Exciting changes are on the horizon in Telford, with redevelopments taking place at Telford Theatre to rebuild, remodel and expand the venue, in so doing ensuring that it can welcome theatregoers for many a year to come. While the redevelopments are underway, Telford’s annual panto has temporarily relocated to Telford International Centre. Although the theatre will be missed by performers and audiences alike, Shone Productions are making the most of the change of scenery to present a circus spectacular in Goldilocks And The Three Bears.

We spoke to Ian Smith and Carl Dutfield, who play the Ringmistress and Clown, Olivia Thackray, who will appear as Goldilocks, and Producer James Shone to find out more...

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James Shone, for how long have you been producing the panto in Telford? 

2016 was our first year, so that's quite a while now!

 

This year the pantomime will be taking place at Telford International Centre. Have you performed there before? 

We've done events around the park and in this area. We knew that the theatre was closing; it's not something we've done last minute - we were talking about it this time last year. We had a couple of different options for a venue, but we just felt this one was probably the most suitable. It's handy for people to get to, there's plenty of parking, it's a nice space - it's big and in some ways we can actually do more here than we can at the theatre. That's why we went for Goldilocks And The Three Bears. There’s a lot of circus elements to the show; the bears do a bit of circusing… I've done a lot of magic and circus, so I can really use that in the show, and this space is a little bit bigger than the theatre, so for circus it’s actually better. There are pros and cons, but with the title that we're doing, the venue really suits the show.

 

What's the story going to be like? 

I like the storyline of Goldilocks. I've wanted to do it for quite a while, and it just worked with this change of venue. We’ve got a chair-stacking routine up in the roof of the theatre. We've got jugglers. It's going to be something people haven't seen before. Ian is like a dame version of Hugh Jackman; he's the ringmistress - it's her circus. Carl's the clown in the show, we’ve got Goldilocks and the three bears, and then there's the evil Ringmaster, who's from a rival Circus!

 

You're embracing the possibilities of doing the show here - what are the challenges going to be? 

We're creating the space from scratch. You go into a theatre, the stage is there, and off you go! We're creating the space and the seating banks. It's going to be maybe a little bit more interactive, because the audience is going to be ‘in the round’. A lot of the performance will be around the auditorium, so the cast will be entering from different places - even the circus performers will go out into the crowd. It will be very interactive. It's going to be a different experience.

 

Is the venue going to have a bigger-capacity auditorium? 

We didn't want to go too big, because panto needs to be intimate. You want everybody to feel part of the show. We've worked it out - even in the back row, you're actually closer than you would be in the theatre. There's not a bad seat in the house; there's no restricted view or anything - it's just going to take a bit longer for us to set it up initially.

 

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Ian Smith - What is it about Telford that keeps you coming back? 

The list of reasons is absolutely endless. I'm reunited with my son Carl! I think this is probably our 10th year working together now. We first got together the 2014 and then did some tours and stuff as well. This is our fourth year together in Telford.

James got in touch and offered me Telford five years ago now. I actually only live in Cannock, so it's a 30-minute commute. It's incredible to be at home with my family for all of the festive period, going to see my niece and nephew’s nativity shows, and going to the Christmas Market in Telford, which is incredible. Being in Telford means more friends and family come and see you, so suddenly December turns into this whole reunion… 

Telford audiences are incredible. After a few years performing there, you start to recognise people in the audience. People send you messages and say “We're coming to see you again - you picked on my husband Dave last year!” and you recognise them from the photos. It's nice to be that mad old aunt who you see every Christmas. If Telford wants to adopt me as their mad old aunt, then I'm more than happy. It's lovely.

 

A trip to the panto is a huge part of Christmas for so many people. Why do you think it stays so popular? 

You can ask any panto performer across the country and we all give the same answer - it's probably the only show that every generation of the family goes to together. It's a musical, it's a kids' show, it's a variety show, it's a comedy show. When you look out - it makes me quite emotional when I think about it, actually - you've got Granny, Grandad, Mum, Dad, uncle and cousins, and they're all together in their Christmas jumpers. It's really lovely. 

