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SUMMARY:Industry Insider – How to write pantomime
DESCRIPTION: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. \nSoA Scriptwriters Group member and writer Ian Billings will be joined by writers Geoffrey Aymer\, Trish Cooke and Susie McKenna.  \nThis event is in conjunction with our Scriptwriters Group (SWG). \n  \nOnline Industry Insider events – free for all + donation \nAll 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. \n  \nWhat will this session cover?\nMembers will take away:  \n\nAn insight in the mechanics of pantomime\nA strong sense of story structure\nAn understanding of panto characters and\nInspiration to take on their own panto script.\n\n  \nProgramme\n\nWelcome\, introductions and housekeeping from Ian Billings (3 mins)\nPanel discussion chaired by Ian Billings\, with Geoffrey Aymer\, Trish Cooke and Susie McKenna (40 mins)\nQ&A with audience (15 mins) \nSummary and closing comments (2 mins)\nThis event will be moderated by Sophia A Jackson – Head of Events & Engagement\, SoA\n\n  \nThe Line-up\nIan Billings\nIan 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/ \n  \nGeoffrey Aymer\nTheatre 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)   \nAlso\, coming up this Christmas 2026: A Ladd In Peckham (Theatre Peckham) \nTheatre 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); \nTelevision includes: Casualty\, Mr Winner; Guerrilla; EastEnders; The A Force; The Real McCoy. Film includes:  Wicked; Sket; RagTag  \n  \nTrish Cooke\nTrish 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. \n Instagram: @trishcookewriter | Facebook: Trish Cooke Writer \n  \nSusie McKenna\nSusie is an actor\, writer\, and director with over 40 years working in theatre\, television and film. \nWorking 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.   \n  \nAbout the Scriptwriters Group (SWG)\nThe Scriptwriters Group (SWG) is a community of scriptwriters and broadcasters. It represents writers and makers across digital\, broadcast\, AV and theatre. \nWe 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. \nIn 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. \nThe 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. \n  \nSend us your questions\nIf 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. \n  \nAccessibility\n\nAttendees will have the option to turn on the live transcript\, to watch with subtitles\nIf you require BSL interpretation for this event\, please email events@societyofauthors.org\n\n  \nBooking\nPlease 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. \n		\n					\n						\n					\n			\n						\n				\n							\n							\n					\n													\n															\n								\n														\n												Accordion Title\n					\n					Accordion Content \n				\n							\n					\n													\n															\n								\n														\n												The Society of Authors’ Access Fund - donate now\n					\n					Giving authors support for travel\, subsistence\, childcare or access needs for events\, residencies\, and retreatsEvery contribution helps us ensure that these needs and costs aren’t barriers to authors wishing to access events. If you are in a position to help\, please donate via the link below. If you are an author facing access issues\, please click here to see if we can help. DONATE NOW\n				\n							\n					\n													\n															\n								\n														\n												SoA Fundraising Bookshop\n					\n					Browse our virtual Bookshop.org store featuring books by authors and speakers taking part in our events programme. When you make a purchase using our affiliate links\, a percentage will go to the Society of Authors’ Access Fund\, giving authors support for travel\, subsistence\, childcare or access needs for events\, residencies\, and retreats.
URL:https://societyofauthors.org/event/industry-insider-how-to-write-pantomime/
LOCATION:Online
CATEGORIES:#SoAatHome,Scriptwriters Group
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