A big panto thank you...

I love the traditions of Christmas – family gathering together, turkey, tree, tinsel and of course the trip to the pantomime. We’ve still got some tickets available over the next week. This year’s show is a cracker, I can’t remember when we had such positive feedback from both adults and children. As we reach the half-way point in the seven week run I think it’s time to say thank you to all the dedicated and fantastic staff that have made the show possible.

Every department works tirelessly to make sure the production is a huge success. The wardrobe team work with the show’s designer right at the start of the year to begin making the eye-popping costumes. Once the show is up and running they are on hand every day to get the actors (especially dame Fine Time Fontaye) into their outfits for the quick changes and fill the washing machine at the end of each performance.

The stage management and technical teams make sure every show goes on without a hitch, setting all the props (and there are hundreds) in the right places backstage and lugging the wacky scenery on and off stage. Musical director David Bintley and the band have produced a brilliant musical score – King Rat’s song is something which has to be seen to be believed.

Front of house is just as busy, the Coliseum’s Front of House Managers and ushers make sure all the school groups, parents, grandparents and kids find their seats. The box office phones are ringing off the hook and the bar staff are serving up Bailey’s lattes by the dozen. Not forgetting the wonderful housekeeping team that clean the auditorium top to bottom twice a day, six days a week for seven weeks. That’s a huge number of bin bags.

Elsewhere in the theatre the education and outreach department have been going out to local schools to deliver panto workshops – teaching the pupils about the traditions of pantomime. The marketing department have been working their socks off to make sure everyone knows about the show. The admin team work out the casting logistics resulting in a fantastic ensemble for this year’s production.
And let’s not forget the superb cast who have all brought their own unique talents to the production as well as working terrifically as a team. Producing the annual pantomime is a real team effort and this year has been tremendous fun. Tickets are still available so do make sure you catch the show before it ends in January.

There’s just enough space for me to wish you all a happy Christmas!

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

New Spring Summer Season 2012 Announced!

We had our Season Launch on Monday and now our plans have been revealed I can start telling you a bit more about all the exciting things the Coliseum has in store for 2012.
The season opens with the an adaptation of the classic novel The Hound of the Baskervilles for which we are working in collaboration with design specialists imitating the dog who project images onto scenery. This is a stunning way to swiftly move the action from Baker Street to the misty moors and Baskerville Hall as well as creating the supernatural hound.

I’ve already been to several production meetings and I cannot wait to get rehearsals started. The Hound of the Baskervilles opens at Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and will then embark on a nationwide tour for ten weeks taking the production across the country. Don’t worry about how you’ll get to Huddersfield though, we are organising coaches to get you there from the Coliseum.

Following on from The Hound of the Baskervilles we’ll continue to produce shows at The Grange Arts Centre near Oldham College. Alfie and Dumb Show will both be performed there in-the-round and it will give everyone a great opportunity to experience a different theatre space. Alfie is a co-production with other in-the-round theatres across the country so it gives us the opportunity to collaborate with other professional theatres we haven’t worked with before.

The final performance of the season is a brand new play by local playwright Ian Kershaw called Star-Cross’d which will be performed out in the open air  in the blazing summer heat at Alexandra Park in the centre of Oldham. Ian has a great knowledge of the area and the play is written specifically for the Coliseum. The audience will walk through the park following the action and the route will make the most of the park’s features i.e. the Lion’s Den, Boating Lake and Pagoda. Yesterday Ian took us on a tour of the park along the route so that we could get a full idea of what the experience will be like for the audience – it will certainly be spectacular. Star-Cross’d will be a fantastic large scale production complete with brass bands, dance troupes and the largest cast the Coliseum has ever seen.

There is a huge range of other exciting events planned for the New Year and I’m looking forward to this brand new chapter in the Coliseum’s history. To read more about the plays see the season preview above.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

Last week I told you about our fantastic panto chorus, which is made up of two teams of nine girls who work alternate days during the pantomime run. They are all looked after by a team of dedicated chaperones. The Coliseum employs a team of six chaperones each year who work in shifts to support and organise the girls over the three months they are with us. Half of their role is to make sure that the girls are on stage in the right costume at the right time and the other half is to ensure the wellbeing and happiness of the teams.

As I mentioned last week the chorus give up a lot of their time to be part of the Coliseum panto and the chaperones aren’t exactly working the usual office hours (and they don’t get to wear a fairy outfit). They fit their shifts at the theatre around their other responsibilities like university and jobs. With the teams made up of very different ages, ranging from 8 – 15 years, thinking of things to entertain all of them is a bit of a tough job. The chaperones also provide a shoulder to cry on and someone to talk through things with – it’s incredibly important that the girls have emotional support throughout their time at the Coliseum.

At the moment the over 12s are doing an Arts Award which is an accreditation that recognises a young person’s achievement in taking part in an arts project. There are four parts to the award; they’ll write about their experience in the panto, review a play, lead a dance class and write about someone in the arts that inspires them. Other activities that the girls have been up to include making Christmas cards and a post box for them to go in, making fruity cocktails and a fairy for the Christmas tree. The tree takes pride of place in their dressing room and as there are two teams, each one gets to decorate half of the Christmas tree – that’s democracy for you. They also get to watch a great deal of festive films in the cosy DVD corner. All of these activities are thought up and organised by the chaperones as well as making sure that the girls are suited and booted on time for their next entrance on stage.

The chaperones are just as important as any other aspect of the panto and we couldn’t do it without them.

See you at the theatre.
Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

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