
I had the pleasure of being Halifax’s Panto comic for 3 consecutive seasons, treading the boards of the brilliant Victoria Theatre for the first time in 2019.
In that initial year, I was taking over the reigns from the much-loved Neil Hurst… who I’d known had left quite a magical impact during his time there, not just with the audiences and his panto peers, but also with the team within the building itself.
I think a fairly universally shared recognition in life, is that people (particularly us Yorkshire folk!?) can be inclined to have a peculiar response to any sort of change… and with that in mind, I recall being slightly nervous at the idea that the team at the Vic would instantly dislike me because I “wasn’t Neil”.
I can say with absolute honesty, I could not have been more wrong.
I found that alongside the theatre’s beautiful foyer, rich history and COLOSSAL playing stage… there are people. People who I’m genuinely pleased are still dear friends of mine to this day. In 2019, my nerves were quashed instantly, as I was welcomed with open arms by the theatre management, office staff, front of house team and backstage crew.
From my short ‘residency’ as comic, I have so many funny panto-based memories... from accidentally pushing a tea-trolley full of 36 custard pies into the orchestra pit; to exhausting myself so much from running around the crowd with a super soaker, that I struggled to complete the on-stage scene. From costume mis-haps (usually my dungarees splitting on the crotch during the ‘slosh’ scene – which happened more times than I’m comfortable admitting); to a belter of a line slip up on from my ‘Panto Mam’ Adam Stafford (without going into too much detail - he very confidently and absolutely without realisation mispronounced “TWITTER”)
I also couldn’t not mention the integrated British Sign Language (BSL) shows, as frankly, they’re one of the most special things I’ve ever been a part of. Not least because my partner is actually studying to be a BSL interpreter, and actually, the integration of the interpreters into the Halifax Panto (as opposed to them just being stood at the side of the stage) ended up playing a key part in her final year dissertation research, regarding genuinely inclusive theatre. To my knowledge, the Victoria Theatre is still one of the only theatres in the UK to do things this way, and the members of the d/Deaf community that attended with my partner gave such joyful feedback. Many of them were only just (as adults!) having full access to a panto for the first time, and for me that really highlighted how brilliant the team at the Vic are, for making and sticking to their decision regarding integrated interpreting. It’s really important.
There’s much more I could say, but in short, I could not have wished for anywhere better to really kick-start my career in Pantoland, and that’s with thanks in no small way to the brilliant PEOPLE who make the Victoria Theatre what it is.
