2008 Panto preparations

We thought you might like to see what goes on at WISH in preparation for panto.... During the preparation period we'll take some photos and upload them here, and keep updating the news, so you can see what we're up to!

We'll keep it in date order with the most recent photos at the top, so you really need to start at the bottom of this web page and work your way up to follow the process from start to finish!

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15th January, 2008 - The final 'lorry' of costumes returns to our costume store in York

Our friend Pete, from midland Express couriers, turns up to take the final batch of costumes up to Dawn, our costume mistress, who is based in York. These are the costumes from Dick Whittington at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.

Ian and Phil load the costumes onto the Lorry

And finally, all our pantos are closed, Ray has recovered from REALLY nasty flu, and the WISH office team is all back together and working to close down this season and start the next one. From L-R the team at WISH who worked behind the scenes to bring all the 2008/9 WISH pantos to life are

Ray Morrison (Accounts, Contracts and just generally brilliant and very usefully good at everything person)
Steve Boden (The boss - and quite a clever and creative chap although don't let him know we told you, OK? Also produced all our pantos and directed Porthcawl)
Louise Redmond (Production Assistant, Choreographer at Crewe and generally fab person)
Ian Plimbley (Stores Manager and Production Manager on Crewe and Porthcawl pantos)
Chris Ball (Technical Manager and Sound Designer and Op at Loughborough)
Sarah Boden (That's me! Generally very busy person running around like an idiot! Oh, and I'm the one who has to pay all the bills...)
Phil Roe (Stores Assistant and the new boy to the team - hope you enjoyed your 1st season with us, Phil! we've loved working with you)
Pete Varney (the secret lynch pin of the operation and the one we couldn't do it without. Runs Midland Express couriers and has spent the last 8 weeks being our runner all over the country. Thanks so much Pete - you're our hidden hero! x)

There's one person missing off this photo - Dawn Outhwaite, who runs our wardrobe. Another unsung hero, who, at the time of taking the above photo, was up to her knees in knickers and nighties... also known as the huge mountain of costumes that we'd returned to her just 3 days earlier! Thank you so much Dawn. Is this a good time to tell you just how many costumes are due to go out for next season, already???? x

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4th January 2009 - As our pantos draw to a close here's some interesting facts for you

During the WISH panto season.....

Over 1,500 costume pieces have been prepped just for the WISH pantos alone (thanks Dawn)

We have let off 2,144 pyrotechnics

We have mixed 3,192 litres of slosh

Over 1km of text has been written on show and rehearsal reports

16,284 costume changes have taken place

We've eaten 10 VERY LARGE tins of chocolates in the WISH offices

Between the WISH offfice team we've watched over 80 pantomimes this season!

And over 137,500 people have watched a WISH panto!

Thank you so much to all the casts, crew, venue staff, audiences and anyone who has helped us in any way for this pantomime season. We couldn't have done it without you and we are forever grateful.

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19th November 2008 - All our Pantos (except Porthcawl) are in rehearsal!
In the office - Ray Morrison & Sarah Boden

Photos are starting to come through from rehearsals and we'll upload them onto the relevant panto pages as they come through

What is everyone else up to?
• Steve Boden is in Kilmarnock checking up on rehearsals
• Ian Plimbley is in Derby then off to our panto in Crewe
• Phil Roe is at our stores preparing for set load outs this weekend

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14th November 2008 - It's Lou's Birthday!
(and it's also the final day of prep before three of our pantos go into rehearsal! - Kilmarnock, Loughborough and Crewe all start rehearsing on Monday 17th November!)
In the offices – Steve Boden, Sarah Boden, Louise Redmond, Bea O'Brien, Phil Roe, Ian Plimbley and Chris Ball

When we'd all left last night we suspect Ian, Phil and Chris got busy decorating the place for Lou's birthday! This is what we were greeted with outside the offices this morning.

And this is what we were greeted with around Lou's desk! Fab decorating chaps. Can you guess how old Louise is - she's trying to keep it quiet, but we won't let her!! And we've even got party bags with kids toys in! We are so excited. Can you tell we're doing Aladdin for two of our pantos - love the way they've used the lanterns to decorate the office! :O)

Other than partying, here's what the team are up to today

• Louise is finalising kids licenses and preparing for handover to Sarah. Louise heads off to Crewe on Monday to choreograph Jack and the Beanstalk so see you in 2 1/2 weeks, Lou!
• Sarah is making sure all the salary payments are in order for the cast and crew
• Chris is finalising the technical prep. Chris heads off to Loughborough on Monday to design and operate sound for the show. See you in the middle of January, Chris.
• Steve is heading off down to the Belgrade, Coventry, to see the first full scripts down run through of the panto
• Ian and Phil are in Derby picking up King Rats hydraulic toliet for the Belgrade, and then they're moving the galleon down to the Belgrade too.
• Bea is sourcing scenic artists for paint calls on our sets.

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12th November 2008 - We're doing paperwork today :O(
In the offices – Steve Boden, Sarah Boden, Ray Morrison, Louise Redmond, Mike Royce, Bea O'Brien, Phil Roe, Ian Plimbley, Chris Ball, Alexina Smalley and the painting team from the Belgrade

What's happening today at WISH?
• Alex and the team from the Belgrade are painting the Galleon
• Steve and Louise are working on the 2009 Tweenies tour
• Sarah is doing the accounts (again!)
• Ray is proofing programmes
• Mike is building more props
• Bea is helping out in the offices
• Phil and Ian are preping props and scenery as the major load outs start next week

Click Here to see the Dick Whittington, Coventry page for images of the Galleon being painted

We also had two 'Giants' in today for more Giant training for Jack and the Beanstalk. Tim from the Sands Centre, Carlisle, and Liam, our own Giant in Crewe both came over for a second session on their stilts and in their costumes. Unfortunately the camera battery was flat so we missed them in costume!

