IT’S NOT too late to enjoy another pantomime.
A group of Wokingham performers is eager to entertain with their January show, Treasure Island.
The Corpus Christi Parish Pantomime Group’s 25 cast members, two thirds of whom are young people, have been rehearsing since September, and are now putting the final touches to their production.
The social group, drawn from the parish of Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church Wokingham, puts on a pantomime show every year.
They always write their own scripts, and make all their props, costumes and scenery from scratch.
And each performance raises money for a charitable cause.
This year the group is supporting ARC Youth Counselling Wokingham.
Martin Robins, director in previous years, but this year playing Long John Silver, said: “Teenagers are struggling a lot in recent years, and ARC is a great charity.
“It has helped members of my wider family, so I know first hand how valuable its work is.
“Preparing for Treasure Island has been a blast.
“But it’s also been lots of work, because we’ve never done this show before and as there weren’t any suitable items to re-use from previous pantos we’ve had to make everything from scratch.”
Audiences can expect plenty of opportunities to boo baddies and clap along to panto songs during performances.
And despite whatever Robert Louis Stevenson might have to say about it, Treasure Island does have a panto dame.
“Well, this version of the story certainly does, anyway,” Martin said.
“It’s bad luck to have a woman on board, so there’s some debate about whether our dame should be made to walk the plank.”
Asked about the challenges of playing Long John Silver, he laughs.
“Well, of course, I’ll lose my left leg in a couple of weeks, but I’m sure it’ll grow back as soon as the show is over,” he said.
Treasure Island can be enjoyed at Caudwell Hall Theatre, Holme Grange School.
Suitable for all ages, it can be seen on Saturday, January 25 at 3pm and 7pm, and on Sunday, January 26 at 3pm.
Tickets cost £6.
For tickets and information, visit: tinyurl.com/treasure-island-panto and corpuschristi-wokingham.org
