Retrospective look at Sleeping Beauty
by Tina McBain - Director

As a new company, setting up from scratch, with no money, no cast, no script, no scenery or props and no idea of how much work was involved there were many meetings and discussions on how to get this merry-go-round turning. Everyone had something to say, and we agreed that The Tamworth Pantomime Company was something we all wanted to see succeed and everyone pulled out the stops to make it all happen.

After many months of hard work and a lot of heartache and stress, it was somewhat of a relief to see the curtain go up on Thursday 13th December at 1.30pm.

Everyone was so very nervous, as the dress rehearsal on the previous evening was nothing short of a shambolic affair and I went home afterwards and had a well deserved nervous breakdown, albeit for just a couple of hours.

There had been many stumbling blocks to overcome when we set up the company; not least the deliberately difficult and spiteful attitude of a certain member of a previous regime (I don't need to mention a name as we all know who this is); however we were not to be deterred and as they say there are not problems, just solutions waiting to be found. Mind you some of them were hiding very efficiently!!!

I found myself in the strange position of having to take over the sole directing role
with only 3 weeks to go to the opening of the show. This was something of a shock
to my system as i had never previously even directed traffic let alone a cast of luvvies. But it was with great support from all of the cast and crew that we finally got Sleeping Beauty together and I would like to thank everyone for being so supportive.

The script for this production of Sleeping Beauty was written by Richard Lovelock, who was mainly interested in seeing his work performed. There were no charges for the script and no charge for the licence to perform his work, so that was a good start for us. We would like to thank Richard for his support.

The Production

Sleeping Beauty is a tale of good over evil, love winning over hate and one of the lead roles was played by the incomparable Glen Chevannes (Prince William) Glen has been in panto for 19 years (a big one next year, we must get a darts trophy to commemorate the occasion). Glen is one of those people you could cheerfully strangle as he attends more christenings on Sunday afternoons than you could possible imagine. However there is a certain warm feeling you have when Glen is involved in a production as you just know he is going to do the business. He is word perfect, note perfect and plays a most convincing part in whatever he does. A master stroke this year was to include songs by Snow Patrol and Amy Winehouse. His costumes are fantastic and he is just plain and simply wonderful. I congratulate Glen on his performance and look forward to next year.

Victoria Gordon (16), played the 21 year old Princess Beauty and she is perfect for this role as she is not only beautiful, her singing talent is astounding. She gives that glow to any performance and has a modesty that is rare. If there is any justice in this world Victoria will be wowing audiences for many years. I didnt know her very well prior to starting the rehearsals, but I would consider Victoria as a truly nice person, she is warm, kind and fabulous with the very young members of the cast. Her acting ability is second to none and when she sings, you could hear a pin drop in the theatre. Her duets with Glen were amazing, you can just tell they love singing together.

Lynda Jackson is one of the new members of the company this year, and played Queen Portia. It was a wonderful portrayal of a stern and slightly hysterical character. Lynda was most reliable and more than capable of the task in hand. She will be a valuable member of the company for many years we hope. She has a wicked sense of humour, and brilliant facial expressions, she and Eamonn Burns worked so well together and their comic timing was perfect, their mime to Chu Chi Face was a highlight of the production. be thankful that they didnt sing the song 'live' - I will say no more on that subject !!

Eamonn Burns was another new member and also new to the stage. During rehearsals, he was the first member of the cast to have all costumes ready and waiting for the big day, and the way he responded to direction was excellent. Eamonn admitted to me on the last day of the production that he hadnt ever been to the theatre before. So it was a little surprising that he played the role of King Bentley with such style considering his novice status. He is a natural and his sense of comedy was amazing. Attention to detail a with costumes and the part were all there (pity we didnt get the birds nest for the waking up scene, that would have just been the icing on the cake). And we are thrilled he has accepted the role of Alderman Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington next year. I would also like to thank Eamonns wife, Pat for her help with make-up backstage, she was a tremedous asset during the production.

