Just Imagine

Andy Hockley is a hugely experienced theatre and TV actor, despite having originally trained in theatre design. He has appeared in 18 pantomimes at The Belgrade since 1989 in a variety of roles including both dame and baddie and this year he is playing King Rat in Dick Whittington.

As well as pantomime Andy has appeared in some of the UK’s most popular musicals and is possibly the longest serving Wizard in Wicked in the West End having been in over 1,000 performances. He also appeared in The Phantom of the Opera on tour and the West End followed by Chitty Chitty Bang Bang before his long stint in Wicked.

Andy talks to Martin about his vast career and deep affection for pantomime as well as what it is like working with panto legend Iain Lauchlan.

This week Martin is joined by two choreographers, Mitchell Harper and Claire Darcy.

Mitch has a wide range of choreography experience from opera and musicals to pantomime. 

Claire has been appearing in the Inverness panto since she was a child and has appeared in over 1,000 performances at Eden Court - going on from being a member of the Junior Ensemble to a professional performer and now also their choreographer.

In this episode Mitch and Claire discuss the processes and methods involved in creating the routines for panto, how they are influenced by the music choices, the special effects and the performers themselves and much more!

Have you ever wondered why ticket prices cost what they do?

In this episode Martin delves into the complex world of theatre finance with Sarah Boden to discuss this very question.

Sarah talks Martin through the various different aspects that influence the cost of a ticket – from size of venue to the type of casting and all the extras that people may have never considered such as VAT, royalty fees, levies, transport and more!

This week’s podcast was recorded at the North Wall Arts Centre in Oxford at the UK Pantomime Association panel event on Relaxed and Accessible Performances.

The panellists were Jess Thom, Annie Bannister, Chris Jarvis and Dr Chris Abbott all of whom also took the time to speak to Martin directly on the subject of making performances as inclusive as possible.

People from theatres across the UK attended the event to hear more about the variety of needs that audience members might have and how to create an environment that is welcoming, comfortable and accessible for all.

This week Martin is talking to David Lloyd-Jones. From early memories of Punch and Judy in Llandudno and his first panto experience at Swansea Grand aged 9, David has gone on to have a varied career in the theatre industry, including being a current trustee of the UK Pantomime Association.

As a young performer he was predominantly a vocalist but he decided early on in he had an interest in teaching which he tied in with his theatrical training and he was also the first in Wales to undertake an apprenticeship in pantomime directing. Learn all about this and more in this latest episode of Just Imagine! 

Martin joined the team at a photoshoot and caught up with some of the Imagine team and casts from a number of different pantos.

Jack Malin who is part of the team running the Theatre Café in London and is also playing Prince in Swindon’s Cinderella this year in one of the people chatting to Martin as well Maisie Scarlett who will be playing Cinderella alongside him.

Martin also talks to panto dame Steve Elias who has had a strong career in musical theatre and has also gone on to teach at many of the UK’s top performing arts schools and Nathan Morris and Aled Thomas Davies who are playing Starkey and Captain Hook in Halifax this season.

Andy Nurse has spent many years working as a production manager for Imagine Theatre and also specialises in many of the technical aspects of live performance.

From an early love of playing musical instruments Andy changed course to work behind the scenes in the industry and has worked in many different areas.

He discusses his career with Martin and offers advice on how to get into the industry and gain the necessary knowledge for a successful career  as well as going into detail about the role of a production manager on a pantomime.

From playing a mosquito aged 3 in Alice Through the Looking Glass to the present day Nathan has always loved performing.

Coming from a strong theatre family Nathan was actually in a panto in the Junior Ensemble before he had even been in the audience to watch one and his love of the genre has been with him ever since. He has spent many years as a comic with Imagine Theatre in Porthcawl and Rotherham and this year will be playing Will Scarlett in Robin Hood.

Not only has Nathan worked extensively in theatre he has appeared on television in shows on CBeebies and Nickelodeon and he also teaches and directs. 

Simon Sladen and Steve Boden join Martin to talk about the history of Mother Goose. Although it is not that frequently performed these days it historically enjoyed great success with Dan Leno and Joseph Grimaldi both appearing in early versions of the show and more recently we have seen Ian McKellen playing the role to great success.

They discuss the themes of the show and how many of them have relevance today and how the panto has influenced other productions as well as how its popularity differs between the regions.

A great podcast for anyone interested in the history of the pantomime genre.

Musical Director Paul Burnett’s daughter Caroline joins Martin this week to talk about her father’s career and life growing up with theatrical parents.

Paul was a prolific musical director in the 1950s to the 1980s in the true heart of variety. He conducted multiple royal variety performances, was the MD of choice for people like Morcambe and Wise and many many others. He was also musically involved in countless pantomimes across the UK and spent many years working for Bernard Delfont.