January is very often a time of year that I dread for a couple of reasons (which will probably seem very silly to you). First of all I always feel a little depressed because it is the end of another year and I shall be a year older, the years seem to have been speeded up now into ‘fast forward mode’, especially since the children started to arrive! And also I usually feel guilty that I should be making a few New Year resolutions, things like taking more exercise and being more organised, the usual things. I actually gave up making New Year resolutions years ago, because like many other people I probably managed to keep them until about the third week in January if I was really determined or the 2nd January if it was just a normal year.

I suppose the start of the New Year is also a traumatic time for the players that are involved in our pantomime. February is not so far away now and as many of you know this is when our pantomime is due to performed, so panic is starting to set in. And our director, Neil Phillips has uttered those two words, which strike fear into many actors – ‘BOOKS DOWN’. Now these words might seem quite innocent to those of you who aren’t mad enough to act, but to us it is quite terrifying. You know you have to learn your lines, but February is next year, it’s a long way off, I’ll do it after Christmas, as I really haven’t got time now. These are just some of the things that I know I would probably say to myself. It would be about here I would start wanting to make a New Years Resolution!

Its not just the learning of lines which causes havoc, the actors also have to move about whilst they are saying these lines. Now you can guarantee that they will know their lines when they are practising in the car, whilst walking the dog or in the bath. But at

rehearsals, when Neil asks them to do something else at the same time, you can bet that those lines that they were saying perfectly only an hour ago will probably disappear from their memory. Or even worse the director asks to go back to something or does a scene out of sequence or does the scene a second time this will usually bring about amnesia too.

As I am prompt this year, I keep being informed that they know their lines really well. I haven’t quite figured out why they keep doing this, perhaps they think that I am really scary and I might shout at them or even worse beat them with a stick, neither, of which I intend to do! But don’t tell them that will you?

Actually to be fair, they are really good and this year you (the audience) are in for a real treat. We seem to spend most of rehearsals laughing, well, I think it is because the pantomime it so funny, but then again it might be hysteria on the directors part, I’m not sure! And I have had a sneak preview of some of the costumes and the scenery and as usual they are really fantastic.

All that is left for me to do is to wish you a very Happy New Year, good luck with the New Year resolutions and also to remind you to buy your tickets for King Arthur. Don’t forget the performances start on the Wednesday 19th February at 7.30pm, Thursday 20th February at 7.0pm. There will be two performances on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd February, the first will be at 2.30pm and the second will be at 7.30pm. I can assure you that you will have a great time watching it and of course, by then the actors will know their lines really well so I can sit back and watch the performance too!

Jayne Downing
jayne@tinkies.freeserve.co.uk