Red Riding Hood (2008)

60th Birthday of Woldingham Panto

Director - Sarah Greenwood
Choreographer - Claire Bishop
Musical Director - Helen Brymer

Committee

Chair - Simon Aggiss
Treasurer - Liz Aggiss
Secretary - Tracey James
Marian Nicholson
Charlotte Harmer
Andrew Kozminski
Stephanie Hornett
Junior member - Ziggi Szafranski

Performers

Mother Hubbard (Dame) - Tony Dent
Simple Simon (Comic) - Peter Calver
Tough & - James Peacock
Ruthless - Chris Mikami
Sheriff (Villain) - John Lacy
Red Riding Hood (Principal Girl) - Rhiannon Thomas
Robin Hood (Principal Boy) - Louise Wilkinson
Felicity - Krysza Szafranski
Fairy Queen - Kathryn Bancroft
Tinkle & - Louise Martin
Belle - Sarah Coldwell

Little John - Gareth Thomas
Friar Tuck - Ziggi Szafranski
Alan A' Dale - Jimmy Rogers
Will Scarlett - Andrew Bissmire

Grandma - Sue Griffin
Wolf - Chris Chaplin
Witch - Matthew Martin

Senior Dancers

Krysia Szafranski, Abbey Martin, Emily Greenfield, Rebecca White, Felicity Carr & Emily Parkinson

Adult Chorus

Maura Henley, Rebecca Mills, Kate Gardner, Rebecca Fuller, Annette Murphy

Junior Chorus (... appearing alternate shows)

James Harmer, Zoe Chevreau, Louise Gardner, Hannah Bissmire, Georgina Dunn, Chloe Harmer, Brett Sewell, Emily James, Andrew DeSouza, Austin deSouza, Astrid DeSouza, Anna Gardner, Elizabeth Lewis-Orr, George Hall, Rebecca Riley, Samson Shaw, Dominic Short, Harriet Scott-Clark, Imogen Broyd, Rose Wittenberg, Tom Foreman

Cast Red Riding Hood 2008

Behind the Scenes

Costumes - Marian Nicholson
Stage Director - Simon Aggiss
Stage Manager - Emily Page
Assistant Stage Manager - Tracey James
Lighting Director - Andrew Kozminski
Lighting Assistants - Sebastian Cook & Harry Parkinson
Sound - Michael Dunn
Props - Annie Peacock
Set Design - Simon Aggiss and Tracey James
Prompt - Berry Butler, Sarah Greenwood
Make-Up - Julie Moylan & Stephanie Hornett
Box Office & Sponsorship by - Fine & Country homes from Park & Bailey
Photos & Poster - Jan Szafranski
'60 Logo' retro-Poster - Krystyna Kozminski
Publicity/Advertising - Caroline Parkinson, Julie Greenfield & Jan Szafranski
Programme - Andrew Kozminski, Caroline Parkinson, Julie Greenfield, Tracey James & Liz Aggiss

Raffle - Gloria Martin
Backstage Crew - Simon Aggiss, Tracey James, Andy Shaw, Jan Kozminski, Dave Collingridge, Mark Kozminski

Painters - Veronica Johnstone, Tracey James, Kate Gardner, Simon Aggiss, Emily Page

Seamstresses - Marian Nicholson, Veronica Johnstone, Anne Parrish, Hazel Dickson, Mrs Buckland, Pat Stevens, Rosie Collingridge, Maryanna Wiles, Jan & Krysia Szafranski
Musicians - Helen Brymer, James Lyell & Milly Walker
Chaperones - Charlotte Harmer, Julie Greenfield, Sue Carr, Caroline Parkinson, Vivienne White, Roz Broyd

Matron & Head Chaperone - Ziggi Szafranski

Assistant Matron - Roz Broyd

Front-of-House - Tony DeSouza, Nancy Collard, David & Gloria Martin, Andrew Gardner

Chariman's Report

60th Birthday preparations

60 years of "It's behind you"

… and still going strong

(...from the Woldingham Village Magazine - Dec 2007)

In case you weren't aware, this coming January will see the Village Hall curtain raise to present 'Red Riding Hood' commemorating 60 memorable years of panto tradition in Woldingham. Pantomime has been a regular (except for 1964) feature of Woldingham since the Christmas of 1948 when the Woldingham Women's Institute staged 'Red Riding Hood'. So to celebrate our 60th birthday this year, the Panto are proudly re-presenting 'Red Riding Hood' with as many laughs, songs, pratfalls and past performers that it can muster. This will be one show to remember for another 60 years so make sure that you get your tickets early to avoid disappointment!

