SOMEWHERE in the depths of rural Pembrokeshire lurks a lady in yellow with turquoise hair, lips like cochineal slugs on steroids and a penchant for rolling in the grass with pigs.

Enter the world of panto.

“Lloyd Grayshon is in his absolute element,” laughs Chelsey Gillard who is the artistic director of the Torch Theatre at Milford Haven.

“Last year he was a huge favourite with the audiences when he played the dad in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ so this year we decided that he should play the dame in ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’.  And he’s loving every minute – he’s even shaved his legs and painted his toenails to help him get into the role!”

No one can deny that staging a pantomime is one of the greatest challenges in the theatrical calendar, but when your task is to write it, cast it and direct your critical eye over every single aspect of its production, the job is mighty.  Once again this year, the task is being carried out by Chelsey.

“Yes, it involves a tremendous amount of work and a lot of pressure, as the pantomime is the main focal point of the entire year,” she said.

“And you can rehearse a panto as many times as you want, but when the curtain opens, you just never know what to expect from your audience.  This is why I often behave like an angry child when I’m directing, and the number of times I’ve heard our cast say, “And that child in Row C sounded exactly like you do in rehearsals” speaks for itself.”

This will be the second Torch pantomime written and directed by Chelsey, following last year’s hugely successful ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

“The wonderful thing about our audiences here in Pembrokeshire is that they really let us know what they think about a production,” she continues.

“Our box office staff have built up a strong relationship with our audiences, with the result that they hear first-hand what people think.  And obviously the audience’s participation is extremely important because it helps us to understand what people are enjoying as well as the things they don’t like.  You can just sense it.”

One of the requests from last year’s audience was for more ‘cheeky humour’.

“So needless to say, we’ve made sure that this year they’ll be getting plenty of it,” chuckled Chelsey.  “It’s almost as if the Torch is putting on a bespoke production, tailor-made for the Pembrokeshire audience.”

But it’s that instinctive understanding of an audience’s reaction that makes the panto challenge so invigorating for the entire production team.

“Obviously there are certain sections which rely on audience participation, and if the audience is a bit quiet, then the characters will have to work very hard to get them on board.

“Similarly, our dame occasionally homes in on an individual in the audience, but her job is then to try and gauge how far that individual can be pushed.  Can they go just that little bit further or should they hold back?”

In charge of the set and costume design is Kevin Jenkins and every costume has been handmade by Louise Sturley and maintained throughout the production by wardrobe mistress Wendy Haslam.

Even though the opening night isn’t until December 13, productions are already well underway for local primary schools throughout Pembrokeshire as well as a few schools in south Ceredigion and west Carmarthenshire.

“Approximately 4,000 children will have attended this year’s pantomime by opening night which is fantastic, when you consider that this could possibly be the very first live performance that many of them will have seen,” continues Chelsey.

“I can remember one of my very first visits to the pantomime when I was a child and even though I can’t remember which pantomime it was, I vividly remember the baddie – who I’m convinced was Jeremy Irons – and he made me cry my eyes out.  But I absolutely loved it and it opened up for me the absolute magic of the pantomime and the theatre.”

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ is being played by a professional company, although many of its actors have strong links with Pembrokeshire including Milford Haven’s Sam Freeman, Lloyd Grayshon who lives in Haverfordwest and professional dancer, performer and choreographer, Freya Dare.  Also taking part will be members of the Torch’s Youth Theatre (Years 5 and 6), who will be providing the voices of the Spirit of the Beans via recorded media.

“When you consider how hard the team has worked and how much they’ve achieved in such a relatively short space of time, you realise just how incredible they are,” Chelsey concluded.

“We had two and a half weeks in the rehearsal room, four days on the stage when we started putting everything together such as how to make the beanstalk work, how to set up the lights and the sound, ensure that the mics were all at the right level and throughout all this the cast are learning the songs, the dances, the words as well as getting to know each other as a company.

“They truly are a magnificent team to work with, and what they have created will hopefully show our audiences, both children and adults alike, the real magic of pantomime.”