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Interviews
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Writer and Dame Simon Sladen talks to Andrew Pollard, the man at the helm of Greenwich Theatre's panto Andrew Pollard has, in many ways, been at the helm of the Greenwich pantomime since writing Aladdin for the theatre back in 2005. Taking time out of rehearsals - his lunch break in fact - we meet at the theatre he will soon call 'home' over the festive period. Pollard's panto lineage is an interesting one. After what Pollard describes as a "slew of commercial pantomimes" as Ugly Sister for Paul Hammond Productions, he worked at the Oldham Coliseum under Eric Potts, who now writes and appears in large commercial producer First Family Entertainment's pantomimes. "It was much more an ensemble piece at Oldham", explains Pollard. "I learnt a lot from Eric and I played Baddy for the years I worked with him." Whilst at Oldham, Pollard became privy to the magic of pantomime production as he undertook a quasi-apprenticeship, not dissimilar to Potts' 'training' under Kenneth Alan Taylor during his time at the Coliseum. Now retired from playing Dame, Alan Taylor still writes the annual Nottingham Playhouse pantomime and both Taylor and Potts, not forgetting Berwick Kaler at the York Theatre Royal and Pollard himself, demonstrate a trend of Dame as dramatist. But unlike Pollard, the others also direct. Would he ever consider directing? "Yes, I would," answers he. "It's interesting. It's a big task and there is a risk of something 'giving' if you're doing the triple threat" (Here meaning to write, direct and act, rather than being an equally strong performer in the disciplines of acting, singing and dance). He seems almost excited at the prospect, but is keen to add, "I love working with Steven [Markwick, musical director] and Kieron [Smith, director]. The collaboration thing is wonderful. What's fantastic about our creative team is that we all get on so well - it's also great socially." Do creative differences never arise? Pollard answers, jokingly: "We do battle with songs quite a lot!" At Greenwich, teamwork is key in ensuring the panto's success. "It is a group effort. I don't really do anything without consulting Kieron and Steven. I'll give them the first draft and then we pull it about a bit. We try to give everybody a moment and try and be fair." But how did he get involved with the Greenwich Theatre's annual pantomime? After all, Greenwich is a long way away from Oldham. "It was through Hilary Strong, who used to run the theatre. She also used to be the general manager of a company called the Natural Theatre Company based in Bath" of which he was a member for seven years. "We toured all over the world doing comic impro and stuff and then we'd do small scale shows in the winter." His time with the company gave him the perfect grounding in many of the skills needed for pantomime. "I wrote a couple of kids things for them and then, after a period of London Bubble at Greenwich, she decided to have a change." The rest, as they say, is history. Cinderella will be Pollard's fifth cross-dressed role at the venue and this year he's going back to his Ugly Sister roots - a decision that didn't come easily. "I did say at first that I'd have a year off because I wasn't sure what I'd play." Cinderella is always a difficult title for theatres lucky enough to have a strong Dame. Playing Sister and playing Dame, as many performers will tell you, is completely different; one is mumsy, warm and kind, whilst the other tends to be more abrasive, icy and spiteful. "We did talk about me playing the Fairy Godmother, but that would balance it the wrong way." There were even discussions about Pollard ditching Dame completely and taking up Buttons, but when fellow staple of the Greenwich panto Paul Critoph agreed to appear as his sister, the decision was made: 2010 would see them as Dannii and Cheryl, Cinderella's ugly, but comic, wicked stepsisters. "What's nice about it," comments Pollard, "is that the two Goodies are now Baddies. "Paul's really important to the panto here at Greenwich. We work really well together and he's a great foil and a great character actor in himself." Having appeared together in the last four Greenwich pantomimes, audiences have come to love the comedy duo. This year Cinderella is well and truly rooted in its community, taking place, as it does, in Greenwich. This gives residents a sense of ownership over the pantomime, having built up a strong relationship with the members of the team that return year upon year. Although actors are important, for Pollard the story is always the star. But what ingredients are needed for the perfect panto? "Plotting it is important, the story arc must be right. Comedy is a big second. And the right balance of music is important too", he explains. But is there a future for the British tradition? "It's a live experience and as society becomes more and more technological, these experiences become more precious. That passion for live experience will never go away," says Pollard, a man who embodies the true spirit of pantomime. "Panto is extremely important to me. It's a big part of my year. As soon as I finish one year, or even before I finish, I'm thinking about the next and it is with me year round. I love it. It's ingrained in me really!" "Cinderella" runs from 25th November 2010 - 9th January 2011 at the Greenwich Theatre.
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