The inaugural panto of 1948 (did the WI know what they were starting?) proved so popular and the WI continued to put on a panto each December until taking a break in 1955. To make sure that the village continued the tradition, that year the mantle was taken up by the Woldingham Young Conservatives who performed 'Puss in Boots' the following January. This set the still popular trend for the panto to grace the stage in January each year, as a nice end to the Christmas season and welcoming in the New Year. The WI returned the following year with 'Babes in the Wood' (1957) and continued entertaining the village each year until 1968. This was the year that the WI, together with the Woldingham Players and the Woldingham Youth Group, joined forces to create 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'. This was also the year that the Village Hall was built, and in January 1969 this embryonic panto group performed 'Aladdin'. There has been a pantomime there ever since. This group continued for two more years before evolving into the fully fledged Woldingham Panto we all know and love in 1972. This was for 'The Queen of Hearts' and marked The Woldingham Pantomime's first official production. The Woldingham Panto has continued to present a pantomime each and every year since then, to this date, and has become a large part of the village's traditions and is much loved by all (as can be witnessed in the audience participation).

The panto has had many ups and downs over the last 60 years, and has seen faces come and go… some have gone on to have successful in careers in stage, TV or film (who knew that cute young Nigel Harman would leave the panto stage to become Bad Boy Dennis in 'Eastenders'?), yet it always triumphs and entertains the villagers each New Year (and long may the tradition continue!). It has seen members grow with the panto and seen it handed down the generations as children (and grandchildren) re-invent the shows year after year. Some members have grown to direct or write shows, and the panto has remained fresh and relevant today as it was back in 1948. The panto recognises the need for continued 'new blood' and has always had a strong youth element. This is what makes the panto distinguishable (this, and of course the incredibly professional shows and great costumes) and is always a guiding principal. Sadly, as with any village participation of this longevity, members pass on. The fact that the panto continues on today is a testament to their vision, strength and enthusiasm and they will always be remembered by us and successive generations. Each and everyone has contributed greatly and helped shaped the future of the panto and they will be greatly missed. This year is no different and we say goodbye to our wonderful chairperson, Julia Igglesden, who sadly passed away earlier this year. It is thanks to her that we are celebrating our special 60th birthday show.

It would take many pages here to cite and thank all the great villagers past and present who have entertained us all over the past 60 years (check out the panto website at www.woldinghampanto.co.uk to see just who these are and for photos of past productions), but you can still show your appreciation by continuing to support the panto by joining the audience this year... and the cast or production team next year. For such a small village, it's always a great and pleasurable surprise that we have so much great talent in our midst. The music, costumes, staging, lighting, design, acting, singing, dancing, comedy is always of excellent quality rivalling many professional productions. And of even more joy is that the production crew and cast enjoy the experience just as much as the audience. The Woldingham Panto is such a unique and exciting tradition in the village that it's easy to see why it has gone from strength to strength over the last 60 years. Let's hope that the tradition entertains for another 60 years!

Jan Szafranski

Reviews

Panto's 60th Birthday
Red Riding Hood
1st-5th January 2008

When the first brightly coloured posters started appearing around the village, in this magazine, in newspapers and websites early in 2007 we knew that the village was going to have something special this year! In case you missed any of the advance publicity (Woldingham Day Balloons, Characters meet-n-greet for new members of the village, the Wolf and Red Riding Hood entertaining children at Knight's Garden Centre... even a mention in The Sunday Telegraph!!), 'Red Riding Hood' marked the Woldingham Pantomime's 60th birthday, and on New Year's Day 2008 at 2:30pm the curtain rose on this never-to-be-forgotten spectacular!

