved and treasured form of theatre!
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5 Comments – Post a comment
acatris
Commented 15 months ago - 2nd February 2011 - 13:44pm
Wow, good luck dude! That's an awesome project to undertake. I've been in pantomimes since I was 6 and have written two myself (though neither have actually been performed) and directed one. They are such a fun medium to work with!
And so British lol - I tried to explain the idea to some people in America once and they just couldn't get past the 'drag' aspect, just thought it was strange. Nothing wrong with lipstick wearing, high heel toting Prince Charming and stubbly Widow Twanky ;)
Unhinged
Commented 15 months ago - 2nd February 2011 - 21:26pm
sorry i must say the boy looks crazy!!!
Stormer007
Commented 15 months ago - 2nd February 2011 - 23:39pm
Haha, thanks mate :) I'm really looking forward to it but worried at the same time haha. They ARE fun, aren't they!
I tried explaining it to an American friend of mine once. She didn't really get, so I sent her a video and she loved it... or so she told me :P
Any excuse to wear a dress eh?
Stormer007
Commented 15 months ago - 3rd February 2011 - 00:59am
You would say that Unhinged, coz you know it's me =P
Unhinged
Commented 15 months ago - 4th February 2011 - 21:03pm
HA!!!!