It brings back memories, too. As a child, my grandparents used to take me to Wolverhampton. I didn't realise at the time, but I watched the fabulous Danny La Rue in panto - when you’re seven, you don't realise who Danny La Rue is. It's only when you look back at old posters that you realise “I saw Danny La Rue, and I got picked for the song sheet!” I remember it was Aladdin, and we were given a gold cardboard lamp full of sweets. Panto is about bringing people together, making those memories, sparking that magic in a child who may not have been to a theatre before.

You've got a comic - someone like Carl, the kids love him, they absolutely adore him - and then you've got little girls and boys who look at the Princess and they’re whisked away into a dream world. I think the Dame is for the family - but I play mine to the dads and the grannies. Dad works really hard all year, and let's face it, taking your family to the theatre is not a cheap thing. Dad's worked really hard to take his family to make this memory, so I've got to make sure the dad laughs.

 

Do you remember any panto mishaps that have happened during your career? 

Two very big ones happened in Cinderella in Canterbury. It was the year that the brand-new Marlowe Theatre opened, and I was playing one of the Ugly Sisters. In act one and act two there was a scene where I had to cross from stage right to stage left. I used to hit Buttons with my handbag - the same position, the same sort of movement. It was the three-show day, towards the end. I stormed across and hit Stephen Mulhern hard with my handbag, got to the other side, turned around... and the eyes of the entire cast were just looking at me. I’d jumped to act two! I mean, Cinderella hadn't been to the ball or anything. That was probably my biggest faux-pas. I think when things go wrong in a show, it's quite good to acknowledge them. Me and Carl have worked together for so long, we literally know what each other is thinking, and we'll just go with it. If an audience laughs, I'm just gonna keep them laughing!

 

Do you think you're more like Goldilocks or one of the bears? 

Absolutely one of the bears. Give me an all-inclusive buffet and I'm there. Some people say it's an offer, I think it's a challenge!

 

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Carl Dutfield - What keeps you coming back to Telford? 

I love the people and the place - it's great. And I just love panto; it’s the time of year where I just get to be myself, and have a lovely time!

 

You've worked quite a lot with Ian as well - what's it like working together?

He was one of my very first panto Dames, when I used to work for a holiday company. Eleven years later we came to Telford together, just randomly, and it's been good ever since!

 

How do you keep it fresh year after year? 

Every individual show that you do is always different - it's never the same, because you never know how to respond. That's what keeps it fresh. If every show is the same, or it was completely monotone all the way through, it’d be boring. As long as the shows keep changing, it keeps it exciting.

 

There are lots of classic moments in panto. Have you got a favourite classic panto element? 

One of my favourites is called the 'echo scene'. Basically, I just repeat an echo. My favourite ones are when I just get to be even more of an idiot.

 

As a comic, you have lots of interaction with the audience. What's your favourite thing about the panto audience? 

How unexpected they can be. Unpredictable. That's my favourite thing, and I believe the more unpredictable an audience is, the better you become as a performer, because you've got to know what they want, and know what to give them back.

 

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Olivia Thackray - What are your first memories of panto as a child? 

It's a family tradition to go to pantomimes, so we've been going since I was about five. It's just part of the family build-up to Christmas, isn't it? My first memory is the scenery; how massive it was. It was Jack And The Beanstalk, so of course you've got to have the Beanstalk, and the Giant's massive boots. I remember the Dame and the comedian - they were really approachable. They were just so chatty and wanted to make sure that you had a good time.

 

This is the first time you put the costume on - how do you feel? 

It's cute, isn't it? It's super sparkly - very Christmassy. I love it! It just feels like panto, I think - that's the only way you can describe the outfit!

 

What's your favourite moment in a panto show? 

There are two for me. I've got a niece and nephew, who are four and two, and their favourite bit is towards the end, when they get a shout-out. That's their moment. Also, the songs at the end - everybody just up on their feet, singing together. It's a community - it's a sense of coming together and spreading joy and cheer.

 

Do you think you’re more like Goldilocks, or more like one of the three bears? 

Do you know what, I love porridge, so actually I'm a bit of both! It's the play for me! Leading up to the auditions, I was eating porridge - it wasn't on purpose, it was just my breakfast choice!

 

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Goldilocks And The Three Bears shows at Telford International Centre from Tuesday 17 December to Thursday 2 January

on Thu, 24 Oct 2024