A SWASHBUCKLING adventure will take to the stage next week when Bendigo Theatre Company opens their annual pantomime.<\/p>\n
The production this year is an original adaptation of Treasure Island, written and directed by BTC vice-president Conor Cunningham.<\/p>\n
Cunningham, who\u2019s originally from Ireland, said it was the tradition of seeing pantomimes as a kid that got him into theatre.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an annual trip out for us at Christmas, going to see the panto as a family, obviously it\u2019s a very British thing going to see the panto, but it extended into Ireland and became tradition for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
BTC\u2019s Treasure Island will follow the classic storyline of Long John Silver\u2019s ruthless search for the lost treasure, but will include modern songs by artists like Taylor Swift and the White Stripes.<\/p>\n
Familiar characters such as Ariel, the spirit of the ocean, Billy Bones, and Jim Hawkins will call the audience \u2018perriwinkels\u2019 and \u2018landlubbers\u2019.<\/p>\n
Cunningham said he was keen to keep the panto tradition alive with this show and has included the main elements of any performance in the style.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraditionally with the roles, the dame would be played by a male person, the principal boy played by a female, we\u2019ll have the pantomime baddies, we\u2019ll have the ghost,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we\u2019ll have the audience participation song, they\u2019re a lot of the key ingredients in a traditional pantomime.\u201d<\/p>\n
The script Cunningham wrote for Treasure Island features jokes that play on local place names and references only someone from Bendigo would understand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s tradition with panto, wherever you\u2019re doing it you\u2019ll bring in some local reference as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Classic pantomime devices for audience participation will be used heavily throughout the show, so audience members can expect lots of \u2018look behind yous\u2019 and direct interaction with cast members.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure for a lot of kids, who\u2019ll hopefully come along, will experience pantomime for the first time and won\u2019t know straight up what\u2019s expected of them or what to expect so there\u2019ll be a bit of encouragement there,\u201d Cunningham said.<\/p>\n
Treasure Island will open on Thursday 11 January and will run over two weekends with the closing performance on Sunday 21 January.<\/p>\n
Tickets are available via the Bendigo Theatre Company website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A SWASHBUCKLING adventure will take to the stage next week when Bendigo Theatre Company opens their annual pantomime. The production this year is an original adaptation of Treasure Island, written and directed by BTC vice-president Conor Cunningham. Cunningham, who\u2019s originally from Ireland, said it was the tradition of seeing pantomimes as a kid that got […]<\/p>\n