Pantomime

He’s behind you…………………..

What makes an arguably sane woman with two children at junior school (i.e. excessive homework and after school activities) want to stretch herself to the mental and physical limits of writing, producing and directing a pantomime?  Well you could argue that the fifth time round things should be easier.  After all she has a tried and tested and extremely loyal crew for making scenery, costumes and cheap gags.  However, Roz William-Tamboura may be a veteran of Cinderella, Aladdin, Snow White and Peter Pan, but she is keeping it tightly under wraps just exactly how she is going to make Alice shrink and grow before your eyes in this years production of "Alice in wonderland through the looking glass"!

Are you sitting comfortably?  Then I will begin.  Five years ago Roz was frustrated and sad that her children were missing out on a vital British tradition, the Pantomime.  It seemed such a shame that other traditions such as Halloween, Easter bunnies and Christmas parties with Father Christmas were covered and yet a visit to a village hall or a local theatre to see Widow Twanky or the ugly sisters hamming it up under bright lights was missing.  What to do?  A trip to Athens or the UK was out of the question, so there was nothing else for it.  Roz would just have to put on her own pantomime.  Anyone else would have buckled under the strain of such a grand idea.  Roz’s husband said she was mad; her friends who volunteered to help her, their husbands thought she was mad.  But she persisted and five years down the line we are all still here, all still mad and all getting ready for the fifth time round!

'Cinderella' was our first production and we performed it at Diva nightclub in Afandou.  We had no budget, but we managed to cobble together costumes after rummaging through jumble (and some peoples wardrobes – where did that gold lame dress come from?!)  And with the Midas touch of Linda Christofis' sewing we managed a very passable wardrobe.  It had all the right ingredients; the cute factor was provided by children from Sarah Richardson’s dance academy, bawdiness given in shovel loads by the ugly sisters and the wicked stepmother was truly a sight for sore eyes and ears.  There was audience participation (especially during YMCA!) and even a power cut just before the end of the first act couldn’t stop us (we are forever indebted to all those who burnt their thumbs on their lighters for us).  It was amateur, it was performed in a nightclub and it was great!  The audience support and participation convinced us that we had set the wheels in motion and that the English speaking children of Rhodes would no longer be culturally deprived!

The following year we moved up in the world to share a real stage with an immovable grand piano at the Dimotiko theatre in Rhodes town.  'Aladdin' was to be performed for three nights but the pressure was on now as we had to pay to rent the theatre.  We also had to invest in a light and sound man.  As a non-profit making organisation we were taking a risk if nobody came to see us!  We had the backing of the International Association and Ingrid, the president, was to prove invaluable in her efforts at the tax office on our behalf.   With the administration taken care of we were left to concentrate on getting genies in and out of lamps and the logistics of fitting thirty dancing children on a very small stage without losing any of them over the edge.  We did it and we did it well.  The theatre was nearly full on all three nights and we managed to pay our expenses and have money left over to donate to local charities.  

We got slightly bigger and braver the third year.  We stayed at the theatre and so did the grand piano on the stage (it was actually quite useful as a props table).  Snow white and the seven dwarfs was our goal and we hey ho’d our way through three nights once again.  We tentatively incorporated a new talent that year, the singing voice of Rachel Byrne, as well as continuing to involve the International choir and dancers from Sarah Richardson’s starlight dance academy and Jill Dodgeon-Zouni funky street dancers.  What an extravaganza our humble pantos had turned into!  By the third year word had really spread all over the island and we had audience support from people travelling up from the south of the island.  In fact, as soon as the summer was over, people would ask us when and what the next panto would be.  We delivered once again and cast and crew eagerly looked forward to the next year’s creation.

It was a ball, after the initial struggle in the first couple of years we really seemed to have everything under control.  We now had Steve doing all the props and scenery (its amazing what he can do with a cardboard box and a glue gun), Pat Usher doing the costumes (think silk purse out of sows ear), dancing from Sarah and Jill and of course the ever faithful and hard working cast.  All Roz had to do was keep rehearsals on schedule and keep shouting at everyone ("its pantomime, do it bigger!!")  And find a new venue.  The dimotiko theatre had closed for renovation and would not be ready in time.  Oh dear.  We were homeless with a production of Peter Pan.  After several further, smaller disappointments we began to wonder if the production was jinxed.  (I was only messing around when I said 'Macbeth!' in the theatre……).  The performance date was drawing near and we still had no venue.  In desperation we agreed to perform at a nightclub in Faliraki, although two years in a real theatre had spoilt us and we went with disgruntled heavy hearts.  What could we do?  Stiff upper lips and the show must go on!  And it did go on, probably the best one ever.  Peter Pan was a riot of marauding pirates, strobe-lit chases, real singers (Andreas went on to be in the X Factor) and great dancers.

So, if you’ve missed it for any reason over the last 4 years watch this space!  'Alice in wonderland through the looking glass' is coming your way in March 2009!

The English Speaking Theatre Group are:

Writer/Producer/Director        Roz Williams Tamboura

Costumes                               Pat Usher and Linda Christofi

Props and Scenery                 Steve and Carol

Stage Managers                     Steve and Ron

Cast members:

Charlie Armstrong                  Rachel Byrne

Elizabeth Cass-Kanti              Linda Christofi

Amanda Christoforou             Sue Gerosavva                     

Julie Magafa                           Sharon Sands                       

Jackie Stein                            

Michael Takouzi                    Pat Usher

John Usher                            Charlotte Wear                       

Nicky  Woods