Mother Goose Writer and Director Dario Knight sheds some light on the magic of pantomimes and bringing new stories to the stage!
What draws you to directing a QPAC panto? Tell us a little bit about your experience on or behind stages!
I’ve worked on the QPAC panto since 2013, starting out as a stage manager (2013), then company manager (2014), then writer / script editor (since 2015) and producer (2015-2022), and now creative producer (2023- ). Always off-stage, never on! Our talented acting troupe have got that covered. I directed the production in 2017 (‘Pinocchio’) and 2024 (‘The Storyteller’).
What draws you to directing one? It’s always the story and a keenness to tell it, but the creative team working on the show play a huge role in it, too. Getting to work alongside such a brilliant cast and crew on such an ambitious production is not easy to say “no” to!
Why do you think Pantomimes are such a special winter tradition?
Pure escapism. The nights are long and cold, summer couldn’t be further away, but pantomime gives you the chance to gather together for an hour or so in a nice warm and welcoming theatre and forget the world. There can be some scary moments, and some sad ones, but the stories are always full of joy, silliness, and – above all – aspiration. I think pantomime can be one of the most uplifting forms of storytelling, and that’s never been more needed.
As a much less known story than the other three pantos, what prompted you to write Mother Goose?
Probably because it’s the least well known! Tales that are a little further off the beaten track always hold more appeal, because an audience can’t get ahead of you in terms of where the story’s going.
It’s the only panto where the dame is the leading role, which is a fun dynamic to both write and direct. Also, I think it’s got one of the best morals of any panto; it’s all about learning to find happiness instead of waiting for it to find you.
What excites you most about directing Mother Goose?
Getting to bring one of the oldest panto tales to the Limelight Theatre stage at last. There aren’t many stories that the venue hasn’t presented since the QPAC panto launched in 1984, but this is one of them! I hope we can show audiences why it’s one of the very best. It’s packed full of jokes, slapstick, and audience participation, but weaving them together is a really heartwarming story that I hope will stay with you through those long winter nights.
Mother Goose is the second in QPAC’s four-panto season this December, showing on the 13-14 December at 2pm and 6.30pm. The performance on Sunday 14 Dec at 2pm will be Signed by Marie Biswell from Hand Talking and the performance on Sunday 14 Dec at 6.30pm will be a relaxed performance, so house lights will stay slightly lit and audience members are welcome to move in and out of the space as needed. There will be a quiet room provided for audience use too.
To see the whole Panto Season and to book tickets, visit https://queensparkarts.com/unbound-pantomimes/
