Panto! is no longer available for free - but you can rent it above for a nominal fee.
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SYNOPSIS
BBC Storyville presents a Glimmer Films and Met Film Production
A film by Jeanie Finlay
2015. 71 Mins. Documentary
Ninety per cent of UK theatres stage an annual festive pantomime — from lavish, celebrity-studded spectacles to modest amateur productions held together by goodwill and grit.
This is the story of the latter.
A hilarious, heartfelt and quietly heartbreaking documentary follows a group of Nottingham amateur actors as they mount their own production of Puss in Boots.
As arts funding is slashed and survival becomes an annual battle, this small community theatre must conjure full costumes, scenery and spectacle on a shoestring budget. What unfolds is chaos, comedy, malfunctioning pyrotechnics, a donkey costume that reveals more than intended, and a production described by one cast member as “a greater challenge than Shakespeare.”
Beyond the laughs, the film reveals what the theatre truly means to those involved — a lifeline, a refuge, and a place where creativity and community endure against the odds.
★★★★ THE OBSERVER
★★★★ SUNDAY TIMES
Critic’s Pick: DAILY MAIL, THE TELEGRAPH, TV TIMES, WHAT’S ON and TOTAL TV GUIDE