Covid: Pantomimes in a pandemic - oh yes they are!

The traditional Christmas panto season may have been halted this year due to Covid, but it has not stopped theatre groups finding alternative ways to entertain audiences.

Across Wales, writers and actors have been busy for months scripting new lines and rehearsing for a different type of performance.

Theatres are empty but the shows go on.

Drive-through cinemas have become more popular this year and pantomimes moved from the stage to the big screen.

Many people in south Wales will be familiar with a long-standing annual Christmas pantomime starring radio presenter Owen Money.

But with venues such as Aberdare's Coliseum, Blackwood Miners Institute and Porthcawl's Grand Pavilion remaining closed, a drive-in cinema toured, showing old performances instead with the support of Firefly Cinema Club.

Before Wales' lockdown meant the drive-in cinema could not run, hundreds of families watched the big screen from the comfort of their cars during the first week of screenings in Porthcawl.

"We realised in the summer we weren't going to be able to do a normal panto," said Mr Money.

"In September we said we should do something with the pantomimes we've filmed over the past four or five years. It was then a bit of a rush to get screens arranged and venues lined up."

He added: "We've been starved of good entertainment this year. I was delighted we could do something. I usually have a chat with the audience beforehand and get them in a good mood and it's just so nice they can enjoy it with me."

Community theatre groups have also been creative this year and found ways to perform their annual pantomimes online.

For the first time in half a century, the stage at Taibach rugby club in Port Talbot is silent.

The club's annual panto has previously featured celebrity guest appearances.

In 2018, BBC Wales broadcast Balls of Steel, a documentary about the rugby-playing steelworkers who slip into tights, don a variety of wigs and apply some heavy make-up, all in the name of entertainment.

Not willing to be beaten by Covid, this year they have recorded their panto on webcams in their homes.

The performances are being broadcast online over three days during the Christmas and New Year period.

The show's co-writer and director, Aled Humphreys, said: "We usually perform the panto for seven nights in a row and without that this year the boys felt like they were missing something.

"We found there was a huge appetite among the boys to do something for the community.

"There's a saying around this area that once you've seen the Taibach panto, Christmas starts, so that was the challenge we gave ourselves."

Taking inspiration from one of Port Talbot's famous sons, Michael Sheen and his recent performance alongside David Tennant in Staged, the club's panto members recorded their lines over Zoom.

Mr Humphreys added: "The panto is based at Taibach rugby club but we also have the Margam football boys here too.

"The rugby forwards haven't got a clue. They don't know which button to press, they've got their video on but sound off or the sound on but the video off.

"Then you've got the rugby backs who won't come on the camera until they've done their hair or make-up.

"And the footballers, well, they just want to whinge and moan at us the writers for not giving them enough to say."

In Newtown, Powys, the Alliance Theatre has also put together an online performance of Cinderella this year with a cast of more than 300 amateur performers from across the globe.

Having written an original script, one line each has been sent to a cast of actors across four continents.

Each performer has recorded themselves saying their line - in costume - and sent it back to the director who has edited the entire performance.

While the majority of performers are from the Newtown area, some are also from Australia, United States, South Africa and parts of Europe.

Director Paul Martin, said: "We are not aware of any online pantomime which has a larger cast, so The Guinness Book of World Records is considering this project as a record-breaking event.

"Videos from our participants have started to come in and we will be creating a promotional trailer in the next few weeks."

Meanwhile, Red Herring Theatre in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, has recorded a radio pantomime.

The company's owner and director, Alex Wilson said: "Normally I look for scripts online for our performance but I couldn't really find one for radio so I realised I would have to write it myself.

"I bounced around some ideas with a few people including my wife and did it. We then did a reading over video calls and cast it. It was a bit difficult trying to use different sounds and talk at the same time.

"But we eventually got to the Paget Rooms in Penarth to record it. It was quite challenging but very enjoyable."

The recording was broadcast on a number of local radio stations.