A Fairytale Ending for Ripley Infant School

When the School embarked on its 33rd year of pantomime in March, with a production of Sleeping Beauty, five shows drew in audiences of more than 500, and the overall fundraising target of £5000 was smashed with a staggering £7500 in takings. For a small village infant school with no more than 72 pupils, this is a fairytale ending to many months of preparation and dedication.

With a twist to the original storyline provided by Marianne Jones, starring as ‘Trinny’ and Sue King as ‘Susannah’, this legendary fairy story was brought right up-to-date. The much-awaited Prince, namely Prince of BruceForsythkovia, played by Blue Class mum, Eleanor Balchin, added to the huge helpings of slapstick. Jamie Hogg who directed the show was thrilled with the result, “this year’s pantomime has been such great fun, the atmosphere both on and off stage has created a hugely enjoyable and memorable run. It is a great privilege to work with so many talented people who have all contributed in the making of the show. If you didn’t see it you missed a treat!”

The scenery which took a painstaking three months to complete was the brainchild of Jacky Prevost, a parent and Art graduate who took on the job with sheer professionalism and determination. The whole show was literally brought to life with the complex sets which depicted an age-gone-by, by cleverly incorporating the local Ripley village landmarks. One of those landmarks was Drakes Restaurant who sponsored the show. “It gives me a great buzz to see my sketch drawings enlarged and on set! I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the crew and all those many painting sessions have been worth every minute”, said Jacky.

The whole event proved that community spirit is still very much alive and kicking in Ripley. The cast and crew were made up of staff, parents, teachers and local villagers. Serina and Steve Drake of the prestigious Drakes restaurant took very little persuading to sponsor the event, “we are pleased to have sponsored the Ripley Infant School pantomime, it is a great village event and one that we are proud to have been involved with.”

Lesley Lomax, School Adminstator, previous script writer, previous cast member and mother of two ex-pupils amongst her credentials, said “this year after 13 years of being involved with Ripley Panto I decided to take a break and just join the audience. However, I just couldn't keep away from all the excitement and decided to help with the children’s' supervision. It was a small contribution but at least I got my annual fix!”

The main crowd pullers were the children, who played both ‘decorators’ and ‘sleepy children’ (quite literally during some evening performances). TJ Marke practising for the Oscars was keen to say "I really enjoyed being on stage and we were great!"

The seats are still warm and there are already talks of 2009, a thirty-fourth pantomime and possibly ‘Dick Whittington’ who should be advancing his way towards Ripley!