The legacy of Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds pantomime The Legend of Robin Hood lives on long after the final show
Slapstick, action, singing, dancing, corny jokes, villainous baddies, a valiant hero, and a dame with a wardrobe to make your eyes water ... all delivered with a liberal sprinkling of sauce.
Who doesn’t love a panto? From the very young to the young at heart the Christmas shows that play out in theatres up and down the land are a firm seasonal favourite.
But, as they are fond of saying at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, there is more to pantomime than men in tights.
Put bluntly, without the income from the annual show there would be no Theatre Royal.
It covers a sizeable chunk of running costs for the rest of the year making it possible to bring the magic of theatre to the community in all kinds of ways.
This year Bury audiences are being whisked away to Sherwood Forest for The Legend of Robin Hood, which began in November and two weeks into its run had been seen by 5,000 people – many of them schoolchildren.
The Theatre Royal team would love to fill its 350 seats for all remaining performances – it is on until January 14 – to maximise the takings.
We’re hoping to make £450,000 from ticket sales this year,” said artistic director Owen Calvert-Lyons, who is directing the show.
That will cover around a quarter of their total salaries and overheads for the year. And it is a similar story in regional theatres all over the country.
Theatre Royal’s mission is to transform the lives of local people through the power of the performing arts.
It aims to ensure that everyone, at all stages of their lives, regardless of background or personal circumstance, should have equal opportunity to engage in extraordinary cultural experiences.
As well as staging a regular procession of high quality shows, the theatre’s team works extensively with schools and has a vibrant youth theatre.
SENsory Youth Theatre gives the same chances to perform and thrive to those who are learning disabled and neurodivergent.
The theatre also specialises in co-creating with vulnerable groups, including survivors of domestic abuse, the homeless, those recovering from addiction, older people and adults with learning disabilities,
One Women’s Aid participant described her experience as ‘better than any therapy’.
Connecting with schools is another big priority and includes taking professional productions on the road, and teaching pupils to write their first play.
The theatre has established relationships with 91 schools and educational establishments across the region to bring the power of performing arts into the classroom.
Altogether the theatre’s creative learning team works with 9,000 children and adults every year.
Theatre Royal also supports and nurtures new creative talent, working with over 100 artists each year, of which 40 per cent come from East Anglia.
By the end of its run, The Legend of Robin Hood will have been seen by more than 22,000 people during 83 performances.
The Theatre Royal’s pantomimes are legendary, with newly commissioned adaptations each year and original costumes designed and created in Bury.
Writer Chris Hannon expertly weaves original twists and topical references into traditional fairy tales, alongside a soundtrack of contemporary pop, musical theatre and timeless classics.
The panto employs seven professional actors for 10 weeks and gives 16 youngsters the chance to perform in the chorus alongside them.
It also provides freelance work for over 40 people include lighting designers, costume makers, sound designers, set designers, builders and painters, photographers, videographers, choreographers, stage managers and chaperones.
“People young and old have a great time watching the show,” said Owen. “School performances are lovely. Children respond differently.
“I love the moment when you see a child’s face light up, or they’re joining in singing and dancing in their seat. Pantomime is one of my favourite shows of the year – it’s just so much fun.
“There’s singing, dancing, comedy, great stories and always someone who gets hit in the face with a custard pie.
“It’s hard to over-estimate the importance of the panto. It’s our economic engine that keeps the building going and earns the most income.
“It’s also empowering for our audience – buying tickets is the best way to support the theatre. Knowing that you are indirectly supporting an ecosystem of artists and theatre makers who are making a difference to the lives of people in our community is an added bonus.”
The 16 children in The Legend of Robin Hood work in two teams of eight, and are chosen because they can sing and dance and are good team players.
“The experience for them is extraordinary,” said Owen. “They start rehearsals early November and work with us through to the end of the panto in January.
“It’s a big commitment. They go above and beyond. They learn discipline by having to turn up and perform for two months, and work with professional artists and learn from them.”