Terry Batham - what can I say about this man - one of my best mates, Terry played the evil wicked fairy, Ghasthag and did what Terry always does, he got the audience hating him from the very word go. His hiss and boo moments are legendary. Its quite odd really that when Terry dons his costumes, he looks nothing like his normal everyday self and his whole persona changes. He even walks differently, mind you that might have been the stilletto's!! Terry has been in panto for 113 years now, and loves playing the baddie. His ad libs are fantastic, and I cant remember a single performance this year when he didnt make me snigger in one particular scene when i was supposed to be 'frozen'. In fact he makes me laugh all the time, its just Terry, thats what he does. Everyone loves him. But dont tell him cos his head is big enough already.

Olivia Shepherd who is a member of Steps Dance Studio came into the cast when we were looking for someone to play the spoilt brat Veruca. And what a coup it was. From the very first entrance on stage Livvie was convincing, with facial expressions that said it all. The horrid little madam made Simple Simons life a misery and her slap stick routine with Ian Gibbons (Simple Simon) was wonderfully executed. She added lots of little touches to her role which made it a much meatier part than she first thought it would be. And if you havent heard her scream, you have certainly missed out, it was so high pitched that dogs from miles around were gathering outside the theatre to see what was going on. Ever reliable and ever smiling, nothing phases her and she is one of the funniest people i know. I sincerely hope Livvie will become a permanent member of the senior cast as her acting ability is superb, although we know she is heading off to other things at LIPPA in Liverpool, you just know dont you that she is going places. We just hope she can make it back to us from time to time.

Lee Bates - The Good Fairy Rachel. Lee has only been doing panto for two years, and has already established himself as a great comedy actor. His camp as chips portrayal of this character was so funny, he made me laugh so much and the Rocky Horror piece was, for me, one of the best scenes in the production. You would never think he was Mayor of Fazeley!!! In fact i cant imagine Lee being anything but funny, but I know he does have a businesslike and serious side to his character. One of the best moments for lee was during the last performance, when he made his entrance to wake up the court, and liked it so much he went back and did it again. So efficient on stage, so reliable, But just dont ask him to organise a van though, or you will be running about like a fool at the last minute. I know Lee was very emotional after the last performance, he was moved to tears I heard, which doesnt surprise me at all as he is one hell of a guy and very caring. he did have us all in tears of laughter throughout the production though. He was as thrilled as anyone that it had all been such a success.

Alex Farrell (17) who played Lord Rupert was nothing short of perfection. He played the bumbling Court Chamberlain to its fullest potential. He isnt a stranger to the stage, and it certainly shows in his performances. I think Alex is one of the most talented young players I have ever seen and he is lovely into the bargain. He played up to my role as Nanny Moneypenny perfectly. The thing that made me smile though was his constant checking of everything, phoning and texting to check details and requirements all the way through. He didnt want to leave anything to chance. We have already offered Alex the role of Idle Jack in Dick Whittington on 2008. A role Ian Gibbons has played in the past, but to be honest I think that Alex is so good at this type of role it would be criminal not to have him play it. Well done Alex.

Laura Doyle was cast originally as the Good Fairy Phoebe, which she played on and off throughout the production. But as we had to have a substitute Princess Beauty on two performances due to Victoria's exam commitments, Laura stepped into this lead role without a moments hesitation, and what a perfect job she made of it. her singing was beautiful and she fully deserves praise for how quickly she learned the script. Both roles were played with Laura's usual excellent style and she looked beautiful in her fantastic costumes. She is also a dancer of some talent, and we look forward to utilising this in our next production when Laura will be the Cat in Dick Whittington. Laura is also marvellous with the younger members of the cast; helping them hone their skills and guiding them along the way. A most valuable member of the company, we know Laura will be with us for many years. Although she is doing some work as a Bluecoat in 2008 and this will add to her already growing confidence and talent. I cant wait to see her after her new experiences.

