Spreading the word: Panto Day and the NDoPP

Humour and knowledge are the two great hopes of our culture. {Konrad Lorenz 1978}

So, as well as being in pantomime and seeing as many other productions, as my schedule will allow, this year I will also be helping to co-ordinate Panto Day.  As some of you may be aware, this was a campaign set up in 2011 by Simon Sladen, a fellow Panto Geek and fanatic.  He was writing a paper for his degree when he came up with the idea of a day that celebrates all the we love about Panto both here in Britain and abroad.  I stumbled upon the project last year, quite by chance after Panto day followed me on twitter.  I jumped on the bandwagon and was soon getting our cast to do some "Panto planking" and don our special badges!!

After the season had come to an end I contacted Simon to see if there's as any room "on the board" so to speak, being willing to help and assist in anyway possible.  What followed was a fantastic first meeting at the National Theatre, with gallons of coffee, pizza, beer and literally hours of Panto talk.  I so enjoyed talking to someone, of my own generation, who is so devoted to this special art form.  And... as Simon had studied the form in depth for his studies, I learnt a lot.

Jump forward a couple of months and our second meeting saw us joined by Robert Pearce (a Panto Dame) and Ian Ramsdale, a sports journalist for the Beeb and yet another fanatic.  More wine, more pizza and more hours flying by as we discussed what 2013 could hold for Panto Day.

So many ideas flew around that evening, which only heightened my love of the genre, and my desire to be more and more involved with whatever I could.  Simon is also working on a National Database of Pantomime Performance, which is intended to be the go to place for everything Panto.  Although only in its first year, we're hoping that the concept will soon blossom and become an industry mainstream.  I will update you more on this as the launch date approaches.

Panto Day this year, will be on Saturday 7th December, so make sure the date's in your diary and be sure to spread the word and get involved however you can!!

As I mentioned there will be more regarding Panto Day and the NDoPP as time goes on. I'm actually waiting for the others as we speak for our next meeting, as we enter Autumn and with Panto well and truly in sight.

So for now, I'll sign off and bid you adieu!

A little note from Sandy after the news.

New Season - New Challenges - New Blog!

"I was the only one there I never heard of." Barry Farber (1859 - 1930)

Welcome, welcome one and all to your "Brummie Buttons Blog!" For those that joined me last season (The Pongo Diaries) thanks for coming back, to new readers, thanks for joining us, and to both...Good to have you on board!

The blog last year proved so popular both at home and abroad,  I decided that I'd be silly not to pick up my virtual quill and share with you all the goings on from Pantoland again this year.  I enjoyed writing the blog anormously and was encouraged by the positive feedback. Hopefully this year I return a little more experienced with the blogging medium and hope it will prove as entertaining and as informative as it did previously.  I'm guessing we'll have lots more to talk about this year, following my "Promotion" which segues into news of this years Panto!! 

I am thrilled to be returning to the Yvonne Arnaud for my third pantomime, this year as lead comic, Buttons, in the theatres production of Cinderella!! It's a role I've hoped a dreamed of being able to take on since I first developed my interest in Panto all those years ago, back in the Birmingham Hippodrome.  With Brian Connely and Gary Wilmont as  shining examples of how funny this character can be... the bar is set quite high.  Then add the prestige of others famous Buttons, including Norman Wisdom, Ken Dodd, Billy Pearce, Bobby Davro, Biggins and more recently Stephen Mulhern and Justin Fletcher.. And suddenly the bar is at Olympic level.

But, it's time for a changing of the guard!  And for me, this season can't come round soon enough.

It was actually back in May that I heard the good news.  I'd been hoping I may get the chance to audition again this year, and hoped that last years performance had stood me in good stead.  Obviously, nothing can be taken for granted, so huge wait was anxious.  Following the long awaited phone call me and Sandy celebrated with fancy food and a bit of fizz! Well, the occasion called for it!! 

I still had to keep the news to myself for a while longer.  It wasn't until we had the photo shoot that I could announce the good news online and start some planning for the season; and that leads us to here, a few days before the press launch and less than nine weeks away from the start of rehearsals. 

Over the next few months, I hope you'll join me for an insight into the workings of a professional pantomime, with all the highs, lows and funny goings on, of both rehearsal and the run.  All done, in what I hope, will be a comical and informative way. 

So for now, welcome again' and here's to another fantastic year...!

JB-BB