A Piccolo Panto Dame

The Panto Dame is one of the most loved characters in every panto Piccolo Theatre has produced. She's bawdy, flirtatious, big-hearted, and doesn't mind being the butt of everyone's jokes. She is also usually the first character to connect with the audience and her goofy charm welcomes everyone into the fractured and fun world of the Panto. Piccolo has had the good fortune of having three extraordinary men step into this role. Artistic Director John Szostek, Ensemble Member Glenn Proud and Piccolo's dear friend Andrew Roberts have all donned massive amounts of makeup to hit our stage as Panto Dames.

John Szostek as the Dame in Piccolo's 2005 Panto, Mr. Punch or Jack and the Blase Bride
All photos in this post by rep3.com














I recently talked to Glenn Proud, director of Robin Hood: The Panto! about his experiences playing the Dame at Piccolo pantos Sinbad and Robinson Crusoe. I think you'll get a kick out of his responses.


Denita: As an actor, why is playing the Dame attractive to you?
Glenn: The attractive thing about playing the Dame is that you as an actor can really do NO wrong. She's a character that lives both in and outside of the world of the play, which provides an actor the freedom to stop the action and take control of the stage. It's role that's well suited for a "Ham" actor. Who doesn't love getting laughs and attention?

Denita: Which Dame was your favorite to play?
Glenn: Dame Emphasema from Sinbad.

Glenn Proud as Emphasema














Denita: Did you research any famous Dames to prepare yourself for the roles? If so, who influenced you?
Glenn: I always do research when preparing for a role, and past Dames are my biggest inspiration for my style of make-up. The influences for the Dame characters I create are Monty Python (anytime the men play the women), Hyacinth Bucket from Keeping Up Appearances, Mrs. Slocombe from Are You Being Served?, and countless crazy old women that I've studied while working in a doctors office for ten years.

Denita: What is the biggest challenge for an actor playing the Dame?
The biggest challenge I had was overcoming my fear of talking directly to the audience in the opening monologue of the shows.

Denita: What is the funniest thing that happened to you on stage while playing the Dame?
Glenn: That's a really hard question. I can't really isolate a specific instance, but the most fun I had was working with my wife, Deborah in Sinbad. She played the character Sinbad and I was playing Emphasema. There were some great moments where we'd start to bicker at one another in "character" and she once called me out in front of the audience for referring to her as a "Her" when in fact she was playing a "He." The entire audience started laughing including Deborah. I could just feel my face blushing from under all that makeup. I was speechless for once in my life.

Denita: Is there anything specific that you do/did to get ready to prepare yourself to go on stage for performances?
Glenn: I'm a rather "method" actor when it comes to my process, and once I have all my makeup and hair in place, and in my dress, I'm in character till the end of the evening. I play a lot of grab ass backstage, it helps keep the character feisty.


To see the hilarious Andrew Roberts play the Dame in this season's Robin Hood: The Panto!, check out our final weekend of performances.

Andrew Roberts as Bess Flatbottom in Robin Hood: The Panto!