Becca Howe was Monica, the third of the three Good Fairies. She has been in several productions over recent years and is obviously someone who feels very comfortable on stage. Becca has a face that shines on stage, a lovely smile and loves to laugh and have fun. It was unfortunate that Becca had work commitments for two of the performances, and she was upset because she missed out on these, although we did have the excellent Abbie Howe to take the role of Monica in Becca's absence. Becca has developed into a very valuable member of this company and she will be taking on more demanding roles in the future.


Ian Gibbons - OMG Ian Gibbons, who played Simple Simon. I am sure he was born into this role and anyone who knows him will understand what I mean. He wasnt at all happy with his performances as he was so busy clucking about like a mother hen all the time. He had spent so long making sure we had the BACKDROPS and scenery, press, promotion, grant applications etc and the political lobbying (driving us all mad at times) But he felt he didnt give the part of Simple Simon his all so to speak. But I think he was great. but then again he pays me to say that!! His portrayal of the idiot Simple Simon was priceless with his 'I Dont Know's' getting the desired reaction from everyone every time. One of the most surreal moments of the production happened backstage when ian was lobbying the Mayor, a very serious conversation about the future of panto - dressed in his pink babygro and bonnet with dummy. He has given his fools role over to Alex for Dick Whittington, as he says, and quite rightly, that Alex is the right man for the job. So Ian will be playing the nasty Captain Blackheart next year and no doubt will throw himself into the role with relish. He is already driving me mad with Dick Whittington, finding all sorts of stuff to use and forcing me onto the website to make changes to accommodate his whims and fancies.

Josh Swift, Knuckles the Bouncer was a little disappointed with this role at the start of rehearsals as he didnt see first off that it was a role that was perfect for him. I had many chats with Josh about the role and told his to get off his butt and make the part his own. never one to be beaten, he did just that and made the part fantastic, adding bits and bobs to full effect. His teamwork with Andy jones (Meathead the Bouncer) was brilliant and they found themselves being nicknamed the show-stealers. They dont scare me though, and for meat and two veg they arent bad at all.

Andy Jones - Meathead the Bouncer. Andy had a particualrly difficult time with the rehearsals as he would insist on playing rugby and breaking his leg. Not good eh? But he still managed to pull off this demanding role with his usual cool way. The teamwork between Andy and Josh was lovely, they worked so hard on getting their parts to match up and I think they were one of the highlights of the production and I know the audience liked them too. Although some members of the audience wondered why we needed bouncers on the door for panto !!

Chantal Lake (15) played a maid, and at times played one of the Good Fairies. She stepped into the shoes of Laura when she was playing Beauty - confused - so was I !!! There was a lot of swapping about with the girls roles, and Chantal had to learn all sorts of scripts to fill in where needed. She did a great job and has shown how versatile and talented she is and we are looking forward to having her back again next year.

THE CHORUS

Abbie Howe	Jamie Wilson	Jessie Cordell	Daniel Doyle	Emily Pitts

Abbie Howe (12) also played a maid and a Good Fairy, which was rather funny because she is so tiny - the scene where she tells Ghasthag off was fabulous. She has a great young talent and we hope we will get the chance to nurture Abbie in the years to come as she was a very valuable member of the cast.

Jamie Wilson (10), played everything he could get his little hands on; the Bear, an Aussie character, a courtier, a tree amongst things I have forgotten. But lets just say there are some people you know will just get on with things and he is certainly one of them.

Daniel Doyle (9), an excellent youngster and although Daniel has experience in all sorts of shows he is still only 9 years old. He did a very convincing job as a courtier and I understand he raided his mums linen cupboard to find things to make one scene more authentic - good on ya mate!

Jessie Cordell (9), another new member to the group, Jessie played various roles from maid to flower. She is a lovely girl who we hope will stay with the company and allow us to develop her skills further. In spite of having a problem with her leg, Jessie carried on like a real trooper and I think she thoroughly enjoyed it.

