Pantomime
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PANTOMIME
The casting call for the 2010 edition has been completed and notice of rehearsals will be posted and announced in church.
Charlie Parker has written the script and he and Denise Pettit look forward to seeing you all soon.
RED RIDING HOOD
The Christ Church Youth Group 2009 pantomime "Little Red Riding Hood" was a spectacular success, playing to enthusiastic audiences.Our Great Hall was transformed into a fully functioning theatre complete with stage lighting, sound and special effects by stage manager Joe Sweeney and his crew - our own "Men in Black". 500 people visited the church to see the production, including many children at the Saturday matinee performance and even more seniors at a special show for them on Sunday afternoon.
Over the 16 years that Christ Church has been producing an English pantomime, it has grown into a major undertaking. Rehearsals for the 30 young people in the cast (ranging in age from 4 to 17) begin in October and continue until the performance dates with only a short break over Christmas. Balancing their commitment to the pantomime with school work and other obligations can be a challenge forf the older members of the youth group, but they always do so admirably. Approximately 40 adults are involved behind the scenes to support the cast, in areas such as directing, set design, costumes, make-up, music, stage crew, box office, refreshments etc. Not only does this event provide a powerful outreach for Christ Church into the wider community, it also helps to build a strong fellowship within our own congregation.
In particular, we would like to recognise and thank Shooting Stars Productions. For many years they have provided professional quality sound and lighting equipment for us as part of their on community outreach. Al - we couldn't do it without you. |
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SO WHAT IS PANTOMIME ANYWAY?
Having been asked this question a couple of times recently, it occurred to me that we have a number of new parishioners who may not fully understand the concept of pantomime which admittedly can be a bit confusing. Why, for example, do Christ Church people shout out random things like "Oh no you won't" when Fr Rob is trying to make a serious announcement after service? So, for those who may need it, here is a quick primer together with a brief history of the Christ Church pantomimes.
The most important thing is something it is not, and that is mime. A mime performs without speaking; a pantomime involves a lot of speaking, frequently by several people at the same time! The art of English pantomime derives originally from the Italian Commedia Delle Arte of the 16th & 17th centuries which was performed usually by travelling companies, appearing at fairs, markets and the like. The entertainment included music, dance, acrobatics and what we would call today slapstick comedy.
Generally there was a consistent plot involving Harlequin as the young lover, Columbine the object of his affections, and Pantaloon who was Columbine's father and continually sought to protect her from Harlequin's advances.
Around the turn of the 17th & 18th centuries, the Commedia had reached England, and by the early 18th century shows were being produced in London theatres. From this base, EnglishMusic Hall had an influence on the productions, an example of which would be the pantomime "Dame", a female role always played to great comic effect by a male.
What we now know as traditional pantomime was probably fully formed in the mid Victorian era, and it continues today with pantos being performed both by professionals in major cities and by amateurs in tiny village halls in the English countryside, usually during the Christmas season.
There is a fairly common plot to most pantomimes which tell a child's fairy tale. A girl dressed as a boy who might be the son of a man dressed as a woman, will win the other girl (surprisingly dressed as a girl), perhaps with the assistance of a person(s) dressed in an animal skin and a good fairy, despite the best efforts of a black hearted but easily reformed member of the aristocracy, a witch or two and occasionally a person dressed in an animal skin. Got it? There will also be a couple of hapless idiots, often in the guise of competent police officers, a "Simple Simon" role of an intellectually challenged servant and a bunch of village girls who seem to break into dance at the slightest opportunity.
Pantomime is bound by tradition.The lead male role (Jack in Jack & the Beanstalk, the Prince in Cinderella) is played by a young woman.The major comic role of the Dame, as described before, is played by a man in drag. Audience participation is mandatory, by letting the "good guys" know what the "bad guys" are up to, by arguing with the Dame or other characters (which is where "Oh no you won't" comes from), and by cheering the heroes and booing the villains. Good will always triumph over evil and, at least in Stouffville, nobody dies.
Traditionally good occupies the right side of the stage, which in the middle ages represented heaven, and bad the left side but we abandoned that restriction due to limited stage capacity.
My experience in amateur pantomimes in England led to rehearsals for the first production by the Christ Church youth group beginning in the Fall of 1993. A script was borrowed from England, and modified to meet Canadian tastes. Local humour was also added and the tradition of "disrespecting" our neighbouring town of Uxbridge begun.A number of adult members of the parish volunteered for key roles in Directing, Stage Management, Set Design, Wardrobe, Choreography and Music and we were on our way.Aladdin and his Magic Lamp hit the stage in Latcham Hall for three successful performances at the end of February 1994, and a tradition was born.
The Christ Church pantomime has become a fixture of winter entertainment in Stouffville, eagerly anticipated by the wider community as well as our own congregation.
Since then another nine original scripts have been written and performed, and we are well on our way to completing the second production of each.We have also moved from the confines of Latcham Hall to the stage in our new Great Hall,a stage built with the pantomime in mind but now also home to the other major amateur show in town, Music Mania.
From humble beginnings we have over 70 members of our parish involved in the productions in some fashion (ranging in age from 5 to retired) as well as a number of non parishioners who come back each year to help out.This year's show is Red Riding Hood, with performances March 6 & 7, and a special show for seniors on March 8.
It's the best entertainment value in town, so if you had not planned on attending I encourage you to do so, see what all the fuss is about, and appreciate some very talented young adults.
Charlie Parker. |
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