Old favourite (hey, not so much of the old...) Sarah Greenwood returned to the director's chair to usher in our celebratory show and it became clear very early on that the only show to do was (an updated version of) the original panto of 60 years ago... Red Riding Hood. Together with Helen Brymer, who stepped up this year to take on the mantle of Musical Director, and Claire Bishop as Choreographer, this show was promising to be one to remember... and they didn't let us down!

The curtains opened to reveal a beautifully colourful set (designed by Simon Aggiss) and a healthy mix of faces old and new dressed in an incredible assortment of costumes (again amazingly designed and made by Marian Nicholson) reflecting the past 60 years of Panto. For the keen eyed in the audience, there were characters from previous pantos going back many years... this opening scene alone was enough to bring a tear to the eye. Before the audience could take a breath, the cast launched into a spectacular number preparing us for a wonderful assortment of musical treats... Particularly memorable were the harmonious duets between Red Riding Hood (newcomer Rhiannon Thomas) and Robin Hood (Louise Wilkinson returning as Principal Boy), Simple Simon (another newcomer Peter Calver) and his breaking-down-the-gender-barrier girlfriend Felicity (Krysia Szafranski making her solo-singing debut), even Old Mother Hubbard (Tony Dent returning as the Dame) romancing the evil Sheriff Boris Badheart (John Lacy joining us from the Players).

There were laughs aplenty from panto favourites new and old... James Peacock moved over to the not-so-dark side to play half of the very funny comedy duo Tough and Ruthless with returning audience favourite Chris Mikami, menacing the audience and cast as bumbling policemen working for the Sheriff; and the ever-joking Merry Men fronted by Little John (newcomer Gareth Thomas), ever-eating Friar Tuck (Ziggi Szafranski fresh from Uni), Rock guitar (or rather Eukalale) playing Alan A' Dale (a welcome return to Jimmy Rogers) and Will Scarlett (Andrew Bissmire being romanced by Louise Martin who returned to play the bumbling fairy Tinkle), had us rolling over in fits of laughter. But the comedy didn't stop there... we were also treated to a perpetually hungry Wolf (played so endearingly by returning Chris Chaplin in a truly amazing costume from Marian) who far from eating poor Granny (newcomer Sue Griffin) ended up being cared for by her and becoming vegetarian! There were also the pretty but useless fairies Tinkle and Belle (charming newcomer Sarah Coldwell) trying so hard to be like the wonderfully sweet Fairy Queen (played by newcomer Kathryn Bancroft) and not forgetting audience favourite Simple Simon supremely dimwittedly trying to win over the overly efficient representative from the brewery, Felicity. Peter and Krysia were delightfully innocent and funny as they fell in love while charming children were running around their feet dressed as mice. Then there was also Hogwarts with Harry Potter and his friends playing Quidditch around the audience before settling in to be taught by the usual teachers and one not-so-usual Witch (cacklingly played with hints of Sybil Fawlty by Matt Martin) who was busy cursing Robin Hood to stop him marrying Red Riding Hood.

And what of the children, dancers and chorus... resplendent in a delicious array of costumes? We were wonderfully entertained by a stunning assortment of panto characters past and present all singing and dancing such delightful numbers which beautifully complemented the lovers' duets and comedy numbers. For those who like operetta, we were also treated to the comedy trio of Tough and Ruthless with the Sheriff singing 'Three Little Maids' and 'Pirates of Penzance Policemen Song' with great voice. But if this wasn't to your fancy, there was also the great comedy number 'This Thing called Love' sung by Ziggi and the Merry Men and 'Greased Lightening' from Tough and Ruthless with the children, which both had everyone up and dancing. It's impossible for this review to do justice to such a fantastic show... if you didn't see it you'll be kicking yourself for the next 60 years!

