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Dear John

How do I use a panto role to further my career for the rest of the year?

First published 6th December 2007

Question:
How do I use a panto role to further my career for the rest of the year?

Answer:
Before I answer this question, I had better head off the horde of ogres, irate woodsmen, ugly sisters and angry principal boys and girls who might be thinking of hitting me over the head with a large beanstalk. Let me make it clear that I wouldn't even entertain this question if it came from any performer either snobbish or stupid enough to look down on panto work when it not only pays many a hard pressed actor's rent, but also plays a huge part in keeping regional theatre alive all over the country. What's more, from a career advice point of view, there is no better grounding in almost every aspect of theatre than doing two shows a day in front of what can be simultaneously both the most enthusiastic and most demanding audiences it is possible to perform before. However, it is true that one of the challenges in working to a career plan is identifying how each new role not only fits into the overall plan but, more importantly, can be used to advance it. Here to offer some insights are two performers who are no stranger to the pantomime stage, but who have also been markedly successful in continuing to develop their careers beyond their initial market placement.

Kelle Bryan

Kelle trained at Italia Conti and was a founding member of successful UK R'n'B group Eternal, who went on to sell in excess of nine million records. She recently made a well-received return to acting in Angie Le Mar's gritty stage drama The Brothers, and has also appeared in EastEnders and The Bill, along with Celebrity Love Island and Glitterball. She plays Cinderella at Oakengates Theatre, Telford from December 12 to January 6.

"Being a trained kick boxer, I was probably never going to be a conventional Cinderella anyhow, but even though this is not my first time playing this particular panto role, each panto is in itself a whole new experienced due to the mix of performers you work with.

"Everybody brings their own energy to the role and it's a real learning experience to see how different players approach their roles, especially when - as in this panto - I'm working with people like Darrock and Howe, known as some of the best ugly sisters in the business, or Tony Scannell, who brings years of experience to playing the Baron.

"I've had similar chances to stretch myself this year playing both Brenda and Jennifer, very dissimilar women in different productions of The Brothers. Working in both EastEnders and The Bill also required that element of having to create unique and believable characters while at the same time operating within an established show format.

"While panto is fun and exciting, you do have to work hard as an actor and be quite serious about the way you approach your character if you want to make the fantasy elements believable enough for the audience to engage with and respond to.

I'm very keen to do a lot more dramatic and regular soap roles if they come in and one thing I learned from my involvement in those kind of shows in the past is that a long panto run like this is definitely good grounding for developing the stamina needed to produce high-quality work to a tough schedule.

Howie Watkins

Howie, best known for hosting shows like BBC1's Really Wild Show and Discovery's Animal Planet Unleashed, has also toured in several successful one-man stage shows, including Beastly Behaviour. Howie first journeyed into the world of pantomime in 1997, playing Wishee Washee in Aladdin at the Assembly Rooms in Tunbridge Wells, leading to a steady stream of Queen's henchman, and that pivotal role of the dame, which he plays again in Dick Whittington at Leiston Film Theatre from December 12-30.

"As Kelle says, there is a lot of serious work that goes into making a panto fun for the audience. Having played a wide range of characters from heroes to villains over the years, it has always fascinated me how different roles fit into both the structure of the shows and also into the great panto tradition.

"For instance the dame, which is the role I play in Dick Whittington, can be approached in two different ways - either as a very glamorous creation, of which Danny La Rue is of course the gold standard, or as someone who generates comedy by being very obviously a bloke in drag. As I am over six foot and not exactly wisp-like, you can guess which approach I'm taking as Dame Sarah.

"The Dame is also one of the panto roles on which interaction with audience hinges, and my interaction skills are a big part of the success of the one-man shows like Beastly Behaviour, where the challenge is to make science and ecology entertaining for often very large audiences.

"One thing that really excites me about this year's panto is that it's the first time this very small theatre has produced one, but we are pulling out all the stops as we would in a much larger venue, with top quality production and even live magical illusions. I think it's pretty appropriate therefore to say that the best way to further any performance career is to similarly pull out all the stops no matter what role you find yourself playing.'' '

John sums up

Whether panto or Pirandello, no role is going to further your career very much if nobody turns up to see you play it. So promoting your panto as widely as you can, with as much enthusiasm as you bring to your stage role, is as important as any other aspect of this type of production. Both Kelle and Howie did a great job of making me want to go and see both shows when we talked about them. Whether you are treading the boards as a hero or villain this year, have something lined up for next year. If you are not currently working, have a one-person show on the boil. Make it your responsibility to know who you would like to see you in it and make sure you get them along if you possibly can - and yes, this may well involve you paying for tickets. Far too many performers leave this responsibility to their agent or to the theatre's hard pressed PR people. It is hard to promote yourself, but being confident that you have put the hard work into giving the best performance you can will be a big help in motivating yourself to do so.

* For information on Cinderella, see www.oakengates.ws. The box office number is 01952 382382.

* Kelle's own site is www.kellebryan.co.uk.

* Dick Whittington information can be found at www.leistonfilmtheatre.co.uk. The box office number is 01728 830549.

* Howie's site is at www.howie.info

* Feedback/queries are welcome to dearjohn@thestage.co.uk
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