A village panto group that has been making audiences laugh for 45 years says its shows have become one of the most important events in the village calendar.
Seend Fawlty Players launched in 1980, after a member of the village suggested they should create their own pantomimes rather than travelling to other villages to watch them. This month, they are preparing to stage their 45th panto, Pinocchio!
“We’ve already performed two versions of the Pinocchio story, in 1986 and 2004, but each script is completely different and is written especially for the cast we have available,” says a member of the group, Tessa Doe.
“Our first-ever script was adapted from one that one of the founder members had kept from a youth club production of ‘Cinderella’ in the 1960s. After that, we wrote our own scripts from scratch.
“We’ve always concentrated on the quirky, fun side of panto rather than spectacle.”
Many Seend villagers have taken part in the shows over the years, including three generations from some of the village’s families.
“We have also been able to incorporate animals. As well as the traditional pantomime horse and cow, we’ve managed to incorporate a camel, vultures, a panda, a yeti and even slugs into our shows – not forgetting the Morris-dancing gargoyles,” says Tessa.
“Some memorable pantos have been those that have not been based on traditional pantomime tales such as ‘Excalibur,’ which was based on the Arthurian legends, with knights trying and failing throughout the show to put together a flat-pack self-assembly round table; ‘Moonrakers,’ based on Wiltshire folk stories; and the ancient Greek fable of ‘Androcles and the Lion’. They’ve been an enjoyable challenge to write and perform.
The shows involve not only the cast and backstage crew but also village organisations that take it in turns to run interval raffles for their own funds. “The shows also introduce people from the surrounding area to our wonderful community centre and all it offers,” explained Tessa.
Each pantomime raises funds for charity through ticket sales, and to date, the group has raised around £15,000.
Proceeds from this year’s show Pinocchio! will be donated to Julia’s House Hospice and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
‘Pinocchio!’ is due to run on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st February at 7.30pm and on Saturday 22nd February at 7pm in Seend Community Centre.
Tickets cost £6 and £3 for children and are available from Seend Community Centre, Seend Post & Provisions and the Brewery Inn in Seend Cleeve.
“In 1980, tickets cost 50p or 25p for children,” says Tessa. “As well as panto, Seend Fawlty Players have written and performed a genuine reproduction verse Edwardian melodrama, shows to celebrate St George’s Day/Shakespeare’s birthday and put on occasional revue-style shows in the spring and summer. Will there be one this summer? Watch this space.”
Tickets for ‘Pinocchio! can also be bought online (with booking fee) from seendcommunitycentre.com/box-office.
Above: The most recent panto, Aladdin in 2024
Above: Seend Fawlty Players’ first ever panto, Cinderella in 1980
Above: A young King Arthur and Merlin in Excalibur 1990
Above: 2004 version of Pinocchio
