Both children took part in the St James’ Players pantomime for a few years, and in 2005 it became my turn, not on the stage, but behind the scenes. I was asked to help by the stage manager, who was a friend, and the first job I did for him was to make a couple of thrones for a king and queen. It was simple stuff, just a few pieces of plywood attached to plastic chairs along with a lick of paint and some fancy material. On stage, they looked the part and they were very serviceable. Later on, I was commissioned to make a little house which could be folded flat and I also assisted in making a coach for Cinderella, which sadly looked very much like a caravan. For a couple of years, it was also my job to open and close the curtains (sorry, ‘the reds’; the actors insisted on using odd phrases for commonplace objects) and to shift scenery. In the final year, I was also enrolled in painting the scenery, but this wasn’t my forte. In the end, my natural planning instincts were at odds with the artistic nature of the ‘luvvies’, who appeared to thrive on being on the last minute with everything and relying on others to make things right on the night. I couldn’t work that way, so I left after the 2007 performance. (Oh, yes I did!)
