AN award-winning amateur theatre group is set to stage a truly original fun-filled pantomime this festive season – one that has been written especially for them.
Rehearsals for their latest pantomime are well underway for Bishop Auckland Theatre Society (BATS) at the Randolph Community Centre in Evenwood.
Cast and crew are excited about their latest production, The Enormous Turnip, not least because the script is filled with jokes aplenty, romance, toe-tapping songs and flora and veg-inspired characters – everything you would expect from a traditional pantomime – but, because the laugh-a-minute script has been written by one of their own members.
Written, directed and starring 27-year-old Matthew Harper, The Enormous Turnip is his first foray in panto-scripts.
Mr Harper, who only joined BATS a year ago, said: “Writing is something I have done for a while. I have written and published plays in the past, but I had wanted to write a pantomime for some time.
“It’s based on an original fairy-tale, a Russian one, called The Enormous Turnip. But it’s still completely relatable to a traditional pantomime with lots of family fun, songs, wicked queen, a Cinderella type character as well as lots of comedy roles and of course our panto dame.”
The theatre group, formed in 1932, were originally known as The Little Theatre Group. After a break during the Second World War they reformed staging twice yearly productions at Bishop Auckland’s Jubilee Hall. In the intervening years they have staged productions at the town’s technical college and King James I School, before finding a home at the town hall.
Since their final move they have swelled in numbers and now boast 30 adult members. They rehearse twice a week at the Randolph Community Centre, in Evenwood.
They strive to write many of their own productions and have won a plethora of awards in recent years including a NODA North Award for best pantomime in 2022 for their production of Cinderella.
Heading the cast of this year’s panto, is Graham Rispin as the lascivious, widow and vegetable stall owner Fuschsia. His stage daughter Delphinium is played by Holly Wake with Fiona Thomas taking on the role of the villain, the wicked queen Rasputia.
Her son, Prince Charming, is being played by Dylan Bamber with Amanda Stewart as the panto fairy.
There are also a glut of comedy characters including Pea and Pod – played by Sharon Cook and Michelle Longstaff – the continually confused Muddles, hammed up perfectly by Kayleigh Wood as well as the intellectually challenged Lettice played by Emma Westwood, As well as directing Mr Harper will also appear on stage as Jack, another comedy character.
“It is the first panto I have written and first time I have directed for a lot of years,” he added.
“It’s going well so far and we’re all really excited.”
The Enormous Turnip is set to be performed at Bishop Auckland Town Hall from January 9 until 11, next year.
Tickets to see The Enormous Turnip cost £11 and are available to book now through Bishop Auckland Town Hall by ringing the box office on 03000 266600.
