Pantomime
11th December 2023
Glendale Middle School Pantomime Extravaganza - Cinderella 2023
The pantomime by Poppy W (Fairy Godmother)
To begin with, I will be introducing my role on stage. I was cast as the Fairy Godmother, as well as having to disguise myself as the old woman to Cinders. I found this quite entertaining and tried my best at the time to really become the character and comfortably step into my role. I took pride in knowing I was a significant part of the story and tried my best to appeal to the audience. I wanted to make it truly, a night to remember. Not just for me but the audience.
Throughout the rehearsals down to the big night, as with everyone else, I have learnt several things. I have learnt that even in times of uncertainty, working as a team to beat impossible odds is a decision worth making and that anything is possible. I have also learnt to acknowledge that, depending on the person, creativity knows no bounds. It has taught me several life skills - like how to improvise and not panic in moments of distress. I feel I have got a lot out of this and it has also helped expand my horizons in performing, as well as just helping me speak louder in general. Overall, I am happy with how the pantomime went down despite the many struggles we had.
As a penultimate, I will share some of the feedback I received during rehearsals. When I first started, I was very quiet and had trouble with visualizing how everything looked after I perfected my skill. I was told repeatedly to be louder, as well as annunciation and pronunciation. Remembering lines and cues was a real struggle for everyone involved. The criticisms seemed harsh at first but I motivated myself to push on and after considering these, I expanded and then perfected my character as the Fairy Godmother.
Lastly, I would like to thank all the staff and adults involved with the production who made this a dream come true. They helped us make this the best it could possibly be and put on a show that will stay with me forever.
-Poppy W (year 8)
Other thoughts from the cast:
Back Stage Hand - Aiden - called it 'wonderful.'
Emily (Bubble) - 'We performed this panto to keep up an on-going Glendale tradition, and to make us feel more confident.'
Isaac T (Broker Man) - At the start when we were told we were doing a pantomime I wanted to do it but something got to me and I told Miss Dunn that I didn’t want to do it anymore, but Miss said to see how the rehearsals would go. So I said I would do it and I really enjoyed it. The best thing I enjoyed about it was having a lot of space to act and the freedom of speech.
Isaac Tdy - What I liked about being backstage was that I was able to get involved, as I didn’t want to feel like I didn’t contribute and help the actors with their props, and setting up scenery.
Jack - The part I played was Prince Charming. What I enjoyed about the pantomime was seeing everyone laughing and having a good time.
Lauren (Cinderella) - Thank you staff for making this happen for me. It was a very good experience and I enjoyed it so much; it was really good and fun.
Lucy (P C Dimblebee) - I have learnt not to be shy because after you do it, you feel better. My mum and dad were proud of me.
Orla (King's Partner) - As I was on stage I enjoyed it. It felt great to overcome my fears. It's incredible how you can change from being nervous to confident even if you find it difficult.
Tilly (Squeek) - This panto has made me learn to memorise all my lines in my head and also helped my teamwork skills . I received lots of well dones and lots of praise from staff and parents. Thank you to all the staff that made this fantastic pantomime happen. It was great fun and I enjoyed it so much.
Tommy (Buttons) - I have learnt resilience, teamwork and responsibility which will help when we all grow up. The skills I have learnt are: public speaking and not getting embarrassed in front of family and friends! I received a lot of nice comments from teachers, friends and family and I really want to thank the teachers that helped us,