O H O YO H Culture
G N I O G ’S D N A L TREASURE IS ! N U F F O T O L E L TO BE A WHO AHOY ME HEARTIES ! Wicked Productions are renowned for their popular pantos but the Covid crisis put paid to any live shows – until now. Here its founder and funnyman Tom Swift (pictured right) explains why he’s so excited to be putting on Treasure Island later this month at the EM Forster theatre So Tom, how have you been over the past 17 months? I can't say it's been easy BUT I’m very blessed to have a roof over my head and a beautiful family to support and help me through these difficult times for the events industry. Did Wicked Productions receive any of the government funding? Unfortunately we were unsuccessful in receiving cultural grants and failed to get funding from the council to help pay our rents on our scenic and costume stores. Thankfully though I had some savings put aside that helped the company survive during these times. You managed to do a virtual panto at Christmas in association with EM Forster theatre so how does it feel to be finally preparing to go live again? I can't wait to be able to get on stage in front of an audience and hear the laughter once again - you really can’t beat a live show! That said it was great we got the opportunity last Christmas to stream our pantos online and still bring some well needed chuckles to families in Kent. We got sent so many videos of families watching the pantos and I got very emotional watching those. I’m so pleased we were able to give some joy to our audiences during the pandemic. What made you decide upon doing Treasure Island? We love our version of it. We last performed it in Tunbridge Wells in 2013 and since then it's been re-written and made shorter and tighter to keep all the fun and interactive elements. And who doesn't love a story with Pirates? It works so well as a comedy show as the story of Treasure Island is easy to follow allowing us the time to add more silly routines and sketches. 22 | August 2021 | SO Magazine
How many are in the show and have you found it relatively straightforward to rehearse etc given the current situation? There are six of us in total and I’m so lucky that all the cast are close friends including my wife. We really do have some Kent panto royalty on stage with Ant Payne (Sevenoaks panto) and Rob Cummings (Gravesend panto). What do you enjoy most about working with them? They are such a funny and talented bunch and we are sure to have a great time on stage together. Rehearsal will be outdoors as much as possible and indoors we will continue to social distance and wear masks and keep testing so we can to keep our cast safe throughout. What measures are in place to ensure your audiences feel safe when seeing your alfresco production of Treasure Island? We will seat groups with a sensible distance between each of them. If you are coming to buy an ice cream from the bar or heading to the toilet you will be asked to wear a mask so we can continue to keep each other as safe as possible. Is there a plan B if the rain shows up? It is a risk you take with outdoor theatre and the show will go on unless there is any concern for anyone’s safety. So pack your waterproofs, wellies and sun cream – just in case, it’s all part of the British Summer!
And finally what do you think the audiences will enjoy most about seeing your version of Treasure Island? I think they will enjoy seeing live theatre in the open air in the beautiful surroundings of Tonbridge School. Our main priority is to make sure visitors feel relaxed and safe so they can just sit back, laugh, smile and get up and dance again. And I’m sure a water gun might make an appearance again - even if it does rain!
Wicked Production’s tak e on Treasure Island: The show begins at the Benbow Inn that’s owned by our hero of the story Jim Hawkins and his silly brother Jolly Roger. One night they are awoken by a loud bang at the door wh en Billy Bones enters, cursed by the black spot. He shows a treasure map and before his curse comes to fruition he enlists the
help of Jim and Roger to find the buried treasure. But of course, Long John Silver finds out about the voyage and manages to fool the cre w and climb on board the great ship Hispaniola. Now wh at happens next is a secret as we wouldn’t want to giv e it all away now would we? You’ll have to come and see it… To book tickets, priced £16, for Treasure Island which runs from August 18 - 22 at EM Forster Theatre visit www.emforster theatre.co.uk
