And suddenly, it was almost October... which can only mean one thing: PANTO AUDITIONS!
Yes, we've got a classic on the cards for our upcoming panto and we want you to get involved. Full details about this year's show, auditions and key rehearsal dates can all be found below. So, whether you're a Robin Hood wannabe or a babe in the wood (😉), get out your best tunic, brush up on your medieval lore and come along on Sunday, 01 October from 2 pm.
ROBIN HOOD AND THE BABES IN THE WOOD
A pantomime in two acts
The Sheriff of Nottingham employs bungling crooks Smash and Grabbe to carry out his wicked plan to seize power in the land. Robin Hood and his Merry Men, with unwitting helpers Dame Gertrude Golightly and her simple son Simon, set out to foil the Sheriff and save the adorable Babes from a desperate fate. Cue fun, excitement and bags of audience participation, in a fast-moving pantomime for January 2024.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Cast: 4m, 3f, 5m/f
DAME GERTRUDE GOLIGHTLY : Dame of meagre resources (m)
SIMPLE SIMON: a simple soul (m)
SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM: a money-grabbing villain (m)
SAMUEL SMASH: a criminal type (m/f)
GILBERT GRABBE: another criminal type (m/f)
ROBIN HOOD: hero in green (m/f)
ALAN A’DALE: a Merry Man (m/f)
MAID MARIAN: a Merry Woman (f)
WILL SCARLETT: a Merry Man (m/f)
LITTLE JOHN: a Merry Man (m)
ARBOREA: Good Queen of the Forest (f)
WISTERIA: Evil Queen of the Forest (f)
THE BABES: hand-held puppets
CREW
Lots of exciting opportunities to get involved with the production side of the show, and to work with the cast during the rehearsal run:
from November:
Producer
Sound operator
Choreographer (for two songs)
from December:
Front of House Manager
in January
Lighting operator
Key dates
Rehearsals:
Tuesday evenings 20.15-22.15 pm
Sundays 16.00-20.00 pm,
Rehearsals start Tuesday 31 October
Tech rehearsal:
Sat 13 Jan 10.00 to 18.00
Dress rehearsal:
Sun 14 Jan 12.00 to 20.00
Show dates:
Fri-Sat 19-20 Jan, shows 1 to 3
Fri-Sun 26-28 Jan, shows 4 to 7
Auditions:
Date: Sunday, 1st October
Time: 14.00 to 16.00
Location: St Anne’s Church Hall, St Ann’s Crescent, Wandsworth, SW18 2RS
Audition pieces
Concentrating on, but not limited to:
DAME/SIMON: pp2-3, from ‘Have you emptied…’ to ‘Should’ve seen that coming’
SHERIFF/SMASH/GRABBE: pp7-9, from 'Har har har’ to ‘Don’t push it’
SMASH/GRABBE: pp23-28 from ‘Hurry up’ to ‘We’ll come back for it later’
ROBIN/MARIAN/WILL/ALAN/DAME/SIMON: pp13-16 from ‘Here we have Alan A’Dale’ to ‘Oh, right. Good’
LITTLE JOHN/ROBIN: pp22-23 from ‘You are adept…’ to end of scene
ARBOREA/WISTERIA: pp42-43 from ‘Wisteria!’ to ‘Please tell me it’s Luke!’
SIMON/ARBOREA: p41 from ‘I always wanted….’ to ‘…do the trick’
ROBIN/MARIAN/WILL/ALAN/DAME/SIMON: pp38-39, from ‘This will be our base’ to ‘Let’s find out who it is first’
Script for auditions below: