Some Backstage pictures

Instead of a cast member today we thought we would share some behind the scene pictures of the show. Enjoy!!

We are open!

We finally opened on Saturday and have had three full houses so far with fantastic reactions from the audiences, lots of cheers for our heros and huge boos for our nastiest bad guy yet! 

One of our ensemble Stephen Mahon blogged for us about the opening shows.

Hey! Stephen here, this will be my tenth panto and my third time in Little Red Riding Hood .  So opening day has finally arrived. After all the hard work in rehearsals it was great to get started. You could feel the buzz in the theater this morning as the final preparations were underway, everyone was so excited to begin.

It’s tough trying to attend both school and panto rehearsals but when I heard the crowd’s reaction to the show today I knew it was all worth it.  Anyway it’s time for me to try and catch up on some well-needed sleep, I hope ye all enjoy the show and have a merry Christmas!

Lots of shows are already sold out so be sure and book fast so you don't miss out

tickets available here

A family affair!

As well as being a family friendly show our Panto is also a family affair in other ways, we have lots of siblings, cousins and other family groups involved. Today's family the Hall's has all four children involved. The eldest Jennifer as well as appearing on stage has also been assisting with our Junior chorus at rehearsals and is working hard on props behind the scenes all the way through as well.



Hi my name is Jennifer,
I have been doing panto since I was six and I am delighted to be taking part in little red riding hood. Most of my family are involved in panto in some way, my mum volunteers front of house, my two sisters Emily and Katelyn and my brother Cillian are in the panto. This year I assisted Kelly Ann when she was choreographing the junior chorus and my youngest sister Katelyn was part of this. It was my first time doing something like this and I really enjoyed it and it was a really good experience. I love doing panto because its so much fun you learn a lot from everyone around you, from the backstage crew to the experienced actors it is a great opportunity to work with them because I can learn so much from them. Each panto bring its own challenges and new experiences and I am looking forward to what this panto brings.

Next in line is Emily, who you can spot quite a few times on stage throughout the show, she really transforms her character a few times. She is also a huge help back stage with our smallest members of the cast.

Hello this is Emily, I am delighted to be in Panto this year. This will be my 7th Panto with my sister Jennifer and my 5th Panto with my younger sister and brother, Katlyn and Cillian. Every year around Christmas there is always a lot of excitement and practicing of dances. I am dancing since I was very young and I still have the same love for dancing now that I am 15 years old. I am so happy to be a part of the Panto and everyone is so nice and friendly. I hope you all enjoy the show and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Next in line is Cillian who will be the first of the Hall family to appear in this years show.

Hi my name is Cillian, I have being doing Panto for about 8years. I think it is a really good experience. I have made lots of good friends over the years. Some I am still good friends with and others I don't see much any more. I have learned lots from Panto and especially the main cast, great tips on how to be a great actor and dancer. It is great that my mum helps in the Everyman Palace theatre because she can give us lifts in and out. I really love this years show it is great to see the cast and crew all hard at work to make a great show.

And last but most certainly not least is the youngest of the family Katelyn who is one of the happiest people in the show, Katelyn always has a huge smile on her face a brightens all our days!

Hi my name is Katelyn Hall. I have being doing Panto for 5 years. I love singing and dancing in front of all the people. I am the youngest of the Hall family and I am performing with my two olðr sisters and older brother who all also go to CADA with me!

A pre show photo of Emily and Jennifer!

Kevin is keeping it real this year!!!

Kevin is one of our ensemble and I promise will have you all laughing all the way through the show!


Hi my name is Kevin and. I'm part of the senior chorus in this years Panto. Though I've performed in many shows before this is my first pantomime with CADA. At first I thought it might be awkward being the new guy but everyone has made me so welcome. I'm studying commerce with French in U.C.C. and it has been tiring to have lectures all Day and then to go straight to rehearsals for the evening but I really look forward to coming in each day. Not too fond of having to microwave mammy's meals when I come home at night though I must say if you're reading this mum thanks for dropping me to rehearsals each day - any chance of a curry tomorrow night?
Hope you enjoyed reading my blog and can't wait to see you all at the show, only 2 days left!!!

Meet three of our Orlaith's

The most popular name in our Panto cast and crew this year is Orla/Orlaith! We have five involved in total and the three youngest have all got together to share today's blog post.

First up is our youngest Orlaith, Orlaith Murphy, Orlaith has lots to celebrate this Christmas as she has a very new baby sister Ciara who is only one week old. I'm sure Ciara will be appearing in Panto in years to come!

Hi I'm Orlaith, I am nine years old, this is my third year in Panto. I love being in Panto because you get to learn new songs and dances. I like making new friends. This years Panto is colourful, fun and enjoyable for all the family. I hope you all enjoy watching this years show as much as I love performing in it.

Have a merry Christmas!!!

Our second Orlaith is Orlaith Duggan, (you may have spotted her older sister Niamh posting here too, we have lots of Families in our Panto!). As well as appearing in previous pantos Orlaith was also in the children's chorus for the lavish, fantastic production of Pagliacci that ran in the Everyman palace earlier this year.


Hi Orlaith here.I'm 11 years old and I attend Bunscoil Rinn An Chabhlaigh in Cobh. This years panto will be my 5th panto with Cada. Not only do I love the performing part of the panto but i love being with friends and having fun.I started Cada when I was 4 years old and since then I have become a better performer and a better person. I attend drama, dance and musical theatre in Cada, its a blast. I always look forward to panto and I can't wait to get started on the 8th of december.

Have a nice Christmas and enjoy the show !!!!!!!!
Love Orlaithxxx

Our third Orlaith is one of our teenagers Orlaith Cahill who is popping up at various times in the show - you will have to keep a very close eye to make sure you always recognise her!

Hi my name is Orlaith Cahill. I'm fourteen years old and I'm in second year in St Angelas College. This is my fifth Panto and I've been in CADA for six years. I love performing in the panto because I've made so many new friends and I love being on stage. You will see me a few times throughout the show and I'll be quite "happy" in some scenes. I hope you enjoy the show, it will be amazing!

Another very talented Teen Vicki Purcell

Yet another of our very talented teenagers, Vicki Purcell wrote today's blog post.


 Hey I'm Vicki and im in second year in regina mundi. This is my eighth year doing panto and i love every minute of it. Pantomines always make my christmas but this christmas is going to be even better because the show is great this year. The principles and the ensemble are in every day and night working hard and its really paying off. Ive had a lot of long rehearsals lately perfecting every dance and they're all worth it because the dances are going to look amazing on the stage. I'll be appearing a couple of times during the show so look out for me. I'll be bringing a bit of sport to the panto.

8 days till we open don't forget to book your tickets HERE

Some of our teens are extra busy this week

A very special post today from one of our teenagers, Niamh Duggan has a very busy week this week because as well as all her Panto rehearsing she will be singing with her school choir on the Late Late Toy show on friday night along with another of our teenagers Rachel O' Donoghue.
Red Riding Hood is without doubt one of Niamh's favourite pantos!


Hi everyone Niamh here. I  am 15 years old and a Junior Cert student in St Aloysius College, Carrigtwohill. This year will be my seventh panto!  I couldn't be any more excited than I am now. This year the panto is Red Riding Hood which is quite sentimental for me as the last time Red Riding Hood was staged at the Everyman, four years ago (even though it feels like yesterday)  I  was one of the lucky young girls who played the magical part of  Red Riding Hood.  It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I have learned so much from that amazing time.  In fact I have learned something new in every panto, be it dancing, singing or acting. It is also brilliant to be working with a fantastic cast and crew and this year we have choreographer Darragh O'Leary on board who is choreographing the most amazing dances!  Rehearsals are very busy at the moment, as the 8th of December (opening day) is looming upon us, also with panto comes Christmas, so everyone is really excited Sometimes its hard juggling school with panto but I (or my Mom) always find a way around it even if it means bringing one or two books to rehearsals!  However, this coming Friday I'll be taking a break from study and rehearsals as I will be participating in the Late  Late Toy Show with my choir from school.  But bright and early Saturday morning its straight back to rehearsals! Anyway better get back to study while I have some free time which is pretty unusual for me as I am always on the go along with my younger sister Orlaith who is also participating in the Panto this year.   

 I hope you enjoy the show ! Oh and I know its a bit early but Merry Christmas!!!          

                 
Don't forget to book tickets here and make sure that you let us know what show you are coming to via  a comment here, our facebook page or twitter account so we can say hello!

Meet two more of our ensemble Sinead and Sophie

Sinead Donnelly and Sophie O Sullivan are both members of our ensemble this year. Both are transition year students in Scoil Mhuire and great friends too so much so that they have become known by some of us as "Sinophie", we thought it would be fun if they shared a blog post.

Hi everybody! I'm Sophie, I've taken part in 3 pantos in the Everyman Palace, however this is my first year as part of the senior ensemble! I'm loving every minute of it and our busy schedule is keeping us going non stop. Taking part in Red Riding Hood has come at the perfect time as I'm as transition year student in Scoil Mhuire and they encourage us to grab any opportunities we get! It's an absolute priviledge and pleasure to work with our fantastic choreographer Darragh O'Leary , the routines are energetic and anyone who goes to see panto will enjoy them, no doubt! I'm delighted that the cast are as friendly as they are, I'll be spending a lot of time over Christmas with them! With only two weeks left to opening night rehearsals are in full swing and the excitement is building, I can't wait to take the show to the stage and I'm certain everyone will enjoy seeing it as much as we're all enjoying working on it! Speaking of rehearsals, off I go again, Bye! Sophie 

Hi all, I'm Sinead Donnelly. I'm 16, I'm a 4th year student in Scoil Mhuire. I'm a member of the ensemble in this production of Red Riding Hood.

Its my third pantomime, and my first time in the ensemble. I was so nervous starting off because I knew it would be such hard work and even harder knowing that we were to be choreographed by Daragh O'Leary. 
I was also very nervous because when I was younger I'd luck up to the ensemble and now being in it puts the pressure on. 
It's about two weeks to opening night and its getting intense. Its been such a thrilling experience watching the production come together. The days are long, thankfully I'm in 4th year so I don't have much to be worried about as regards to school. 
I can't wait to start getting our costumes. The dance numbers and songs are so good and great fun. I hope the audience enjoys them as much as we enjoy performing them.
I'm very excited for the shows to start, hope ye all enjoy it. Merry Christmas! 

Dont forget to book your tickets here the show opens in less that two weeks!!!!

More photos from our Photo shoot

The pictures from the photos shoot are just so fantastic that we couldn't resist sharing some more of them.

One of our teenagers Eabha Landers

Hi everyone :) my name is Eabha. I'm thirteen years old and this is my 8th panto. This years panto is Red Riding Hood. its my favourite fairytale of all time, so when I heard that we would be doing it this year I was so exited! I LOVE being apart of the panto every year soooooooooo much, I think I would have a mental breakdown if I didnt do panto! It makes my christmas every year. I have made so many friends from the panto every year, and I've learned so much from the more experienced actors and dancers. My favourite part of the whole panto experience is performing on stage, when you know all of your hard work has paid off. Rehearsals are going great so far with everyone working so hard to make sure this is our best panto yet! i'm so excited that I'm counting down the days until opening night (8th of December)! It's a brilliant experience working on a professional show. I love working with all the cast and crew, everyone is so nice, friendly and they will always encourage you to do your very best. they're like family to me by now :)

Another of our Junior Chorus

Today's post comes form another of our Junior Chorus Abbie Palliser-Kehoe. Abbie is 8 years old and in second class in Carrigaline Educate together school and has been a student of CADA since she was 2.


Hi I am Abbie Palliser-Kehoe.I am 8 years old and I am in panto. I have been doing panto since I was 4. My very first ever panto was Red Riding hood too so i can't wait to see how this one turns out.
That is one of the 6 things I love about panto the rest are
2. you are performing
3. you always make new friends
4. you always work hard
5. everyone is super nice
6. you all get to be on stage

Red riding hoods this year are two of my good friends Faye and Molly, I bet they are working really hard and I cant wait to see them both.

remember you can buy your tickets for the panto here BOOK NOW!!!

Meet one of our Junior Chorus Caitríona Lane

Caitriona is one of our very hard working Junior chorus and has written a lovely post for us today.


Hi,
My name is Caitriona lane. I'm in fourth class in st. Michaels ns upper Glanmire. This is my second year in the panto. I love being in the chorus and I love going to rehearsals on a Sunday. I sometimes miss choir on Sunday's at mass in mayfield.

My cousin Faye got the part of Red Riding hood. She loves all the rehearsals. I miss Faye not being with me at rehearsals but I am happy for her that she got the part of red because she wanted it. I sometimes collect her from rehearsals so we can chat in the back of the car. I can't wait for the panto to start.


This is Caitríona with her cousin Faye (who is one of our two Red Riding Hoods)

Some photos from the photoshoot

We had a photo shoot yesterday in the forest and in the theatre, all the photos are great and we will share loads over the next few days,
More to come tomorrow!!

Meet Dominic Mc Hale aka the Woodcutter

Today's post comes from Dominic Mc Hale who is a fantastic new addition to our team this year, even though at this stage it is hard to remember that he is new

Day nine of rehearsals and I've really enjoyed the whole process so far. This is my first panto and I've gotta ay it is even crazier than I had imagined it would be! The show is coming together really nicely and I can't wait to bring it to the everyman stage.
Better get back to the forest!!!





remember to follow us on facebook and twitter here and here. and don't forget to book your tickets here

Meet some of our Junior chorus.

When auditioning for the junior chorus one of the first things everyone is asked to do is to introduce themselves and tell us whey they would like to be in the pantomime. Today two of our very talented group took a moment out from their rehearsal to tell us why they wanted to join in with all the excitement this year.

First up is the lovely Síomha Marron,

 then we have the gorgeous Emily Coleman who wrote her own rap!

We will have more of our Juniors very soon so make sure to check in every day!

Remember that you can follow us too on facebook here on twitter here and dont forget to book your tickets to see our fantastic show HERE

Meet another of our ensemble April Kelly

Today's post comes from our wonderful ensemble member April Kelly. Some of you may have spotted April as a beautiful princess outside Brown Thomas, Cork last night for the turning on of the Christmas lights.

Hey everyone :) I'm April, this is my tenth panto here at the Everyman and fourth time taking part in the ensemble. But im no stranger to the stage ive performed in various productions throughout cork since the age of four. Taking after my mum, I'm a professional makeup artist/nail technician/fashion consultant, I run my own little business called vous etes belle, I'm coping well with work and rehearsals as I work a lot of mornings and afternoons and rehearse in the evenings. Rehearsals are going great so far, I'm really enjoying working with everyone, old faces and new. We took to the streets of cork (in full costume) yesterday to promote the panto, i loved seeing how excited the kids got when they saw us, even the mums and dads got a kick out of it. Its great to see how one chat smile or wave can seem to brighten up their day. I'm off to rehearsals now, the hard work never ends but it's so worth it :) Bye for now
April

Meet Clodagh Downey

Todays post comes from our principal girl Clodagh Downey, Clodagh is a second year nursing student in UCC. While this is Clodagh's first time being cast in a lead role some of you may have seen Clodagh last year when she had to understudy our fairy at very short notice.

Hey!! I'm Clodagh, and I am a 2nd year Nursing Student in UCC. This is going to be the 13th pantomime that I'll have performed in and I'm really excited! I am taking the role of principal girl which is a first for me and I'm delighted, because its something I've dreamed to be since I stepped out on the stage at 5. Yesterday the cast had a day off... However I was working in the hospitals doing my placements til 8:30. Juggling all the rehearsals and placement (and sleep!!) is a task but I wouldn't change it for the world. Meeting the cast and crew, some old and some new faces,  and working with such a wonderful team is an honour.
Looking forward to another day of being worked to the bone by the production team, Darragh and Eamon, but I must learn my lines/songs first! 

You can follow us on twitter here or on facebook here

Our show opens in the Everyman Palace Cork on December 8th and runs until January 6th tickets can be booked here 

How it all happens

As all the cast and crew are having a well earned day off today we wont have a cast/crew member blog post but you might like to know something about how the whole process of putting on a panto happens.
Work begins on the show from the moment that the curtain goes down on the previous years show and keeps going right until the curtain goes down on the final show.
When the title is decided then the months of planning start and the creative team is assembled. Every year the creative team is made up of a mixture of those who have worked on the previous show, or other shows with us in the past and some new faces too. With the creative team in place then our scriptwriter starts his work in consultation with the director and the casting starts. Like our creative team our cast this year is also made up of familiar faces and new additions to the team. Some of our team have literally worked their way up through the ranks in panto having started out in the junior chorus, moved on to one of our teenage roles and then into the ensemble and this year will be appearing in lead roles.
One of the biggest audition days for the panto is the Sunday in October that we audition for our junior chorus and teenagers and some of the best moments happen on that day. We will be featuring some of our juniors here on the blog over the next few weeks and we may even have some video snippets for you. This year we auditioned in excess of 100 children and teens, some as young as 4 years old as well as auditioning for our ensemble, all in one day!
Our Junior chorus rehearse every sunday from the middle of October until the dress rehearsals and they are already looking and sounding fantastic. Their numbers are certainly going to be showstoppers!

The last few weeks before our first script read through really keep all the creative team busy, getting the plans together for the whole look of the show with set designs and costume designs, finalising the script, and picking all the music for the show so that when  the whole team meets up together everyone can have a picture of what the final show will look like. We had our script read through with all our cast and creative team present last Saturday and even from that alone it was very clear that we have the best show ever this year.

Our principal cast and ensemble rehearse for 8 hours a day 6 days a week, they started last sunday and will keep going until we open on December 8th. If they are not involved in the scene that is being rehearsed they are learning choreography or music. Our two red riding hoods, Faye and Molly, also have to stay on top of their school work and use the time between scenes to work on their homework. Faye always has her knitting with her too (as seen on our facebook at twitter pages yesterday).
Sometimes though there can be a little bit of mischief going on and if you leave a phone lying around some of the cast might just take some photographs of themselves with it. They might think twice before doing this again when they realise that these photos will end up on the blog ;-)

Having fun at rehearsals

You can follow us on twitter here or on facebook here

Our show opens in the Everyman Palace Cork on December 8th and runs until January 6th tickets can be booked here 

Meet our ensemble member, Brian Murray

Todays post is from one of our Ensemble, Brian Murray

Brian is in fifth year in Colaiste Choilm and has been a student of CADA since he was 8.

Hey guys Brian Murray here from the Ensemble of Red Riding Hood, we are now at the end of our fourth day here at Pantoland and we are already in full swing especially with our new choreographer Darragh we seem to be flying! 
This is my 8th Pantomine here at the Everyman Palace and I'm really excited to get back on stage this christmas! Rehearsals are intense now with less than a month until opening night. Balancing school, homework, rehearsals, food and sleep is an exhausting but rewarding task, I love the feeling of being busy and I trust that the next few weeks will be! Everyday I look forward to going to rehearsals because I love it so much it's more fun than anything!

If you have any questions for Brian just leave them in our comments and he will do his best to answer!

Check back in tomorrow and see who our next blogger will be!

From page to stage

You can follow us here daily as we transform our amazing script from the page to a fantastic not to missed show. We will have a post every day from a different member of our team, from cast to creative to crew. You can also follow us on twitter @redridingcork and Facebook (red riding hood cork).