WEDNESDAY 27 th OCTOBER 2009(Only 55 days to opening night)

 One week into rehearsals and already the indications are that this is going to be one of the best yet. Just wait until you hear Andrew Prowse’s booming Giants voice or Jo Button’s cackle as the witch, Piccalilli, and you will be hooked.

You see unlike others we don’t do plays, we don’t do musicals but the Society does have 75 years experience of putting on pantomimes and the majority of the principals are able to utilize years of performing in pantomimes to bring to an audience that special something that is required at this time of the year. I haven’t seen any of the dance or singing rehearsals but with our top production team I know that both these elements will be superb. More of this in the next offering.

I am pleased to say that since the last entry over 30 new members have signed up to our PPP Facebook group. However do not rest there and please continue to invite your friends and especially former performers to join the group page. I must point out that according to Facebook rules you must be 13 or over to join and therefore I regret you will be removed if you are under this age.

The bookings at this stage are the best for years but it is up to the membership to go out and SELL THE SHOW even more. Each year we need a bigger percentage audience for each house to break even and this year is no exception.

Finally it just remains for me to send a belated Happy Birthday from all Society members to Georgie Pole on her special day this week.

SUNDAY 4 th OCTOBER 2009(Only 79 days to opening night)

 Yes just 79 days to opening night and preparations are now stepping up a gear. On the 6 th September the auditions for dancers, juniors and chorus were held and I was happy to note that more people turned up this year than last. Competition was intense as all auditionees were of a high standard and as a consequence some very talented people were unsuccessful as the size of stage dictates the number of cast that can be accommodated.

All the publicity material has arrived and will start to be distributed around the area next week. The artwork can be seen on the homepage and Dean (our Jack) has come up with a clear, eye catching design which emphasises the “What, Where and When” very clearly. However this year the Society is hoping that cast and members will play an ever increasing roll in the promotion of the pantomime by using the social networking sites to which they belong. One new member has over 400 “Friends” on Facebook and even if a small percentage of them could be “persuaded” to attend it would help to boost numbers in these difficult times.

Yesterday our director Iain and wardrobe ladies, Georgie and Jo, set off at 6am to travel to our costumiers just outside Birmingham. Early reports indicate that they are very happy with the selection chosen as they are of the true traditional pantomime type.

Just to emphasise how close we are to the pantomime season Iain will be drawing up the rehearsal schedule next week as the principals blocking starts in a few weeks time before the end of October at which point you say “Where did 2009 go!!!”

Just one last suggestion! Go to your PPP Facebook page and click the “Invite people to join” section in the top right hand column. All your friends appear and you can invite all those former PPP performers, those not shaded, to join the PPP page. This way we can get messages to them that might be to their advantage with one click of the mouse.

MONDAY 3 rd AUGUST 2009(Only 142 days to opening night)

Yesterdaywas the final day for the principals’ auditions and overall the number and quality of the auditionees was higher than ever.

Iain Douglas the director and chairman of the audition panel said:- “ The auditions went well. There was competition for some roles, and the panel had some discussion in order to get the casting into an order that would suit the show and accommodate as much talent as possible. Everyone auditioned well, and sadly there were some disappointed people, but that is always the way when a healthy number audition. A good cast has been assembled which will ensure the high standard of PPP is maintained. Everyone has accepted their roles.” The principals cast list will appear on this site in the near future.

As far as the rest of the cast is concerned we now move on to the Sunday 6 th September, the Palace Theatre, starting at 2pm when the senior dancers, juniors and chorus will be chosen. The Committee is hoping that competition for these places is as intense as it was for the principal roles. Spread the word because it is going to be a great pantomime.

MONDAY 27 th JULY 2009(Only 149 days to opening night)  

It only goes to show how time flies when less than the time since my last entry we will have had our opening night.

 During this time we have finalised the production team and I am pleased to say that the same team will be with us once again to galvanise the Society into another stunning pantomime. As I will keep saying this is our 75 th pantomime and we will be pulling out all the stops to make this one to remember.

The interest appears to be building as last night PPP held its AGM and get-together and there was approximately a 60% increase over the previous year in those attending to hear about the pantomime from our ever enthusiastic director Iain Douglas. The details of the show were explained together with what the audition panel will be looking for from the principals, dancers, juniors and chorus. All the available scripts were taken to prepare the pieces for the principals’ auditions on Sunday 2 nd August at the Palace Theatre starting at 2pm. Good luck to all the auditionees.