Mike is painting up the golden harp for Jack and the Beanstalk, Crewe and making a new plinth for it

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10th November 2008 - First set loads out today!
In the offices – Steve Boden, Sarah Boden, Ray Morrison, Louise Redmond, Mike Royce, Bea O'Brien, Phil Roe, Ian Plimbley, Chris Ball, Mikey Shaw (hooray, we've got enough mugs today!)

Today the first set loaded out for one of our pantos. It was the set for Mother Goose at the Palace Theatre, Kilmarnock. Also on the lorry are the Goose (see Kilmarnocks own panto page for info), props, costumes and lighting. Fit up for the panto starts at the venue on Wednesday 12th November!

What is everyone else up to?
• Mikey, Phil and Ian are loading the Kilmarnock lorry
• Chris is sorting more panto technicals
• Louise is STILL sorting babes licenses
• Ray is working on the accounts
• Steve is sorting for the Loughborough panto
• Sarah is sorting invocies
• Mike and Bea are starting on their next 'prop' project.

Chris's technical mountain grows!

You can tell it's panto time at WISH when boxes of shaving sticks arrive so we can make vats of slosh, and tons of batteries for radio mikes turn up too!

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7th November 2008 - It's busy in here today!
In the offices – (ready for this….) Steve Boden, Sarah Boden, Ray Morrison, Louise Redmond, Mike Royce, Bea O'Brien, Phil Roe, Ian Plimbley, Chris Ball. Richard Curran, Simon Butcher, Natalie Powell, Mark Thorburn, Colin Green, Dave McEvoy & Kevin McGreevy (now we really have run out of mugs :O(…)

What's happening today?
- Richard, Steve and Simon are meeting about Aladdin at Porthcawl
- Louise is chasing up babes licenses
- Sarah is updating the website and running panto payroll
- Ian, Chris, Mikey and Phil are building the waterfall for Mother Goose, Kilmarnock
- Natalie is preparing props for pantos
- Mike and Bea are working on the Goose (see Mother Goose page for info - click here)
- Ray is working on contracts
- Kevin is planning for Jack and the Beanstalk, Crewe
- Mark has popped in for a cuppa

Phil & Mikey get busy! Our friend & ex colleague Mark Thorburn dropped in

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3rd November 2008 - Phil starts with us
In the offices - Steve Boden, Sarah Boden, Ray Morrison, Louise Redmond, Mike Royce, Bea O'Brien, Phil Roe, Ian Plimbley, Chris Ball & Kevin McGreevy (we're rapidly running out of desk space there are so many people in! But even more critical is the distinct shortage of mugs for a cup of tea - anyone got any spare?!).

Now panto season is here, we're completely swamped as you can imagine! So Phil Roe has come to join us for 3 months to assist with the logistics of all of our pantos and our set hires to third parties. Welcome Phil!

We also realised we've been rubbish and not had Ray on any photos, so here's double whammy of Phil and Ray (yes Phil really is 6ft 7inches tall!)

Chris is busy with the technical planning - here's the start of his tech area

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22nd October - Giant Training Day
In the offices - Steve Boden, Sarah Boden, Ray Morrison, Louise Redmond, Mike Royce, Mikey Shaw, Ian Plimbley & Chris Ball.

Before we let any hiring company 'loose' with any of our big giant costumes, they have to come and spend at least a day with us, being fully briefed on how the effects work, and slowly working their way up from learning to walk on stilts through to wearing the full costume. Sometimes this can take more than one day, and anything up to a week! Here's what happened on the recent "Giant Training Days"....

First in was the Courtyard Theatre, Hereford with their 'Giant', Anthony...

First trying the stilts, then into the body, then getting the whole kit on

Then it was the turn of Liam, who is the Giant in our own production in Crewe...

First onto the stilts & up on his feet, then into costume (see his head poking out!)

And then costume with no stilts, then finally the whole effect is achieved.

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13th October - It's a busy day today!
In the offices - Steve Boden, Sarah Boden, Louise Redmond, Mike Royce, Bea O'Brien, Ian Plimbley, Chris Ball & Kevin McGreevy

The gang's all in today (except for Ray!) L-R - Sarah Boden, Ian Plimbley, Chris Ball, Louise Redmond, Mike Royce, Bea O'Brien, Steve Boden & Kevin McGreevy

Chris, our technical manager Mike's deep in thought! Cup of tea?, asks Bea!

There's nothing like team work to get a job done... and this is nothing like team work! The carriage is really coming on and Mike has nearly finished it, ready to move onto the next project.

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8th October 2008 - The props preparation process continues....
In the offices - Steve Boden, Sarah Boden, Louise Redmond, Mike Royce & Bea O'Brien

Mike's finished this coach & horses..... and he's started on the next one!

Incidentally, you can see Mike in panto this year too. Not only is he a complete whizz at prop making, but he's in Dick Whittington at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry (and he was also in Aladdin, Coventry in 2007 and Snow White, Bedworth 2006 - see our production photos of Snow White to see him as Sir Richard Darling - that's the character with the white wig and the white face!).

Louise busy with props.... while Steve & Sarah grab lunch on the 'pink' chairs!

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6th October 2008 - The start of the props making process, & general admin
In the offices - Steve Boden, Sarah Boden, Louise Redmond, Mike Royce & Bea O'Brien