Dick Whittington Director Erika Sanderson revisits old pantomimes and discusses directing a panto this year!
What draws you to directing a QPAC panto? Tell us a little bit about your experience on or behind stages!
There’s something about a QPAC panto that is truly magical. The community of creatives that come together to produce these wonderful and unique shows year after year are so passionate about what they do. For many, panto is their first experience of live theatre (it was mine), and to be invited to continue this wonderful tradition is very special.
Growing up performing in panto and learning from so many wonderful actors about stagecraft, physical comedy, and how to work an audience was some of the best training I could get.
Ten years on from directing your first Unbound pantomime, how does it feel to still be telling stories at QPAC?
Every time I’m asked to direct or perform with Unbound, it’s like coming home to where I belong. There’s no feeling like standing on that stage, or watching a show come together from the auditorium for the first time.
You’ve been part of productions at the Limelight Theatre since a young age. What are the quirks or benefits of directing a show for the space?
The big quirk is that there are no wings or flies (space at the sides of the stage or in the roof for scenery), but that means you have be inventive with dynamic staging, utilising the set and having characters come on or off at various places, even right through the audience. The Limelight is such a beautiful, intimate and immersive space – you can really draw people into the story you are telling.
What excites you most about directing Dick Whittington?
The puppets! Puppets have always fascinated me, and I love working with actors in creating a fully realised emotional character. Puppetry is a very particular discipline and it takes a skilled performer to breathe life into a seemingly inanimate object.
Dick Whittington is the final production in QPAC’s four-panto season this December, showing on 26-28 December at 2pm and 6.30pm. The performance on Sunday 28 Dec at 2pm will be Signed by Marie Biswell from Hand Talking.
To see the whole Panto Season and to book tickets, visit https://queensparkarts.com/unbound-pantomimes/
