“DON’T FORGET, AND ALWAYS LET, YOUR CONSCIENCE BE YOUR GUIDE”
© Signature Times Photography
PUBLICITY PHOTOS
PUBLICITY VIDEO
© Signature Times Photography
PRODUCTION PHOTOS
AUDIENCE COMMENTS
“On behalf of myself and my family I would like to express how much we all enjoyed your performance of Pinocchio. I have seen many shows over the years and I would like to say that your performance was right up there at the top. Excellent show. Well done to you all.”
“An absolutely amazing performance tonight, honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed so much! Thank you to the cast for such a brilliant experience! ❤️”
“Now that is what you call a proper pantomime!”
“Outstanding - I haven’t laughed to much in ages 🤣🤣🤣 So, so good everyone ❤️ xx”
“I brought my granddaughter to the show Pinocchio and we loved it!! Amazing effort talent from backdrops to costumes to actors alike. Just professional through and through. So very well done!”
“Well done all of you from me and my gang!! You were all brilliant, a lovely afternoon out!!”
“Your panto was fantastic, you are all so talented. Made me feel like a child again 😂 We’ll be back next year.”
““Pinocchio” I’m a real boy” and fan of DTW !…. Laughed and clapped my hands off from start to finish !!”
“You are all absolutely amazing.”
“It was such a great show - arguably the best DTW pantomime yet and my parents shared that thought. Congratulations to you all and I hope you enjoy a little rest before all the bending and snapping begins! P.s. the dinosaur was a highlight and simply must feature annually.”
“Looked great, so much fun. You made me laugh and that’s so precious on today’s world. Well done all.”
“What a wonderful afternoons entertainment - plus I got some jokes for the office on Monday. It was Thomas’ first panto experience and he loved it - especially the dancing dinosaur! Well done and pass my best to the cast.”
“Congratulations on an excellent production. Everyone played their parts really well. Considering the crappy times we are living through it was a brave decision to proceed and very much appreciated light relief from all of us ❤️”
“Great show, great cast, plenty of jokes for all ages. Well done again Dryburn Theatrical Workshop.”
“Eeee it was fabulous! You probably heard us cackling away! Absolutely hilarious. I must say we bloody loved the dinosaur!!! 😂😛 Well done!”
“Attended the relaxed performance tonight. Thought it was very good, lots of laughs and the kids really enjoyed the interaction. Thanks for a fun evening 👍”
“Kids still talking about it. Thank you to all of u for making a special night just for our kids.”
“Fantastic panto. So funny! I think it’s your best yet ☺️”
“Was brilliant yesterday afternoon, loved every minute of it. Thank you ❤️❤️”
“What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon ☺️☺️ Thoroughly enjoyed Pinocchio ❤️”
“It was wonderful, so many jokes.”
“Exellent panto tonight from Dryburn Theatrical Workshop’s Pinocchio. And such an appropriate finale. You guys were on fire!!”
“Great show tonight with the added excitement of the fire alarm photos!!!! Looking forward to the next show already.”
“Fantastic show last night! Even the ending added to it. Thanks so much.”
“Thank you for a wonderful afternoon you were all brilliant.”
“Well done Dryburn Theatrical Workshop on a great production of Pinocchio the pantomime, can’t wait to see Legally Blonde.”
“Thank you for the show tonight, good luck with the rest of the week. You were all smashing.”
PROGRAMME
NODA REPORT
Thanks to the trials and tribulations that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought, despite it being mid way through January 2022, this was the first pantomime of the 2021-2022 year for me. I originally was intended to have seen and reported on four this week alone and two having had to make the extremely difficult decision to have postponed their performance to the following year when we hope that the world will be edging further back to a normal that we all miss so much. As such I was so proud of Dryburn Theatrical Workshop (DTW) for their perseverance in pushing on forward and their clear care for the safety of their cast and audiences and I could not wait for their performance, especially being “Pinocchio” generally a little performed pantomime script.
DTW also performed a relaxed performance earlier in the week which thanks to a sponsor was made available free to anyone who usually finds theatre a daunting or stressful experience which I cannot applaud DTW enough for and I understand was positively received.
DTW have chosen a Tom Whalley script, always a laugh a minute with clever, relevant and topical humour throughout so I was certainly anticipating a hilarious evening. I had the most wonderful warm welcome from front of house manager Darren Dyson who could not have been more accommodating and it was immediately clear that audiences were just as keen to be back supporting this hobby we love so much. The excitement was real and the audience numbers nice and full which was so wonderful to see.
The cloths used were absolutely superb, lovely bright, detailed and colourful which is just what you want from a panto from Border Studio. The costumes were so bright and colourful which I understand were supplied from AG Costumes and by DTW themselves. As always, hi-lights provided superb effective lighting, pyrotechnics and sound, and are always dependable.
Ensemble numbers were seriously stand out for me. Everyone on stage had a huge bright smile on their faces, their energy was infections and well done to choreographer Kirsty Thomson who ensured that all of the numbers were simple and effective, well-rehearsed which made every participant on stage able to join in. Loved them, well done to you all!
We were introduced and narrated to the story by The Blue Fairy played by the beautiful Emma Scott who in Act 1 gave us a lovely rendition of “Children will Listen” the Witches Lament from Into the Woods. Lee Passmoor gave us a sterling performance as the dame Mamma Mia and Joe Coulson had us in stitches with his antics as Lampwick. Joe’s comic timing was really marvellous though I was concerned about how much flour was being thrown all over stage! Stage crew will have words! Claire Archer was fabulous as Pinocchio giving us just the right balance from the titular part of sincerity and fun, with her versatility as a performer being able to shine though. I didn’t even recognise Phil Martin as the villain Stromboli, the hat must have done the trick as the disguise and he was ably supported by Pauline Wright and Chris Coates respectively as Signore Volpe and Signore Gatto respectively. Lawrence Clark played Gepetto with authenticity of the role of the puppet maker who longs for a son. Jillian Reay-Hindson added a lovely fun element with her performance as Pinocchio’s conscious Jiminy Cricket.
Difficult sets were done with ease (loved the whale!) and there was clever use of topical humour and relevant songs. The audience engagement was really excellent throughout by all, audiences were encouraged to boo and hiss, shout out and join in which really made it such a fun family atmosphere. I loved it DTW, I cannot wait for the next one!
Author: Helen Abraham