'Sleeping Beauty' Wakes Up Pilton
Pilton Theatre Productions successful presented the 2023 Pilton Panto 'Sleeping Beauty' by Lee Smith in Pilton Church Hall during the Half Term Holiday week in February. The panto was set in two brilliant scenes, The Palace (Human Kingdom) above, and The Enchanted Forest (Fairy Kingdom) below.
The villain, one Titus Wormcrawl, was condemned to the wilderness in the Enchanted Forest (scene above), only to come back to power 10 years later when he finally got his 'comeuppance' thanks to a snake called Caroline! It's too complicated to explain.
However, we are pleased to report that, despite a curse by Fairy Queen Magenta, they pretty much all lived happily ever after, except the villain, of course. We have no doubt that Lee Smith is dreaming up another one for 2024, so watch this space for news in the autumn.
'Red Riding Hood' Success
The 2022 Pilton Panto 'Red Riding Hood' was successfully presented in Pilton Church Hall during the half-term holiday in February. As far as we could tell, all the villains got their comeuppance and there was, of course, a double wedding at the end. Happy ending. Thanks to Pilton Theatre Productions, all the cast and crew and everyone who came to see it.
Pilton Panto 2020
Treasure Island : The Pantomime
The 2020 Pilton Panto Treasure Island : The Pantomime was presented in Pilton Church Hall during the February Half-Term Holiday (20th - 22nd February). Introduced by Robert Louis Stevenson, it involved all the expected characters like Long John 
Silver, Polly the Parrot, Jim Hawkins and Ben Gunn, as well as lots of mystery characters. In addition it featured loads of dastardly pirates (left) dressed in stripey T-shirts and skull and crossbone bandanas wielding cutlasses and making the life of the Dame, Petunia Clark, Squire Trelawney and the other members of the crew a misery! The pantomime was written and directed by Lee Smith. The cast of twenty-three, who took the limelight, was very ably backed by a great back stage, front of house and support crew from around Pilton.
Enormous thanks are due to all the advertisers in the programme, those who gave prizes for the raffle and to The Reform Inn for hosting rehearsals.
Pilton Panto 2019 'Jack & the Beanstalk'
In 2019 Pilton Theatre Productions successfully presented the panto 'Jack & the Beanstalk' during the February Half Term holiday and raised £1,400 to help keep Pilton Church Hall open.
Selected Photos from Pilton Panto 2018
Here are some images to warm you up after the 'big freeze' which almost missed Pilton altogether. Click on the picture below to see an album of over 100 of the 400 photographs taken by photographer Julie Wicks of this year's panto Robin Hood & the Babes in the Wood in February. Thanks Julie for some great shots.
And below you can also see photographs from the 2016 Panto Aladdin and the 2017 Panto Dick Whittington both of which were great successes and between them raised £2,200 towards the cost of the permanent bar being built in the Hall.
Selected photographs from the 2017 Pilton Panto Dick Whittington by photographer Julie Wicks
click on image of The Final Curtain below
Many thanks to Julie for these great photographs too!
Selected photographs from the 2016 Pilton Panto production of Aladdin
click on photograph below
More about Pilton Panto
The history of theatrical productions in Pilton Church Hall goes back to at least 1923-24 and the play Oliver Twist. The last play produced there was Noèl Coward’s Blithe Spirit by The Lord Basil's Reformers in 2014 and there have been a couple of very successful Murder Mystery plays in the meantime - Who Killed the Hotel Manager in 2016 and Who Killed the Pop Star in 2017. The last pantomime produced in Pilton before Aladdin in 2016 and Dick Whittington in 2017 was Cinderella in 2013.
The 2016 panto Aladdin, was adapted and directed by Lee Smith, and happened during the February Half-term. Dick Whittington was the 2017 panto produced at the same time in February 2017. It was both written and directed by Lee Smith. The 2018 panto Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood, again written and directed by Lee Smith, took place in the Spring Half-term holiday in February 2018 and was a great success. The 2019 Panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, again put on in Pilton Church Hall in the February Half-term holiday, was written by Alan Smith and directed by Pip Cartmell.
Newcomers (& Oldcomers) Welcome!
We would love as many people from the wider Pilton community to get involved in Pilton Theatre Productions and the Pilton Panto. If you would like to be involved in the 2021 Pilton Panto (if there is one) in any way whatsoever, on stage, backstage or front of house, please Contact the Panto Team or come along to the first read through which will be sometime in September. Apart from anything else, you could have a great time! Watch our Facebook page for details.
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