Emily Pitts (6), this was Emily's first time on stage (well at least since she was 4 months old, when she played the baby in Local Hero's Local Villain's, especially written by John Garforth for Tamworth Borough Council's Thomas Guy Tercentenary celebrations and was held in the Town Hall.) Emily started off taking on the role of the 6 yr old Sleeping Beauty and quickly established herself as a bush, a maid and a ghoul. She had one case of terminal stage fright during the fourth performance, which she thankfully overcame. Emily loved the whole experience and cant wait to do it all again.


Steps Dance Studio were fabulous, they were a bunch of delightful girls who wowed the audiences every day. The Milk Bottle dance was one of my favourites and the finale dance to Shake your Tail Feathers was another. The dancing in any pantomime is an important element and Juli Eccles and Karen Newman's choreography was stunning.


Wendy Doyle faffed about looking after me and everyone else before and during the production, she was a tower of strength and looked after everything regarding costumes and lots of other things too. Any of the actors and I mean any of them, take your pick, could have been replaced, but this is one lady we could not have done without. She knows everything about everything and leaves nothing to chance and comes up with things I would never even have thought of. She makes excellent tea too bless her. Ta Wendy.

John Doyle - Stage Manager worked tirelessly and efficiently throughout. He is one of those guys you just know will be there when you need him. He and his son Nick did all the scenery stuff on their own, in the most calm manner you could imagine, with only the odd expletive to contend with!!!. I am sure there were times when he wanted to strangle someone, but he just got on with it. No matter what crisis seemed to be looming John would be there to sort things out. A Disatrous nightmarish dress rehearsal, major transport problems, and even managing to salvage Simple Simon's balloons on stage when Ian let go of the strings 5 minutes before the start of the show. Ever seen a Doyle doing Spiderman impressions ??

Chris Doyle on sound. I didnt ever think the sound would be as good as it turned out to be, after weeks of myself and Chris looking for music and sound effects and finally having a goodly amount to chose from, we finally got it all together and Chris ran the whole sound perfectly with hardly a glitch. And the one thing that pleased me most over previous years, is that Chris seems to have ears and knows when something is too loud or not loud enough. He knows that sometimes less is more !!


Keith Swift - a man of integrity and style, doing his bit on the drums to enhance the bits in the panto that need it. He is also a fabulous source of support and a great shoulder to lean on. Keith is a good mate to me, and I am very happy I have met him, as an elder statesman, he is a calming influence on a stormy sea. Thanks for being there Keith. x

There were too many helpers to mention by name, but its important to know that there were many people who helped with all sorts of things. From Ray getting raffle prizes for us to the mums and friends who were matrons for the children and generally ran about making things happen backstage. Hugs to Helen, my daughter and my dear friend Tracey. I dont know whether the cast realise but the terms and conditions of the hire of the Assembly Rooms, due to stringent health and safety laws are becoming very strict. Maybe we should be looking to form a Friends of the Tamworth Pantomime Company committee to take care of these vital roles.

To summarise, this pantomime run has been very successful and we have had a lot of lovely comments from the people who paid to see it. The ticket sales were excellent, the timing of the show was more comfortable than previous panto's at the venue. The programme was far more effective and looked really good. The DVD production company look as if they really know what they are doing, although we are yet to see the DVD we are confident, thanks to Ian Reed for this. The posters and flyers were as good as any professional production. I would also like to thank Steve brady who took over 100 photographs of the pantomime as it was being played, these will be with us soon, so watch out for a large gallery insert.

We have of course the introduction of a rather nice website, even if I say so myself. But most of all, after the disastrous dress rehearsal, we all buckled down to produce what I feel and many others seem to feel, a first class panto and as a bonus, we had fun too. I am so proud to be associated with everyone involved.

Finally as i am typing this, Mr Garforth is busy on his laptop writing our next production. Ian is on the web sourcing backdrops (YES BACKDROPS) the flyers are done and plans are in place. Bring on Dick!!

Thanks to you all, can i go and do Christmas now please, me bunions are killing me!!!

Tina xx