Out & About Winter 2019

Out&About feature

Sleeping Beauty

Plested & Brown’s humour is a ‘one size fits all’ and they don’t differentiate between child-friendly and adult jokes. “There are lots of things that are just funny – we don’t set out to write gags just for kids and there’s nothing that we’d consider ‘adult’, but there are lots of moments of buffoonery and a few cheeky lines in there.” And the pair are excited about opening night – Adam’s even bought a new shirt for the occasion. “We are super-excited to have gathered a stellar cast for this panto. Actors with serious comedy chops, a West End leading lady and a selection of the UK’s best improvisers.” They have also brought back local children into the cast which, they say, is “a brilliant thing to have in panto, it gives it that community feel, which is so important. Plus it opens up so much more comedy potential because they can really steal the show!. “Newbury is certainly in for a treat, Christmas can’t come quick enough” But will they still be friends at the end of the process? “Lets hope so… pantos always have a happy ending, right?”

to say, you’ll see a lot of things from the list on stage this year.” Just how long does it take to write a pantomime? “It’s not just a question of how long you spend sitting at your computer typing, inspiration can strike at any time – sometimes Clare might text at 10pm with the perfect song choice or Amanda might email us from a hotel room abroad with a running gag that riffs on a contemporary news item. It’s all-consuming. “On the other hand, I might be at the gym when an idea strikes…Who am I kidding? That never happens – the gym, not the ideas.” But modern technology helps – no need to go into lockdown around the writing table these days. “Like we say, ideas come the whole time so WhatsApp is useful, plus we can share documents online too. “We did get together for the best part of a week near the start of the process to really nail things down, but since then, it’s been a process of refining and developing, which we can do remotely, with meetups every couple of weeks – even though we are in almost constant contact.”

A little local knowledge goes a long way when it comes to writing in local jokes, with Adam being a Hungerford boy and Clare having worked in Newbury for several years. “Some panto scripts can be a bit ‘insert local reference here’, but having experienced the joys of the Robin Hood Roundabout and the layout of the shops does allow us to be more nuanced.” And they find keeping the script topical a juggling act. “The key thing is keeping it entertaining and there’s a lot going on at the moment that’s just not funny... (the B word).”

Sleeping Beauty runs at the Corn Exchange, Newbury, from November 29 to January 4. https://cornexchangenew.com/event/sleeping-beauty FULL PRICE £26 - £20 / CONCESSIONS PRICE £23 - £18 / SUPER SAVER PERFORMANCES £20 - £16 / PREVIEW PERFORMANCES £15 Auditions for the Young Company took place in September, and were openly accessible to all with no training required to take part. The young performers will be split up into two companies and will share the performances across the five week panto run. Young Company to join the cast on stage for panto This year the Sleeping Beauty cast will be joined by a Young Company of 12 performers, including members of the Corn Exchange’s Youth Theatre. Both young male and female performers aged between 9 and 16 years will be taking part from schools across Berkshire, Wiltshire and Hampshire including, St. Finans Catholic Primary, Burbage Primary School, Park House School, St Gabriel’s School, Trinity School, Testbourne Community School, St Bartholomew’s School, Kennet School, The Downs School and The Hurst Community College.

OTHER PANTO PERFORMANCES Beauty & The Beast , Oxford Playhouse, Nov 29 - Jan 12

Cinderella , The Hexagon, Reading, Dec 7 - Jan 5 Aladdin, The Anvil, Basingstoke, Dec 12 - Jan 5 Sleeping Beauty, The Wyvern, Swindon, Dec 7 - Jan 5 The Prince and the Pauper (Christmas show),The Watermill, Nov 14 - Jan 4

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