City Hall Truro’s theatre opened as the newly refurbished Hall for Cornwall in November 1997. During its first Christmas season, Hall for Cornwall, in association with Albemarle Montrose Productions and C&A, staged the Cinderella pantomine. The production ran between the 19th of December and 10th of January and featured Heather Jay Jones as Cinderella and Robbie Dee as Buttons. The newly refurbished Hall also included a restauraunt called Stars which was housed on the mezzanine level overlooking the main entrance and boasted ‘an enviable reputation for first class cuisine.’
The Dick Whittington and his Wonderful Cat pantomine was staged at Hall for Cornwall between the 18th of December and 9th of January 1999/2000. The pantomine follows Dick Whittington as he leaves his rural home for London in search of riches.
The Robin Hood pantomine was staged at and produced by Hall for Cornwall between the 9th of December and the 4th of January 2014/15. The production cast included Granville Saxton as the sheriff which features on this programme cover.
Hall for Cornwall staged it’s own production of the Dick Whittington pantomine between the 6th of December and 3rd of January 2015/16. The story follows a young Dick Whittington and his Mousehole cat as he leaves Cornwall in search of riches. The pantomine was produced by Simon Harvey who has directed HfC’s Christmas shows since 2015. The production featured Harry Potter actor Granville Saxton as Alderman Fitzwarren and Cornwall’s very own comedy star Kernow King, otherwise known as Edward Rowe.
The Cinderella pantomine has been regularly staged at Hall for Cornwall throughout the theatre’s history. With the main characters of Fairy Godmother, the Ugly Sisters, Widow Twanky and Buttons, the pantomine follows the misfortunes of Cinderella until good finally trumps evil and she marries her Prince Charming. The pantomine was staged at Hall for Cornwall in 2013 and ran between the 15th of December and the 11th of January. The production featured Granville Saxton and Daniel Cane as the Ugly Sisters, Nichola Lagan as Cinderella and Dean Nolan as Buttons.
The Robin Hood pantomine was staged at the Theatre Royal Plymouth between the 20th of December and 25th of January during the 2013 christmas season. It featured a star studded line up with Bobby Davro as Will Scarlet, Nigel Havers as the evil sheriff and Lee Mead as Robin Hood.
The Cinderella pantomine has been a constant feature at theatres across the country during the Christmas season. With the main characters of Fairy Godmother, the Ugly Sisters, Widow Twanky and Buttons, the pantomine follows the misfortunes of Cinderella until good finally trumps evil and she marries her Prince Charming. The pantomine was staged at the Theatre Royal Plymouth between the 16th of December and 21st of January and featured Julian Clary as Dandini and Keith Harris as Buttons. The performances were produced by Jonathan Kiley who was accompanied by Adrian Barnes as lighting designer and Gary Hind as musical supervisor.
The Robinson Crusoe and the Cornish Pirates pantomine was staged by Hiss & Boo Company Ltd and Hall for Cornwall between the 12th of December and 7th of January, 2011/12. Written by Andrew Emerson, the pantomine tells the tale of a Cornish lad who sets sail for a treasure island using a map sketched on his mum’s bloomers. The productions were directed and choreographed by Stewart Nicholls who was accompanied by Scott Watters as musical director. Richard Alan again reprised his role as HfC panto Dame.
The modern pantomine took form with Henry James Byron’s Aladdin, or the ‘Wonderful Scamp’, in 1861. Since then, Aladdin has become a regular feature at theatre’s across the U.K with Hall for Cornwall being no exception. The 2012/13 pantomine season saw Aladdin staged at Hall for Cornwall between the 14th of December and the 6th of January.
The Cornish Guardian described Hall for Cornwall’s 2010 pantomine run of sleeping beauty as ‘a real beauty.’ The production, which was staged between the 10th of December and 3rd of January, was directed by Stewart Nicholls and written by Ian Adams. It featured Richard Alan as the dame, Julie Hobbs as Carabosse, John Rawnsley and Valerie Cutko as the king and queen, Cornwall’s own Kate Edney as Sleeping Beauty and Mary Woodvine as the Good Fairy.