It’s Behind You! Behind the Scenes of Panto Season

We may have mentioned pantos once or twice this autumn. Just maybe.

As rehearsals draw to a close and with the first panto performances underway, I wanted to fill you in on what’s been happening behind the scenes at West End in Schools HQ.

It all began a year ago...

Putting together a panto season, complete with five different pantomimes on offer to schools, is no mean feat. Picture a jigsaw puzzle made of five different pictures mixed together, where the pieces can move of their own accord, and every now and then your mad uncle pops in to rearrange the pieces when you’re not looking.

For us the whole process starts exactly a year in advance.

Which titles will be on offer? Where shall we rehearse? What’s the date of our first performance? These are all questions we have to answer in December.

And then of course there’s the question of the next pantomime - each year for the last 6 years we have created a brand new pantomime. You can read some blogs about the creation of one of them, Beauty and the Beast, here. This year, In 2018 our new panto is Dick Whittington.

Where are our pantomimes being performed?

Everywhere!

Not quite, but that’s how it feels.

Our actors will be travelling the (hopefully not too snowy…) roads all across the country. The pantos are available anywhere in England and Wales, from Cornwall to Newcastle. Here is a peek at where they will be this December:

Recipe for a panto season

Cats, cows, magic lamps and magic woks are just a few of the ingredients that go into the making of our pantomimes. Between the multiple panto titles and multiple productions of each title touring schools at any one time, our props list can sometimes feel as long as Santa’s naughty or nice list.

And there you have it!

Next week our pantos will be performed in schools across 28 different counties… wish us luck!

- Rachel