'There's something special about panto in Scotland'

There's something about the first sound of a brush on a drum, the dimming of the lights and the excited chatter of school children reducing to an awed hush which brings out the emotion in all of us.

I know there are plenty of people who won't welcome the return of live panto, but I'm not one of them.

In fact, I'm sitting in the empty auditorium of Ayr Gaiety watching the cast of Jamie and the Unicorn run through their final paces, and grinning from ear to ear.

Kirsty Findlay feels the same, although as the star of the show, she's paid to do so.

"Panto was my first experience of theatre as a child, and it's really important especially in Scotland, to bring kids to the theatre, get them interested in the arts and it's brilliant that's able to happen again."

Not that it's been easy. The show has been through many different configurations since the Gaiety decided to return to the stage.

They originally planned to revive their 2020 show, Sleeping Beauty, which was cancelled because of the pandemic.

But mindful that the show would be compromised by restrictions still in place, they decided to create something completely new.

"We wanted to create a shorter show, which could run without an interval, aiming for the length of a family film," says writer and director Ken Alexander.

"It was an opportunity to do something entirely different and new."

It's also adaptable, meaning the company could stage it as a live show, but could also record it to share with audiences, as they did with several shows during lockdown. And for the Gaiety's CEO Jeremy Wyatt, that turned out to be very useful.

"We found out, maybe ten days ago, that school groups wouldn't be coming," he says.

"So within two days we put a new arrangement in place to add extra matinees, including shows at 4pm so families can bring children after school. We always planned to live stream the show but we're now recording it too and we've made an arrangement with South Ayrshire Council to share a version with all the schools in the area, who'll also get special packs to help them set up the show in their classrooms."

Audiences can choose to attend capped performances if they'd rather not sit in a crowd.

The cast and crew are also making preparations to ensure the show will go on, whatever happens.

"We've had to think anything could happen at any moment," says Ken Alexander.

"We have two ensemble members in the cast of eight, covering three roles each between them so if anything happens they can step out of the ensemble and play any one of those roles. Normally we would wait till the show opens before we deal with any of that but we've had to think about all of that in advance."

The Gaiety is also one of the few "hemp house" theatres - meaning it uses a rope and pulley system to operate curtains, lights and scenery.

"It requires a lot of people power so we had to think about the safety of the crew backstage and work out how best to use the system," says Ken.

"It has affected everything about the show, how we staged it, how we rehearsed it, how the audience enjoys it."

A number of Christmas shows are opening across Scotland this weekend, many more will begin next week.

Earlier this week, theatres waited for a decision on whether Covid vaccine passports would be required to attend a show. Some theatres - including the Playhouse in Edinburgh, and the Theatre Royal and Kings Theatre in Glasgow are already using the scheme, and Jeremy Wyatt says he was ready to make the change.

"It was a bit late in the day and I think the government needs to do a lot more to keep people informed about the changes, but we broadly welcome the scheme," he says.

"I don't want to be turning people away at the door, who haven't sorted a passport, or didn't know they needed one.

"But we know that over half our audience want vaccine passports, they want masks in the theatre, they want to feel they can return to the theatre safely, and that's what we want too. We just need to be clear about what is required."

The first performances have already taken place - including a special show for the community of Kincaidston, who were affected by a recent gas explosion.

It has been a tough couple of years for theatres, not least the Gaiety which was almost lost all together, and only survived when the local community rallied round.

But Jeremy Wyatt believes the efforts they've made have paid off.

"For us, one of the things which has been really inspiring is that it has forced us to put a lot more work into outreach. As we've been bringing people back to the theatre, we're also working out in the community.

"So some people who wouldn't normally get to come to the panto, are coming this year. We have an appeal to make that happen. We're creating work in communities so we're excited not just to have shows back in the theatre but by next year we will have a much broader spread of activity, including engaging with people who weren't previously engaging with the theatre."

And so far, the community seems keen to come back, whether that's in person or online.

Kirsty Findlay says she's not surprised.

"There's just something about panto in Scotland which is different from anywhere else. It lifts people's spirits and I think we were all ready to welcome everyone back and have that experience again."

Jamie and the Unicorn is at The Gaiety Theatre in Ayr until 24 December.