The Art of Pantomime Workshop
	A structured weekend (Friday pm to Sunday pm) course on the skills and traditions of the British pantomime. Among the subject areas covered would be: General skills; juggling; simple falls A brief history of the tradition, from the Commedia Dell'Arte through to the French tradition and on to the Harliquinades and panto as we know it today The immortal characters; baddies and goodies; hiss and boo Principal boys Principal girls The Dame character Light comics: Buttons and silly Billys Transformations: how to do them cheaply and look good Panto animals from the cat to the goose ... not forgetting the cow Double acts; comedy police The song-sheet: how to run and what to do The walk down: order and how it works Write your own script: study of scenes and text Routines: traditional ones for you to try Props and effects Settings for the story: gauzes and styles How to make slosh for wet scenes; how to clear up!
All the above will be touched upon with participants able to have a go at prepared scripts. It will be a practical workshop with the group putting on their own shop at the end. Pantomimes covered: Dick Whitington, Mother Goose, Aladdin, Robinson Crusoe, Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella This is a practical and active workshop and participants should wear appropriate clothes To hire Pantomimes by Chris Harris and Chris Denys please contact the publisher Josef Weinberger Ltd on 020 7580 2827. To order The Alphabet of Pantomime by Chris Harris. Contact ccharris@btinternet.co.uk