Owen said that whether or not the experience helped steer them into a career in the performing arts, it would leave them with really happy memories.
“They are between 11 and 15, two are still in primary school. We’re forever grateful to their parents – we know how hard they work ferrying children back and forth, it wouldn’t be possible without them.
“There are such positive benefits to any young person, even if they want to be a vet or an engineer we would still encourage them to be part of these productions.
“They learn so much about themselves, and those life skills that are so important.”
He said the Youth Theatre ran a range of classes all year round. “There are five groups starting at age eight up to 22.
“They meet every week and have a workshop with a theatre professional, and have their own productions every April.”
The Doorstep Festival tours high quality drama to primary and secondary schools and reached more than 3,000 children this year alone.
“It’s a really major project for us taking a play out and putting it into a school hall,” said Owen.
“We’re really conscious that some families are struggling. As a child, to access theatre you need your parent. But they might not be interested or can’t afford it.
“With Tiny Plays, Big Ideas we teach 450 children every year to write their first play, working with 13 primary schools, with children from year five and six.
“They work with professionals who teach them the building blocks of playwriting. Then they each write their own play about whatever they like.
“They are under five minutes long, and at the end of the process we select one from each school and they come along and watch it being performed.
“It’s joyous seeing a 10 year-old watching their play performed by great actors.
“We also have Shakespearience where children from primary schools come and see a Shakespeare play and then learn about it, then perform it on our stage.
“Some things are free to schools, like Tiny Plays. The Doorstep Festival is heavily subsidised – we charge schools £175 which is 10 per cent of the cost.
“There is also an Act Your Age group for people over 55 – they’re a great group of mischievous adults.”
Through years of dedicated work, the creative learning team has also embedded itself in the local community.
Members have helped many to tell the stories of their lived experiences – supporting their healing and rehabilitation and seeing themselves presented on a professional stage.
“The money from the panto subsidises all of this,” said Owen.
So, the theatre’s message is that the legacy of the annual pantomime will continue long after your belly no longer aches from laughing and your clothes have dried out from the inevitable ‘slosh’ scene.
Pantomime is often the first experience a child has of theatre – whether visiting with their school or with family.
Studies have proved that young people who visit theatres as children are more likely to continue booking tickets and seeing shows throughout their lives.
That is the power that seeing a pantomime can have over its youngest audience members.
And while The Legend of Robin Hood will top up the coffers for next year, the theatre recently had another financial boost.
It is one of only 900 recipients in England to be awarded National Portfolio Organisation status,which guarantees a grant of £220,000 a year for the next three years.
The extra cash will give them a more secure base to plan ahead with projects.
- Tickets for The Legend of Robin Hood are on sale at the Theatre Royal box office, call 01284 769505, book online at theatreroyal.org or visit the theatre in person.
The Cast of 2022 ...
A talented cast including some familiar faces are taking the stage for The Legend of Robin Hood.
Chris Clarkson is returing for his sixth year playing the dame, and is now a firm audience favourite.
This time around he is Little Joan, local baker and proprietor of Little Joan’s Big Baps.
Craig Painting is the Sheriff of Nottingham, an evil egomaniac lusting for power and wealth. He made his Theatre Royal pantomime debut last year as wannabe pop star and ugly sister, Mylie Grizzle.
Returning for his second Theatre Royal pantomime is Samuel Knight as Robin of Loxley, hero of the people and dashing outlaw.
Jessica Dennis joins as a newcomer to panto playing Maid Marion, no-nonsense noblewomen, spoiling for a fight. Her sword skills are something to admire.
Also new to Theatre Royal, Ewan Grant is Rob The Baker’s Boy, big on heart but short on courage. Ewan recently graduated with a BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.
Nerine Skinner multi-roles as Mavis The Minstrel and Major Maureen McTavish. As Mavis she is a wandering musician, as Major Maureen she is the grizzled Celtic killer with a soft spot for pigeons.
Zweyla Mitchell Dos Santos is Wilhelmina Scarlett, Maid Marion’s squire, a punkish and puckish political protester.
