The Drogheda Pantomime Society has been entertaining the people of the town and encouraging the performing arts for the past 74 years. Among the thousands of past participants in the Drogheda panto are legends such as Teck Caffrey, Joe Cluskey and Jimmy Fagan.

On Friday January 24^th at 7.30pm, the curtain will rise for the first performance of this year’s Drogheda Pantomime, Aladdin, at the Barbican Centre.

Written and produced by Fiona O'Connell with choreography by Aisling Nally and musical direction by Gerry Simpson, Aladdin boasts a cast of thousands – well maybe hundreds - who will entertain you with their singing and dancing while Simon and the widow Twanky make a welcome return with their hilarious brand of mayhem.

Will the eccentric and cunning genie escape from the lamp? Will the evil Jafar have his way? Will Aladdin and the love of his life Jasmine live "happily ever after?" Well, you will have to wait and see!  Oh, the stress of it all!  CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR TICKETS 

Conor Tolan has been a cast member of the Drogheda Pantomime for the past 14 years and has played the part of the Dame since 2016 but in the real world he is currently studying for a Masters in Adult and Further Education at the National College of Ireland.

Prior to this Conor completed a degree in English and History at Dundalk Institute of Technology and, as part of his final year, he chose to research the history of pantomime and he has kindly allowed us to reproduce part of his dissertation here:

Once Upon a Time: The History of Pantomime

By Conor Tolan

As we begin the new year, many will aim for new adventures, hobbies and goals. However, one thing that will continue for many people during the winter season is a trip to their local Pantomime.

In an age where technology has constantly given us more reasons to stay at home, this colourful and wonderful tradition has continued to remain a staple of community spirit.

The Drogheda Pantomime Society has been a core part of the town since 1950, with families and friends coming together to experience its magic year after year – all performed by local adults and children.

But where did this tradition of the “annual pantomime” actually begin? It all started in 16th century Italy, with a street performance called Commedia dell’Arte (Comedy of the Artists).

It became immensely popular in Italian society for its improvisation, physicality, and highly elaborate characters. Many Commedia troupes began travelling across Europe, with some finding themselves in England.

Their performances became hugely popular with various sectors of English society, even influencing some writers to adopt their techniques – most notably, William Shakespeare. 

The creation of pantomime as we know it today has largely been credited to two people, John Weaver and John Rich. Weaver, a choreographer at Drury Lane, initially presented a selection of ‘Italian night scenes’ as afterpiece performances in 1716.

Having been inspired by the art form, performer and Convent Garden Theatre manager, John Rich, combined commedia elements with spectacle, myth and ballet to create the foundation for ‘British pantomime’ in the 1720s. These performances combined the storyline of a poem or folktale with traditional commedia characters, creating a highly physical, energetic and slapstick form of non-verbal theatre.

These performances continued to attract sizeable crowds from different sections of society in London. Those in the lower classes were able to attend, due to the reduced entry price for late entrance. Many were highly critical of the ‘foreign’ art form, and the damage it could cause to ‘serious’ drama elsewhere.

The Shakespearean actor and manager of the Theatre Royal, David Garrick, criticised the performances but also saw their commercial potential. In order to capitalise on its popularity while maintaining defence of ‘legitimate theatre’, Garrick restricted Drury Lane pantomimes to the Christmas season. The fun and amusement of these performances became entwined with the festive period, creating a tradition that remains today.

By the beginning of the nineteenth century, visual elements of pantomime began to become more preposterous. ‘The Clown’ would become an integral part of the pantomime throughout the century, most famously associated with Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1828), who gained acclaim for his performance in the Covent Garden production of Harlequin and Mother Goose in 1806. 

While pantomimes were already commercially successful during this era, filling theatres for ten to twenty consecutive nights, Mother Goose at Covent Garden surpassed 100 performances, earning more than £20,000.

For over twenty years, Grimaldi became an icon of pantomime performance. His colourful, wild appearance combined with his commentary on political issues in support of the poor in society, made him a key attraction.

The Victorian period saw the creation of more elaborate costumes and scenery, along with a new spoken script based on fairytales, reducing the harlequinade to smaller roles within the show format. The centrality of the Clown was replaced by the Pantomime Dame, who changed from being a highly ‘unrealistic’ character, to a domestic, motherly figure who typically faced adversity within the plot of the show.

This archetype has largely been credited to Dan Leno (1860-1904), who aroused sympathy for his character, allowing him to directly communicate with the audience (Ardener, 2018, 145). The developments would ultimately mark the features of the modern pantomime enjoyed by audiences today.