Pantomime Project

For this project we are working as a company to put together a pantomime of Jack and the Beanstalk that will run from the 16th of December to the 19th of December. It will run for 13 performances. For this project we will be combining singing, acting and dancing to make it a pantomime to remember! So far we have been given the script to Jack and the Beanstalk and we had a whole read-through of it with some of the group reading in as the main characters. The first part I read in for was King Hubert. The reason why I wanted to read in for this particular character was because I wanted to see how I would get on as playing an older character. I did feel that I read in for the character well but by the end of it, I thought that I didn't feel confident enough in that specific role to give it another go later on in the read-through. The other character that I read in for was the part of Dame Trott the larger than life mother of Jack and Tommy and of course the pantomime's dame. As a lover for comedy I have always been interested in the comical roles that a performances gives. I have also always been interested in pantomime dame's like the Ugly Stepsisters from Cinderella, Widow Twankey from Aladdin and even Dame Edna Everage.

After a second and final read-through of the script we came to a decision that auditions for Jack and the Beanstalk would be in 2 weeks time. In a matter of a few weeks I have already learnt so much of the concept of panto; from it really being suited to a adult audience because of some of the adult jokes and innuendos which play a huge part of a pantomime. Children obviously love coming to watch pantomimes as they are always exciting and enjoyable with such characters like Buttons from Cinderella, Wishee Washee from Aladdin and Simon from Jack and the Beanstalk who all act as the children's entertainer, and is the key character who children can relate to in the story.