Our first matinee show (which was also the first time using the microphones) was a small audience which I think put a few people as panto is very audience interactive. However, we did well even though our energy level as a whole wasn't it's full potential, the piece was still light and enjoyable. Battling with colds and tummy bugs which seemed to going round, the smoke machines were a prop to work with themselves. I wasn't used to breathing in that thick air and it affected both my voice and also breath control on stage.
The first evening show is when everyone's nerves kicked in; there was a minor hiccup with a sound cue with the first show, we were all hoping for a better turn out. There were a few more people in the audience which characters such as myself, Abanazar, Wishee Washee and the Dame were really able to connect with.
Second matinee, we performed to an all girl's secondary school, this performance was full. There were at least 200 girls who were incredibly interactive and a pleasure to perform to. They were however, a loud audience so seizing their attention and holding it was incredibly tricky. Personally, I needed to project more as the girls were rather loud as well as keep my energy up without overly exasperating myself. I should have completed more breathing exercises prior the performance as I felt out as though I couldn't breath onstage. I felt deflated as my character is funny although they react in the manner I was used to. I then realised that they were a younger audience than to whom my jokes were targeted at, but also that they were a different audience and there are rarely audiences who would react in exactly the same manner.
The second evening performance we were very lucky to have Barbara Windsor watch; this raised the pressure alongside the fact that we had a full house. Backstage nerves were skyrocketing, adrenaline was pumping, we were all very ready for the show. There was also a horrible bug that many members of the cast and crew got, although the main victim for this show was our protagonist Aladdin (Corrina).
The first evening show is when everyone's nerves kicked in; there was a minor hiccup with a sound cue with the first show, we were all hoping for a better turn out. There were a few more people in the audience which characters such as myself, Abanazar, Wishee Washee and the Dame were really able to connect with.
Second matinee, we performed to an all girl's secondary school, this performance was full. There were at least 200 girls who were incredibly interactive and a pleasure to perform to. They were however, a loud audience so seizing their attention and holding it was incredibly tricky. Personally, I needed to project more as the girls were rather loud as well as keep my energy up without overly exasperating myself. I should have completed more breathing exercises prior the performance as I felt out as though I couldn't breath onstage. I felt deflated as my character is funny although they react in the manner I was used to. I then realised that they were a younger audience than to whom my jokes were targeted at, but also that they were a different audience and there are rarely audiences who would react in exactly the same manner.
Our director did warn us about this in rehearsals upcoming to the show, but it wasn't until then that I realised just how disheartening it could be. After the performance, we had a show Q&A session with them which was really quite fun and encouraging to see how much they enjoyed our show.
The second evening performance we were very lucky to have Barbara Windsor watch; this raised the pressure alongside the fact that we had a full house. Backstage nerves were skyrocketing, adrenaline was pumping, we were all very ready for the show. There was also a horrible bug that many members of the cast and crew got, although the main victim for this show was our protagonist Aladdin (Corrina).
Amidst, all the energy everyone had and the level of excitement and sickness that occurred especially in this particular show, it went spectacularly well. So much so, that Barbara came backstage to speak to us afterwards about our performance and expressed her gratitude for such a lovely show.
Last day of shows, our matinee show was for the Da Vinci School students and teachers. Due to circumstances in the week prior, a lot of the cast were unnerved about the show and worried that something would've gone wrong. However, we prevailed and their responses were exactly what we had hoped for. Admittedly, our energy levels were not as high as they were in our last performance, nor was the pace.
The very last show, there were tears of both sadness and joy. Another near full house for our final show worked out lovely; our best show however was the performance on Wednesday night. I enjoyed myself the most on both evening performances of the last two nights, I felt that I was able to portray a believable, funny character that fit well with the storyline.
Overall, I feel we all did a magnificent job and I'm certain that we all will miss this panto very much.
Overall, I feel we all did a magnificent job and I'm certain that we all will miss this panto very much.
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