Let's hear it for the chorus...

Pantomime is now up and running, playing to packed houses – the audiences are very much enjoying it and getting really involved, lots of cheering, booing and singing throughout. Panto is the biggest production in the Coliseum calendar; 79 performances over seven weeks with a cast of seven, along with two teams of nine girls in the chorus.
This brilliant chorus is essential to the pantomime, I couldn’t do it without them. They are made up of talented local dancers who all got their part through an open audition that we held in September. I auditioned over 200 girls and there was an enormous amount of talent to choose from – it was a tough job whittling it down to just 18.

The girls’ ages range from 8 – 15 years. They have been incredibly dedicated, coming in every week for evening and weekend rehearsals. Once the production is open they work in two teams and perform on alternate days for the rest of the run. Before the schools break up they will have the responsibility of catching up on school work while they have spare time at the theatre. Their dressing room has a nice cosy corner with a TV for relaxing and a quiet area for homework to make it easier for them to fit everything in.

This year we have three sets of sisters in the chorus and I’ve made sure that both sisters are in the same team to make it a little easier for parents. Eight of the girls have been in the chorus before – for one of them this will be her 8th year – and the other ten are all new to the Coliseum.

During the run they and their parents give up their time voluntarily. They work incredibly hard and with the help of Bev our chorographer they never fail to surprise me with what they can achieve. They have so much pride in what they do and always give 100%.

By performing in panto the chorus miss out on a lot of festive events so their chaperones make sure they get lots of Christmas treats at the Coliseum; secret santa, pyjama parties, shopping trips. This is a fantastic experience for all of them, not only are they improving their performance skills but they are learning what it’s like to work in a theatre alongside professional actors. Over the three months the girls make life-long friends with each other and the Coliseum.

The panto wouldn’t be complete without the chorus and I want to thank them all for their dedication and hard work.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director