h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I loved this article. I can really relate to this as I have been in our local panto almost every January for about the last fifteen years. I am happy to say that I have been booed as the baddie, cheered as a goodie, and had all manner of responses as the dame. But I think I got my best reception when playing Aladdin's jeanie, and opted to play it camp.

The point is, it's all very much down to the audience. We do four nights in a tiny venue that we can just about squeeze a hundred or so into, and it's therefore very intimate. You can guarantee that we will always have one night each year when 'the audience weren't very good'. All this means is that, although it turns out they all had a great time (oh yes they did), it wasn't immediately apparent from their participation and volume.

On these occasions we (the cast) feel somewhat let down. A bit cheeky really as it's our job to entertain. But, we reason, its the audience's job to make us feel good - and so they should. So, I think this article should be compulsory reading for all prospective panto audiences. They should know what's expected of them.