Sinbad - The Dartmouth Pantomime from the Dartmouth Players
The Dartmouth pantomime this year is Sinbad, an adventurous and exotic tale written by Bill Hunt of the Dartmouth Players Theatre Group. Bill says “Sinbad appears in seven tales from the ‘Thousand And One Nights’ supposedly related by Scheherazade to Shahzenan, Sultan of the Empire of the Indies. I read all these tales when I was a child and re-visited them again to get a feel for the era but needed to develop a story that could be performed at the Flavel in Dartmouth, fit pantomime format plus utilising the talent of our potential performers.
Sinbad: the 2014 Pantomine from the Dartmouth Players
The inspiration for Bill's interpretation
A good opportunity arose when I visited my son in Los Angeles, earlier this year. He has a stone carving business over there and was being filmed for a television documentary to discover techniques used by the Nabataeans to make the magnificent ancient city of Petra in Jordan. He was working on a replica of a tomb façade using a huge piece of stone in a remote location high up a mountain near Santa Barbara. This was a really wild place, home to mountain lions, lizards and other creatures, which combined with the Pacific coast and outlying islands gave me inspiration for a new tale of Sinbad, mostly complete by the time I returned to the UK.”
Bill feels that pantomime is a much under rated art form that can provide a unique platform for imagination and creativity. “We have characters like Sirenetta who is a sea nymph and a sorceress. She is the leader of the Sirens and the pantomime villain. This is not an ugly witch in black but a glamourous being who can lure sailors to their death on the high seas. She lives on an island protected by the giant Kali, a lizard like monster. Sirenetta is determined to steal the Cobra Jewel from the Caliph of Baghdad and his beautiful daughter Yasmin. The Jewel contains magical properties that Sirenetta can use to gain immense power.”
Using technology to steer the artform in a new direction
So how can all this be brought to a small hall in Dartmouth? “There are a number of elements that come together at performance. One of these is affordability of HD digital filming and editing software technology that can provide things we could only dream of years ago.” With over 50 years theatre experience behind him in both acting and directing Bill has been involved in a very wide, range of drama projects. As a director his aim is to pass on a little of this experience to new generations but he is also keen to keep learning and developing new skills himself. “Within the last couple of years I have been interested in film making, particularly feature film that utilises my theatre background.” With his partner Linda Churchill he has formed ‘Dare 2B Different Productions’ with the aim to write screen plays and produce small scale films. Dartmouth Players benefits from the use of equipment and editing software plus Bill’s growing knowledge and skills.
Sinbad - The Dartmouth Pantomime from the Dartmouth Players
“It’s not just about technology though” Bill says. “We are extremely fortunate to have the musical composition skills of Norman Cork. Every piece of music, song and lyrics are uniquely created for the Dartmouth pantomimes. This time Norman has produced a lot of music with Arabic rhythms and chords. Of course there are the traditional romantic and comedy songs but now and again there is the opportunity for something more. Where we have really good singers Norman produces musical sections that border on opera. I think this year’s audience will be impressed with Neptune’s court and parts of Sirenetta’s scenes.”
The collaboration between Bill and Norman has echo’s of Gilbert and Sullivan Victorian operettas. Gilbert created the libretto and directed whilst Sullivan composed the music and conducted the orchestra. In fact Bill’s first experience of theatre came from watching G & S Operettas. “My step Father had a great tenor voice and look the lead in local shows in Hertford which I watched from the age of four. I had to try on all his costumes when he brought them along prior to dress rehearsals, even though they were many sizes too big! I was stage struck before I had gone to school.” Gilbert and Sullivan may be long dead but Dartmouth now has Hunt and Cork creating very popular pantomimes every year at the Flavel.
Pantomime is an art form that uses all forms of stage craft, acting, singing, comedy and of course dancing. Bill continues “I have some background in music, as well as theatre but have struggled a bit with dance. This year we are delighted to be joined by the Dartmouth School of Dance under the direction of Jolene Wood. This will bring a new dimension to the production and means there will be around 27 people on stage at times. Of course this in itself presents challenges.
Everyone has at least 2 costume changes and getting people, props and bits of scenery on stage at the right time, in the tiny backstage area at the Flavel is little short of a miracle. I am very fortunate to have some great people around, particularly Julie Tomkinson. Julie is not only playing the title role of Sinbad but she is also the production manager which means she is working hard every single spare moment to source everything. I am sure audiences have no idea of the hard work and commitment that it takes to get shows like this on stage with minimal resources.”
Live music for the show is provided by Norman Cork on keyboard, Bill on trumpet and this year they will be joined by Jessica Heywood on cello. Bill says “We are delighted to be joined by Jessica this year whose daughter Freya is playing the comedy part of Tinbad the Tailor.”
Sinbad has been in rehearsal since September. There is a charity performance organised in conjunction with the Flavel Church leaders on the 27th December followed by 4 performances from the 28th to the 31st December 2014. Tickets are going fast via the Flavel box office (01803 839530) or on line. More information and on-line ticket booking link at www.dartmouthplayers.org.uk.