Industry Insider – How to write pantomime

In this session we’ll be looking at the practical aspects of constructing a pantomime, the varying levels of performance, traditional routines, gags, story structure and breaking the fourth wall.

SoA Scriptwriters Group member and writer Ian Billings will be joined by writers Geoffrey Aymer, Trish Cooke and Susie McKenna. 

This event is in conjunction with our Scriptwriters Group (SWG).

#SoAatHome Industry Insider events – free for all + donation

All donations made go towards the Society of Authors’ Access Fund. The fund is to help provide authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats. If you would like to make a donation with your booking, please do so when registering for the event below.

What will this session cover?

Members will take away:

• An insight in the mechanics of pantomime
• A strong sense of story structure
• An understanding of panto characters and
• Inspiration to take on their own panto script.

Programme

• Welcome, introductions and housekeeping from Ian Billings (3 mins)
• Panel discussion chaired by Ian Billings, with Geoffrey Aymer, Trish Cooke and Susie McKenna (40 mins)
• Q&A with audience (15 mins)
• Summary and closing comments (2 mins)
• This event will be moderated by Sophia A Jackson – Head of Events & Engagement, SoA

The Line-up

Ian Billings

Ian Billings is the veteran of 53 pantomimes having written, directed and appeared with Frankie Howerd, Sylvester McCoy, Brian Cant, Bernie Clifton, Julie Goodyear, Little and Large, Cannon and Ball and Timmy Mallett. Sometimes clocking up four or five pantos a year in various posts. He has worked in venues as diverse as Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, Gatwick Airport and Harwich Docks. For eight years he was resident director, writer and performer at the Place Theatre, Telford. He recently appeared in Sleeping Beauty at the Stafford Gatehouse.

Besides panto Ian is a playwright having penned six radio plays for BBC Radio Four, a children’s author of 50 books and a stand-up comic for kids having visited 2000 schools in 20 countries.

2025 saw him commissioned by BBC Radio 4 to adapt “Gulliver’s Travels” and by Claybody Theatre to write a pay about the Theatre Royal in Hanley. He is currently finishing a children’s primary website entitled “Eureka!” funded by Arts Council England.

Website: https://ianbillings.com/

Geoffrey Aymer

Theatre as writer includes:Alice In Wonderland, Pan!, Rapunzel, Scroogelicious, Men-TALL, The Wonderful (all for Theatre Peckham); Anansi and the Magic Mirror (Talawa Theatre); The Oddest Couple (Theatre Royal Stratford East), What A Wonderful World.(Blue Elephant Theatre)  

Also, coming up this Christmas 2026: A Ladd In Peckham (Theatre Peckham)

Theatre acting credits include: Into The Woods (Noel Coward Theatre/Jamie Wilson Productions and Bridge Theatre) Hamlet (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Crucible (Sheffield Crucible); Romeo and Juliet (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester); The Wizard of Oz (Curve Theatre, Leicester/London Palladium); Clutch (Bush Theatre); Jitney (Old Vic Theatre/Headlong/Leeds Playhouse); The Taxidermist’s Daughter (Chichester Festival Theatre); Sunset Boulevard (Royal Albert Hall); GHBoy (Charing Cross Theatre); Apollo 13:The Dark Side Of The Moon (Original Theatre Online Production); Two Trains Running (ETT UK tour); The Color Purple (Leicester Curve/Birmingham Hippodrome); Robin Hood And The Arrow Of Destiny (Theatre Peckham); The Plague (Arcola); Driving Miss Daisy (Frinton Summer Theatre/Canal Cafe Theatre); The Importance Of Being Earnest (Original Theatre UK tour); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Young Vic); To Kill A Mockingbird (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre/UK tour/Barbican); MacBeth and The Lightning Child (Shakespeare’s Globe); Neighbors (Nuffield Theatre, Southampton); Angel House (Eclipse UK tour); The Big Life (West End);

Television includes: Casualty, Mr Winner; Guerrilla; EastEnders; The A Force; The Real McCoy. Film includes:  Wicked; Sket; RagTag 

Trish Cooke

Trish Cooke writes scripts for theatre, TV, and radio drama. She also writes children’s books. Her Christmas shows and pantos include Anansi Trades Places (Talawa Theatre Company), Olivier nominated Cinderella (Theatre Royal Stratford East), and the Great British Pantomime Award winner Rapunzel.  In 2025 Trish received a Black British Theatre Award in recognition of her body of work (book and lyrics). Current work includes the adaptation of her book, The Magic Callaloo, (Walker Books) for the Unicorn Theatre, to run from 19th March to 18th April 2027.

 Instagram: @trishcookewriter | Facebook: Trish Cooke Writer

Susie McKenna

Susie is an actor, writer, and director with over 40 years working in theatre, television and film.

Working in pantomime throughout her career, she played Principal boy at the age of 19 at Oldham Coliseum , going on to appear as Principal boy at Nottingham Playhouse for eight years. Susie wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Hackney Empire pantos from 1998 to 2020. Since 2023 she has written three and directed two pantomimes at Broadway Theatre Catford.  

About the Scriptwriters Group (SWG)

The Scriptwriters Group (SWG) is a community of scriptwriters and broadcasters. It represents writers and makers across digital, broadcast, AV and theatre.

We support members and associates by providing professional, individual advice, negotiating collective minimum terms agreements with organisations such the BBC, and lobby on policy and legislation to promote the interests and protect the rights of scriptwriters.

In addition, we manage a series of seminars, panel discussions and ‘in conversation’ style events throughout the year, on matters of concern and interest to members working across these industry sectors. We also publish interviews and develop resources for publication on the SoA website and via our quarterly journal, The Author.

The Group is made up of an elected committee and the Group Chair is Rhiannon Tise. Whilst the committee directs the work of the group, the day-to-day administration is handled by Co-Administrators Sophia Jackson and Theo Jones. Contact either Sophia or Theo with any scriptwriting-related topics, concerns or suggestions that you might wish to raise with the committee.

Send us your questions

If you would like to send questions in advance, email SJackson@societyofauthors.org with ‘How to make a successful audio drama’ in the subject header. We will prioritise questions sent in advance and answer as many as we can from the audience on the day.

Accessibility

• Attendees will have the option to turn on the live transcript, to watch with subtitles
• If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org

Booking

Please either use the form titled ‘Register – no donation’ or the option of the different ticket options with a donation amount depending on how much you would like to donate towards the Society of Authors Access Fund.