The Box Office is now booking for Jack and the Beanstalk on 01803 665800 and I am delighted to say that one performance is already sold out. Go to our home page for all the details of dates, times and seat prices.

MONDAY 2 nd MARCH 2009(Only 295 days to opening night)

 Well as you can see from the homepage the Committee has chosen Jack and the Beanstalk for its 2009/2010 production. This is because there are more than the usual number of principal parts in this Alan Fryan script who pop up throughout the show and it is very, very funny. These will obviously suite the large number of talented people we attract for our auditions in the summer.

There are two main elements to a Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime which usually stick in the mind long after the pantomime season. They are the giant and the beanstalk and this year the planning for these two essential visual props has already started in order to make this year a really memorable pantomime.

There is also another reason why this production has to be up there with all the other memorable productions. It is our 75 th uninterrupted pantomime season which stared back in 1935. There have been difficulties in producing a show such as war, lack of money and the lack of a venue but successive committees have overcome all these problems to continue the “dream” of Jack Baker and put before the people of Torbay a top class pantomime. Listed elsewhere on this site are the names of over 1420 performers who have given their time and talent to enhance the PPP tradition and this does not include the names of all the backstage and front of house staff and committee members who have worked tirelessly to support the Society. This year will see events to commemorate this milestone and the first will be an attempt to track down any surviving members of that first production – Babes in the Wood. In this age of longevity it is quite probable that some of the juniors from that production are still living in the Bay. More details to follow as the year continues.

Congratulations to Rae, Jo, Hazel, Issy, Steve, Nick, Colin and Rob who were in Aladdin and who have all won principal roles in TOADS forthcoming production of Hello Dolly.

I don’t know whether or not you were watching “Let’s Dance for Comic Relief” last Saturday (28 th Feb) on BBC 1 but if you were you would have seen a former PPP member in a prominent position on the guest spot. Danielle Coombe (1986) has added to her ever increasing number of West End roles by being cast as a named performer in “Pricilla Queen of the Desert- The Musical” which opens at the Palace Theatre in London on the 23 rd March with Jason Donovan.. Her other West End productions have included Sunset Boulevard, My Fair Lady, Beauty and the Beast, Oliver, The Sound of Music and Acorn Antiques. Well done from all at PPP.

WEDNESDAY 14 th JANUARY 2009(Only 340 days to opening night)

Last Saturday another highly successful PPP pantomime season came to an end with an excellent buffet and disco at the Morningside Hotel on Babbacombe Downs. Aladdin had been seen by over 3600 patrons which was far more than for the Aladdin’s of 1999 and 2003 and so there was an air of quiet satisfaction, especially in view of the current economic climate. The previous Wednesday the “wash up” meeting at the Palace Theatre had been attended by about 25 members and numerous topics had been discussed regarding the show and the Society and the minutes of that meeting were placed before the Committee at their meeting the following Sunday.

The first Committee of the year took place last Sunday and was a very long affair. It is a meeting when the fundamentals for the next show are ironed out even if final decisions cannot be made. However there are two decisions that can be given following the meeting both of which were discussed at the “wash up” meeting. Firstly the Committee decided to agree the script writer rather than the choice of show. It does not matter how good the performers are if the material they are given is not funny. The last four pantomimes have all been scripted by Alan Frayn and have proved very funny and very popular with cast and audiences alike. Therefore 3 Alan Frayn scripts are being read and the one most suited to PPP will be chosen.

Secondly the performance schedule has been agreed. Attendance figures for the last seven shows were given and various patterns emerged. Boxing Day evening and Saturday evening attendances had been declining and as these coincided this year this performance has been dropped. Also the reason for the New Year’s Day performance being at 4 o’clock seemed to be a little shall we say unconvincing Therefore it will be at 2.30pm as are all the other matinees. Thirdly as Boxing Day moves closer to a weekend the decision has to be made as to whether we end the following weekend or spread it out over two weeks.

If over two weeks the hire fees for costumes and electrical equipment have to be for three weeks to accommodate get in and technical and dress rehearsals. Therefore to allow our usual 13 performances and end the following weekend the schedule will be 2 evening shows before Christmas, which proved popular this year, only a matinee on Boxing Day (26 th) and Sunday (27 th) matinee and evening on Monday (28 th), as this is a Bank Holiday, evening performances (29 th and 30 th) and the New Year’s Day matinee. The runs finishes with matinee and evening performances on both the Saturday (2 nd) and Sunday (3 rd) the Saturday evening as it might be for a particular reason (more later).

This blog will contain new features in the weeks and months to come so that members will be able to keep abreast of what is happening when it happens.