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It’s Panto Time…! Family Pantomime Millfield Theatre
ALADDIN, 24 – 31 DECEMBER VARIOUS TIMES TICKETS £XX
Marc Day
oh yes it is! TRADITIONAL PANTOMIME GROWS IN POPULARITY YEAR ON YEAR AT MILLFIELD THEATRE. AS ALADDIN OPENS THIS FESTIVE SEASON, WRITER AND DIRECTOR MARC DAY TAKES YOU BEHIND-THESCENES OF THE ANNUAL PRODUCTION TO LOOK AT ITS HISTORY AND GROWING POPULARITY AMONG NORTH LONDON AUDIENCES. The annual pantomime season at Millfield Theatre has been fundamental to the venue’s professional programme since opening its doors in 1988. Oh yes it has! The very first show to run at the theatre was Humpty Dumpty starring the Opportunity Knocks winner of 1972, Bobby Crush. Whilst Humpty was a pantomime title that has diminished in more recent times, the Millfield Theatre production was the start of years on years of successful pantomime at the muchloved North London venue.
ENFIELD PRESENTS WINTER 2016
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Over the years, Millfield has produced most of the popular pantomime titles, from Jack & the Beanstalk to Dick Whittington, Cinderella to this year’s Aladdin. From a pantomime producer’s perspective, it is interesting to observe the changing trends. It cannot be ignored that the popularity of certain panto titles match those of current Disney releases whilst some lesser acknowledged titles such as Red Riding Hood find their own way back to the panto season listings around the British Isles. No surprise there then that Millfield is producing ‘Red Riding Hood’ for Hoxton Hall this December. In 2012 we extended our pantomime offering to include Easter Panto at the Dugdale, each year. This was at the start of a new trend in theatres offering a panto-style product for the school Easter holidays. Often I am asked ‘what is the difference’? Easter panto is on a smaller scale to match the smaller capacity of the Dugdale and provides us with an opportunity to rework favourite stories into the pantomime structure. Each performance is slightly shorter, running at around 90 minutes including interval compared to the 2 hours and 15 minutes including interval of our Christmas production. Therefore Easter panto can offer the opportunity for younger children to get a taste of panto, ready for when they are old enough to attend the larger Christmas show. ‘It’s behind you’, I am sure you will recall the times you have sat in a theatre around Christmas