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entertaining Woldingham for

Woldingham village pantomime

2007 Fundraiser  not printed in full in Village Magazine (Dec 2006)

Sinbad the Sailor (2007) Chairman’s Report

Woldingham Panto Quiz Night

Yes, it's that time again (oh no, it isn’t)... when members of our fair community take a little bit extra Christmas spirit and regress into childhood, booing and hissing at some neighbours while cheering others (fools and men in frocks alike)... all in the best nature of course! For the uninitiated out there, we're talking about the Woldingham Pantomime, which this year is 'Sinbad the Sailor'. This is a tradition we've had in Woldingham for nearly 60 years now, and is much a part of Christmas in Woldingham as is Christmas turkey and crackers.

Putting on a show like this takes a lot of dedication and hard work... but it also costs a lot of money. So last October 20th the Panto committee held a quiz night in the Village Hall to raise funds and it was a huge success. You weren't there?... You missed a great evening of suspense, groans and cheers, all fuelled by excellent food and drink. Ziggi Szafranski (who can be seen as Sillibillibad in this year's production) was the host, deftly managing the baying hordes as they tried to answer his challenging(ish) questions. Many a groan was heard as questions like "how many self-portraits did Van Gogh paint?" appeared on the screen behind him... to be swiftly followed by yelps of competitive excitement as questions like "who won the World Cup in 1970?" appeared. Three rounds of questions, and many a Joker played, saw most of the teams (named after past shows) jockeying for top position... a noticeable exception being 'Mother Goose', but more on that later... before food was served.

Many thanks must go to the committee and their supporters for their very tasty and welcome shepherd's pies (a nice change, especially in the cold weather) which were swiftly served along with salad, to be followed with a nicely rustic serving of cheese and apple. Not only were the committee busy serving drinks at the bar and cooking the food... but they also managed to cobble together a table and join in the quiz... providing a welcome target for the competitive tables.

While everyone chowed down, Ziggi provided a special written round to accompany the repast. In the form of a simple 8 question sheet, each table could take their time answering questions based on pantomime. Shock and horror breifly ensued (not only from tables of non-pantomimers, but also from some veteran members such as 'Mother Goose') before some bright sparks spotted that nearly all the answers could be found around them: the last half-a-dozen shows' programmes were on the tables... posters on display... even clues in the questions! This ensured that each table mingled (this was a social event after all) as they shared answers and programmes. No Joker available here though, as nearly everyone got every question right... yes, nearly everyone, but not 'Mother Goose'! This was a table with veterans of Woldingham Panto such as Sarah Greenwood (also appearing in 'Sinbad') and Berry Butler... and were the only table to get the question "how many years has Woldingham had a panto?" wrong, especially as the next question began "The 1st panto was in 1948...". It just goes to show that you don't need to be good at sums to be in the panto!

After the meal everyone settled down to the last 2 rounds. Krysza Szafranski marked the answers and kept the scores, which were to prove critical in these final rounds. As 'Mother Goose' fell further behind, the committee table 'Sleeping Beauty' quietly crept up from the rear to take the lead. But then the TV & Film round appeared with the question "who were the 2 original Blue Peter presenters?" (Christopher Trace and Leila Williams). Not the easiest of questions so Ziggi allowed 1/2 a mark for each name. Then, after a bit of Shakespeare and Harry Potter in the Literature round, Krysza tallied the final totals and Ziggi announced them. It was close. Very close.

'Sleeping Beauty', who had done so well to take the lead at the end, fell at the last... beaten by 1/2 a mark by 'Cinderella'! Oh cruel fate. So 'Cinderella' won the wine amid much cheer, and 'Mother Goose' the lemonade as consolation (they did proudly hold onto bottom place after all), and everyone compared notes. Although the quiz was ended, the drink and conversations flowed long into the evening, and many a good time was had by all! As well as everyone having a great night out, the event even managed to add to our coffers for the show. Congratulations must go to the committee for organising a fun distraction and excellent food, and especially to Ziggi who put together a sometimes excruciating selection of questions and audio-visual display, as well as MCing the entire evening. He'll be missed next year when he's at university.

If you did miss this year's quiz night, never fear... you can still come and watch 'Sinbad' instead (and come to our next fundraiser next year). 'Sinbad' is an excellent show and brings together some old favourites and some new faces. Make sure you're not disappointed and get your tickets now. Details can be found in this magazine, on posters around the village, or at the website which also has info and photos of past productions. We look forward to hearing you cheer and hiss... oh no we don't... oh yes we do!