Just Imagine

This week Eric Potts and Palace panto regular James McAnerney join Martin on the podcast to talk about Snow White. Snow White originated from the Brothers Grimm in the early 1800s and it grew and developed from there to become the version of the story we know today. Eric and James discuss the history of the pantomime, the variations in the story, some of the iconic elements such as the magic mirror and the various approaches to casting. A must listen episode for all fans of the panto genre!

We are already a third of the way through the year and this week on the podcast Sarah and Steve talk to Martin about where Imagine are in the panto process at the moment. New set and costume designs are underway for the three brand news shows being created this year. This includes planning for the team to produce panto in a circus tent for the first time this year with a brand new show and the steps involved in bringing that to life. They discuss how Imagine is integrating with parent company Trafalgar Entertainment as well as producing the first panto in the brand new Fareham Live Theatre. They also touch on the forthcoming Junior Ensemble auditions, their pre-school Santa shows and the exciting opportunities available for careers in stage management and wardrobe.

Episode 75 – The Role of the Director This week the podcast focuses on the role of the director. Robert Marsden and Mairi Cowieson join Martin on the podcast to discuss what being a director actually involves. They discuss how the role of director has developed from ancient times to present day, their routes into directing and their personal approaches to directing pantomime.

Joint CEO of Trafalgar Entertainment Dame Rosemary Squire and CEO and COO of Trafalgar Theatres Helen Enright are Martin’s guests on the podcast this week. Despite an early love of theatre, neither Rosemary or Helen set out to have a career in the industry and both came to their current roles through very different paths. Join us as they discuss their career development, the importance of both regional theatre and pantomime to the industry and the continuing growth of Trafalgar Entertainment.

This week Swansea legend Kev Johns joins Martin on the podcast. Kev has been a panto dame for 30 years, with 25 of those at the Swansea Grand. He also presented numerous radio shows, including more than 20 years on the Breakfast Show, as well as being a match day announcer for his local football team, The Swans. Kev is also heavily involved in charity work, receiving an MBE in 2010 for his services to charity. He discusses his long and varied career with Martin, including how he went from being a church minister to being in the entertainment business and why pantomime is so important to him.

The pantomime version of Beauty and the Beast is one of the most popular titles of all, along with being one of the most loved Disney classics. This week Eric Potts and Liam Dolan join Martin on the podcast to discuss one of their favourite titles.

This week Steve Boden and Laura Taylor join Martin to talk about the role of the producer. Producers are crucial to each production as they have overall responsibility for the show, but it is one of the roles that many people know little about. Steve and Laura explain how they came to be panto producers and what it entails – from relationships with theatres, title choices, how the scriptwriters, creative team and cast for each production are chosen and much more.

Martin catches up with Sarah and Steve to discuss how the 2023 panto season went and what is in store for 2024. Imagine have had their biggest ever panto season with 19 pantomimes and 3 Santa shows. They have employed more people than ever before with around 500 people hired by Imagine to work on the productions, plus around 400 children who were part of Junior Ensembles. January sees the start of debrief season when the team have internal debriefs as well as debriefs with the venues and as sets, costumes and props return the maintenance programme begins. Planning for 2024 is already underway with many pantos now on sale, budgets being finalised and sets and costumes allocated against productions. So in good old panto tradition - ‘we’ll have to do it again then won’t we – woo!’

This week Martin goes backstage at DMH where he spent 10 years performing in panto himself to chat to the cast of this year’s Jack and the Beanstalk. He finds out how Scott Mills has settled in to his first ever pantomime, learns Jarred Christmas’s process for choosing his final jokes for the show, discovers how son Jack Ballard is getting on playing his first ever Dame role as well as finding out about Mark Read’s theatrical background, catching up with DMH panto regular and X-Factor winner Sam Bailey and meeting Mark Beauchamp and Christina Harris who are appearing in their first DMH panto. This is a fascinating podcast full of backstage banter and behind the scenes info. Don’t miss it!

For the Christmas edition of the podcast Martin heads to Swindon to talk to the cast of Snow White at The Wyvern - David Ashley, Divina De Campo, Nathan Connor, Paul Burling and Samantha Dorrance. This episode also features special Christmas messages from some of the Imagine team.