The performances from the lead characters were exemplary... While Tough and Ruthless expertly kept the audience on their toes, we were entertained by petulant Red Riding Hood tormenting poor Wolf, Simple Simon wooing Felicity to great comedic effect, sweet fumbling fairies Tinkle and Belle trying to help kind Queen Fairy defeat the Witch (which they did with great aplomb), and a tragic Robin Hood unable to be with his love Red Riding Hood and prevented from killing the Wolf by Granny brought tears of sadness and laughter to our eyes. But the cream on the top of the 60th birthday cake had to be the wonderfully funny Dame warning her children off their suitors (until she realised they were rich) and the ever so entertaining Merry Men who couldn't take anything seriously.

But none of this could have happened if it wasn't for the amazing people behind the scenes, both in the run up to the performances and during the shows. Putting on a spectacular production like this is an amazing feat and we're all very grateful to them all. There are far too many too mention here, but if you want to know more and see the photos from the show... or even buy a memento DVD... check the panto website at www.woldinghampanto.co.uk for all this and more. Thank you not only for such a great 60th show, but also for entertaining us for the past 60 years. May we continue to see such amazing talent for another 60!

(... and from the Feb'08 Woldingham Village Magazine)

The 60th Anniversary Woldingham Pantomime

January 2008
Red Riding Hood
Directed by Sarah Greenwood

The first ever panto in Woldingham was Red Riding Hood, produced by the WI in 1948 and probably performed in the Club House at North Downs Golf Club. This panto was next performed in 1966, so, like England winning the Football World Cup, another repetition was well overdue!

The show got off to a flying start with an extremely energetic and harmonious chorus number which immediately engaged the audience. The set and costumes were, as throughout, very colourful as the villagers welcomed us into their community, somewhere in Sherwood Forest.

Poor Mother Hubbard (ably played in Northern dialect) by Tony Dent then explained her predicament; no money, no husband, two kids and about to be evicted from her pub by the wicked Sheriff. (Do not worry, although this plot sounds like Eastenders, be assured that we were in for a hilarious evening).

Daughter, Red Riding Hood (played and beautifully sung by Rhiannon Thomas) was constantly under threat of assuaging the appetite of the poor starving Wicked Wolf (appealingly played by Chris Chaplin, in a wonderfully constructed costume).

Thanks to the intervention of Robin Hood (the marvellously leggy, thigh slappy and melodious principal boy, Louise Wilkinson), Red Riding Hood escaped this fate, eventually to become Mrs Hood.

Son, Simple Simon (Peter Calver) was extremely bouncy and happy and encouraged us all to greet him every time he appeared, which we were very pleased to do. In true panto style he sang and danced his way into a fine match with Felicity (Krysza Szafranski), the public health official sent to check out the pub.

Trying very hard to prevent the happy ending was the nasty old Sheriff of Nottingham, grumpily played by the really very nice John Lacy. He was assisted by his two incredibly hapless policemen, Tough (James Peacock) and Ruthless (Chris Mikami). Their portrayal of these two chumps was reminiscent of Stan and Ollie, both in physique and comic effect, to the evident enjoyment of the audience.

As if all this was not enough, we had the delightful good fairies, Belle (Sarah Coldwell), Tinkle (Louise Martin) and their Queen (Kathryn Bancroft), the wonderfully dotty witch (played with great eccentricity and a marvellous nose by Matthew Martin), a very amusing troupe of Merry Men and an enthusiastic and well drilled singing and dancing chorus.

The music, under the direction of Helen Brymer and the vast stage team of constructors, painters, costumiers, sound and lighting technicians and others too numerous to mention, under the management of Simon Aggiss provided a marvellous surround to all the singing, dancing and mayhem which the cast provided.

All of this confusion was extremely well pulled together under the guiding hand of director Sarah Greenwood who deserves our congratulations and thanks on producing a most entertaining evening.

The panto is such an important element of village life, bringing together the generations and acting as a common and continuing thread for numerous different sections of the community. It is wonderful to see all the children taking part with such enthusiasm in an enterprise which they will remember all their lives.

The audience invests a couple of hours each year in the panto; the participants, under the guidance of the committee so enthusiastically led by Simon and Liz Aggiss, invest many hundreds (if not thousands!) of hours throughout the year. They deserve our congratulations and immense thanks.

(For details of this and previous pantomimes, including photographs and full lists of participants, please see the website www.woldinghampanto.co.uk).

Gary Pollack