1
0
Whether it is the beautiful princess in peril, the heroic prince resolved to rescue her, the evil queen and wicked step-sisters plotting to poison her, or the friendly woodland creatures, Snow White is packed with features that have become so familiar to us.
It’s pantomime season and the Acting and Performing students based at the Langside campus of Glasgow Clyde College will this week (wk beginning 5th December) raise the curtain of the 2022 spectacular.
The cast’s press preview recently took place and you could instantly tell why the story of Snow White resonates with the group of over 20 thespians.
What Snow White’s journey is really about, is finding family in unusual places and not in the castle with your rich relatives. It’s finding that your real family is in the woods, and they happen to be a bunch of strangers, but in this case there are more than seven.
It was clear to see that the cast of the show which is written by Isobelle-Jane Letters and directed by David Lee-Michael, has taken this message to heart (as you’ll also witness through the songs and music directed by Alan Craig):
“Acting with these people is the best feeling in the world. I call these guys family. It’s the greatest feeling in the world; doing what you love with the people you love.” Says 19-year-old, Ryan Murray as some of his fellow cast members rest their heads on each other shoulders or laugh nervously.
It is plain to see that it isn’t just Ryan who feels like he’s found his place here. Mia Devlin, 18, explains what she gets from this experience:
“You need to be brave. There are a lot of things you might be embarrassed about because this genre is so exaggerated. You need to let go, you can’t hold back!”
Bravery and family are everything we want from a panto.
Well, maybe some laughs. This cast has us covered in that area too. Especially the patriarchs (or should that be matriarchs?) of this theatre family; the pantomime Dames: Nick Brennan and Graeme Cawley (32).
Neither of them have taken the simple route into acting: Graeme was an apprentice engineer and taxi driver while Nick had stepped away from drama for a few years after high school. Yet, here they have found a place they can perform.
Graeme recalls the moment he decided he would return to acting twelve years after he had initially applied for the course:
“I was doing Tam O’Shanter at a Burns’ Supper and I thought ‘I should apply for that course again.’ I have loved every minute of it!
“It’s something to do during the day, you know?”
Ever the Dame, Graeme can’t help but tell a joke.
Others have always loved panto like Craig Howie (24):
“I grew up going to the King’s panto and that got me into acting. There will be children coming and we can show them what you can achieve.”
Whether they are an ex-taxi driver like Graeme, someone just out of high school who loved drama like Mia, or someone who grew up going to the King’s Panto and fell in love with the theatre like Craig, this panto has already provided a feeling of camaraderie, togetherness, fun and laughter for the people in the cast and they’re hoping to pass it on.
There are still some remaining tickets via Eventbrite costing £8 and £12 for the following dates:
Friday December 9th at 7pm
Saturday December 10th at 2pm and 7pm (the 2pm showing is signed)
Friday 16th December at 7pm
Saturday 17th December at 2pm and 7pm
