Time to get festive...

It’s all go here at the Coliseum as we near the end of the second week of panto rehearsals and the cast of eight have been working incredibly hard.

During the day they work on the script with me, songs with musical director David Bintley and choreography with Beverly Edmonds and then in the evenings the company work with the juvenile chorus. This year (as with previous years) the girls got their place in the company through the open auditions that were held back in September. They are really important for the production and are skilled dancers – some of whom have been in the Coliseum panto several years developing those skills and they undoubtedly add to the scale and quality of the production.

We still have two weeks to go until the first of the 79 performances over a seven week run. It can sometimes be a daunting thought considering the scale of the production but the traditional Coliseum panto is the biggest event on the theatre’s calendar – loved by people of all ages – so all the hard work is always worthwhile.

The festive spirit has well and truly landed here at the Coliseum, especially with the Reindeer Parade on Saturday in the town centre. All the Cinderella cast will be suited and booted in their intricate costumes put together by the talented wardrobe department. Myself and the marketing team will be hot on their heels handing out flyers for the show. It’s great to hear such positive comments from everyone who comes to see the parade about how much they’re looking forward to the panto and that they come every year. So make sure you get a good spot on the parade route to catch a glimpse of the cast.

The scenery and prop makers are working incredibly hard to respond to the many requests coming out of the rehearsal room. New ideas pop up all the time while we’re rehearsing and our team are brilliant at getting making them all a reality (and quickly).

We’re all still getting used to the new look theatre. We’re still rehearsing over in the Old Library but the cast can’t wait to get back to the theatre and start bringing the building to life with the sounds of “He’s behind you!”

See you in the theatre.

Kevins Shaw
Artistic Director