This week Martin is joined by radio presenter Scott Mills who is making his pantomime debut this year in Jack and the Beanstalk at De Montfort Hall. Scott talks to Martin about how his decision to do a panto came about, the advice he has been getting from his showbiz pals and his past performing experience on Strictly Come Dancing. Don’t miss Scott in panto at De Montfort Hall 15 Dec 2023 – 7 Jan 2024.

This week Imagine’s Joint CEO and Business and Marketing Director Sarah Boden joins Martin to talk through everything that is currently happening at Imagine Theatre HQ as well as on the pantomimes themselves. Everything is in full swing with two shows now open, some shows in rehearsal and others due to start rehearsing shortly. The final touches to set, costumes and props are done and they are being loaded out of the building. Some of the team are already out on the road with others due to begin their travels around the country next week. Sarah talks to Martin about all of the logistics involved for each panto, schedules for the season, how we try and encourage the next generation to work in the panto industry, new titles for the year and much more!

This week Martin is joined by Imagine Theatre’s Steve Boden and performer and director Steven Wren to talk about Peter Pan. Peter Pan has been around for 120 years in numerous forms – firstly as a book and then a play, a musical, many different movie adaptations, and now as an increasingly popular panto. They discuss the way that it has been adapted over the years, the way the story is evolving and some of the unique elements of the show, in particular the challenges of having to make numerous cast members and children fly! They also discuss the way that the show is still important in supporting the wonderful work of Great Ormond Street Hospital today as J M Barrie wished it to.

Panto Set Pieces and Routines Simon Sladen, Paul Morse, Janice Dunn join Martin on this week’s episode to talk about the traditional panto set pieces and routines such as slosh scenes, ghost gags, song sheets and call backs. They delve back into the early days of panto to talk about where some of the routines originated as well as discussing some more modern innovations. A must listen episode for panto fans - 'oh yes it is'!

This week on the podcast Martin is joined by actor and director Andrew Agnew. From starting out in The Wizard of Oz at school and being mesmerized by panto as a child to playing PC Plum in Balamory, Andrew talks about how he got into the industry and how his career has developed. He also talks about the differences between English and Scottish panto and the challenges of playing Dame as well as a Director and why he enjoys panto so much.

This week on the podcast Martin is joined by three guests to discuss the role of technology in pantomime. He talks to Imagine’s Artistic Director Eric Potts, Head of Operations, Dave Edmunds and Nina Dunn from PixelLux. They discuss the innovations throughout the history of pantomime and how technology has helped with the evolution of the genre in a variety of ways from lighting, sound, automated flying, illusions and special effects to Imagine’s brand new digital sets.

For this week’s podcast Martin joined the team at their largest photoshoot event of the year. Taking place over 4 days the August shoot brings people together from all over the United Kingdom to have their publicity photos taken and promo videos filmed. This is the final shoot of the year and is the last opportunity to gather marketing assets for the forthcoming season. The shoot not only brings many of the cast members from different shows together it also gives the Imagine Team a rare chance to all get together in one place. Martin chats to members of the Imagine Team as well as some of the cast members to talk about the shoot and the season ahead.

The pantomime version of Dick Whittington has been around since the early 1800s and is believed to be the only pantomime based on a real person. This week Eric Potts and Robert Marsden join Martin on the podcast to discuss one of their favourite titles. They discuss the delights and challenges of staging this particular panto as well as its versatility and history, and relive some of their favourite memories of performing and directing this iconic panto.

Daniel took an unusual route to being a professional musician having first studied Sports Science at University before going on to Mountview Dan has worked with Imagine for a number of years as a Musical Arranger and Musical Director and he talks to Martin about how he came into the theatre profession, those that have influenced him, as well as more about what is involved in being an Arranger and an MD in the world of theatre.

This week on the podcast Martin catches up with Steve Boden to learn why there is no such thing as a restful summer for the Imagine Team. With casting auditions for both adults and juniors, photoshoots, set maintenance, hires, props creation, script reads and much more going on, it is full steam ahead on panto planning during July and August. Take a listen to the podcast to find out more!