We sat down for an exclusive interview with artistic director Amanda Wilsher to discuss Newbury’s Christmas Panto, Robin Hood and Maid Marian. The show comes from production company Plested Brown and Wilsher, which is made up of Clare Plested,
Adam Brown (The Hobbit, Warner Brothers; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tale No Tales, Disney), and Amanda Wilsher.
This show runs at Corn Exchange, Newbury until 3rd January – Tickets here.
What excites you most about returning to the Corn Exchange to direct Robin Hood and Maid Marian this year?
Firstly, creating something magical and joyous for our audience! Robin Hood isn’t a glitzy glamorous Panto with a big dramatic reveal – so my task was to create many small moments of magic, pathos, silliness and belly-laughs which build to a gorgeous, riotous whole – like when the little Robin magically appears and then flies across the stage, or the ‘will they won’t they’ get it together for Robin and Marian, or the overworked ensemble only just appearing in the right costume in the right scene at the right time.
Secondly, Panto is a huge collaboration between myself, the actors and the creative team in rehearsal. So it’s exciting to bring all these elements together – great tunes with fantastic original arrangements; extraordinary choreography which is dynamic, funny, beautiful, breath-taking and ultra modern; wonderful characters brought to life by our exceptional band of actors; daft sound effects, gorgeous lighting and stunning, clever costumes.
Backstage our tech team – crew, props and wardrobe – runs like a military exercise. And if you’re lucky you might catch our follow-spot operator dancing his pants off on his perch. The support we get from the whole Corn Exchange team including our nattily dressed ushers makes it a dream job to return to.
You’ve previously directed Jack and the Beanstalk and Beauty and the Beast in Newbury. How does this new production build on your past work with the venue?
In Beauty and the Beast, we had teenage boys spellbound at the moment when the beast dies. It made me trust my gut that Panto doesn’t have to be an all-out bonkers, party atmosphere for two solid hours – there is room for a sprinkling of sadness, nuance, romance, pathos, quiet moments of realisation or connection between characters – but you have to earn those moments – AND keep the pace up! We love that light and shade, even in Panto. We try to iron out any plot/logic issues in our final draft, but from my previous experiences, I know that once we’re in rehearsal, anything can happen. Actors consistently offer you wonderful ideas, so you grab those and constantly try stuff out. Encouraging the actors, the costume designer, the MD, the choreographer to go with their instinct or make offers all adds up to a fabulously collaborative show, bringing the best of all our talents.
As one-third of Plested Brown and Wilsher, how do you and your collaborators develop the tone and style of a pantomime?
We’ve worked together for over 25 years which has given us a shared language and a style and tone that we know works. When writing, we work from basic questions like: Is it funny, does it work, is it inclusive, is it logical for the character, can we show that in a reaction or action rather than say it in a load of words? But mostly we ask “how can we make it funnier?”
We love to include local references and choose songs from different eras, sources and styles. This year – more than ever – we have had so many people joining in with the songs and dancing in their seats!
We love our pantos to have traditional elements (the ghost gag, ‘If I were not in Panto’ song, “he’s behind you!” etc) we like our Dame to be deeply loveable AND full of cheeky innuendo, we love our baddie to be redeemable, we love tradition and anarchy, we love it when things go wrong, and in performance we want spontaneity and freedom for the actors to play off the audience, so every night feels unique and special.
What aspects of Robin Hood’s story were most important for you to highlight in this year’s adaptation?
The fun, Marians’ role, and the importance of pulling together to fight for a common cause. We love the medieval vibe and wanted to mix it up with a modern take. Our brilliantly evil “Sheriff who shafts us” has put taxes and tariffs on the good folk of Newburyshire, who are now so poor, they have to choose between heating and eating – like its 2025 not 1195. Robin has run away because the Sheriff was rude to him, so Marian steps up to lead the Merry Gang, with gusto and guts. Robin is a bit of an arrogant twit, but we wanted him to look and sound heroic, with the possibility of redemption with Marian. We wanted him to earn her love. And we always like to highlight love and friendships of all kinds. Fairy Ferne-a-Dale and Willamina Scarlett are both geeky in their own way, but find a magical friendship through their ability to speak fluent Squirrel…
I’m a big fan of prat falls, visual jokes, running gags and rubbish magic! I love it when things go wrong. The ensemble is pivotal to this anarchy, as our Merry Gang and the Knights. Due to the tariffs, they have to play many parts – resulting in them arriving on stage as the wrong characters in the wrong costumes at the wrong time. I love the tension, energy and mayhem this brings to the show.
What do you hope audiences will take away from this year’s festive production?
Joy! Panto is a fabulous, joyous escape from the doom and gloom that might overwhelm us. It creates wonderful, shared memories for family and friends and is often a big part of peoples Christmas celebrations. There is so much joy in this years’ panto – in the dancing, the singing, the silliness, the outrageous characters and the risqué ad-libs – it all adds up to a cracking evenings’ entertainment.