‘Panto season isn’t over for us’

The panto season is still in full swing for the cast and crew of Cinderella who have partnered with a Dorset nursing home to keep the cost of tickets down for local families.

Many of the big commercial companies perform their shows over November and December but some smaller local groups have been rehearsing since September, ready to perform in January.

Since 2015, Burwood Nursing Home in Poole has allowed Broadstone Pantomime Productions to rehearse at their in-house theatre for free in exchange for tickets for residents.

Director Emma-Louise Pottinger said the company chose to do the shows after the festive season as “January is a tough month for a lot of people… it’s a bit of a come down and it’s not exactly the nicest weather so just bringing some joy and happiness to people is such a lovely feeling”.

Working with the nursing home has helped the company survive, Ms Pottinger said, adding: “Without the free space to rehearse we would have had to put prices up and that impacts our ability to provide affordable entertainment.

“The cost side of things is a big reason why we do what we do and it’s a huge expense sometimes taking the entire family to the theatre.

“…for us a really important aspect of what we’re doing is to make sure it’s a really accessible and affordable way for the family to spend some time together.”

Ms Pottinger said the company was thrilled to partner with the nursing home.

“It’s brilliant for them to come up and see our show once we’ve put it up on the stage because they see all of the progress as we’re going so it’s nice for them to see the final result,” she added.

The owner of the home built the theatre for residents as many found it hard to get out and about.

Paul Jessup said: “It is so uplifting… the nice thing here is we’ve got the whole package so it’s not just having somebody come in and perform in the lounge, you get the lighting system, the sound system, so all these sort of things are sensory.”

Broadstone Pantomime Productions will also be performing at Broadstone Memorial Hall as well as the home.