With panto, you've got to stay on your toes. The performance evolves over the run, because the audience play such a large part of it. Once we get an audience in, everything changes.
We don't have much time – it's a quick turn around to get everything ready. We only had 10 days of rehearsals and then we opened on the 13 of December. That said, we get the script beforehand, so we have a chance to learn our lines.
There's a whole mix of people, but everyone has the same mentality. It doesn't matter what age you are, you're all in a big mix together and you pull together as a team. There's no kind of awkwardness when you meet someone you recognise off the telly.
On the first morning of rehearsals we have a meet and greet where we get to know the rest of the cast and the production team – the producers and directors. We have a read through of the whole script and then we jump straight in, learning songs and starting to piece it all together bit by bit. We have a chorus of dancers and two teams of children in the show, so there's lots to learn and lots to rehearse.
It's a joyous time, but it's very full on. For this pantomime, our last performance is New Years' Eve and the only day we have off is Christmas Day. I've done two other pantomimes before and this year I'm playing Dandini, the prince's servant.
I grew up singing, dancing and acting. I decided that I really wanted to make a career of it. I applied to drama school and went to Guildford School of Acting where I did a three year degree in musical theatre. Since I graduated in 2006 I've been very lucky and have been working in London.
As an actor, panto is a great way to end the year. I've been busy doing shows on the West End recently. I've been in Joseph And His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and I did Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to Phantom of the Opera. Most recently I've just finished doing Shrek: The Musical, where I played Pinocchio the puppet. But doing pantomime at the end of the year reminds you how magical Christmas is – it's a welcome relief.
Shows on the West End have so much to them – they're mega musicals. But with our pantomime, we're doing it at the Shaw Theatre and it's very traditional. I wouldn't say it is small-scale, but it's very quaint and it's for all the family.
Cinderella is great fun to perform because of the two ugly sisters. We're having a whale of a time in rehearsals watching them do their banter between each other. The pantomime is full of sparkle and fun jokes. There's children in the audience and lots of sweets. It really reminds you how special Christmas is.
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