‘Regular pantos are actually more crude and smutty. With this, you have to have this certain mindset to appreciate it’
Vince Matfin performing in one of his company’s pantomimes(Image: Submitted)
A Hull theatre company which prides itself on inclusivity and giving everyone the chance to perform is seeking wannabe actors for its “adult” pantomime – coming to Hull this Christmas. On the Edge Community Arts and Drama, based in Orchard Park, will be putting on two pantomimes in November, one aimed at kids and the other to entertain the grown ups. Vince Matfin, creative director, is seeking two stars for his upcoming panto Jack And His Beanstalk.
Vince said: “I grew up with Frankie Howard and Les Dawson, and with those sorts of people, it was as dirty as your mind wants it to be. We say adult panto because then we can get away with the innuendos and double entendres. Regular pantos are actually more crude and smutty.
“With this, you have to have this certain mindset to appreciate it. The company has done an adult panto for the last seven years. It will be performed at an as-yet-to-be-announced venue in Hull. Vince’s company prides itself on inclusivity and welcomes people from all walks of life to come and have a go.”
Vince added: “We don’t always want people with experience, we want to bring people in to give people a chance. One of my lead singers is blind – he opened Calendar Girls a few years ago.
“We don’t judge you on your acting abilities, we judge you on having a laugh. I don’t ask people if there’s something wrong with them, unless I need to know. We have a non-label policy, when you walk through the door we don’t put a label on you.
“Gay, straight, curious, if it doesn’t affect what you’re doing, we don’t need to know. We don’t use people as a tick box. We’ve had some lads come in who are straight as anything outside, and inside they are camp as Christmas. You can let yourself go. It’s not crude or smutty; some of the actors grandmas come to see it.”
The company is after two characters for their upcoming pantomime, and plan to start rehearsals as soon as the roles are filled. The panto will take place in November and rehearsals will be on Thursday evenings at the Orchard Park site.
Vince said: “We are after two characters. Dino is a young guy who has been on the TV show ‘Fame Factor’, but was caught smoking in his dressing room and he’s gone on a runner and meets up with Jack. Jack is the only gay in the village and the fairies are quite excited because they haven’t had a gay wedding before.
“Then there’s Fleshcreep, a typical panto villain. He has his eyes set on Dino. It’s not crude or smutty, it’s all tongue in cheek. We did this one five years ago. Fleshcreep was Karl Hudder, the then Lord Mayor’s husband. They are basic roles, not hugely difficult. When you say ‘adult panto’, people are not sure, but it’s not hard, you can get away with murder if you forget your lines!”
The company has been a support network for a diaspora of people in Hull. One member, Wayne, has epilepsy, and has enjoyed acting in the plays for years. “The audiences we have know we have members on stage that might have issues,” Vince said. “Our audience is very forgiving. Our final night each time, a group of guys come. One of them joined us a couple of years ago because he enjoyed it so much. Only his husband knew he was on stage, we kept it a secret. Terry, who plays the dame, is 69 this year. He’s great at playing the panto dame. I do rotate our actors around. Sometimes you’ll be a bad guy, I don’t like people being stereotyped.”
The parts are open to any age, as long as the actors are over 18. And Vince even produces scripts, with coloured overlays and dyslexia-friendly fonts, to make them easy to read. He is altering his sound and lighting equipment so they can be operated by anyone with an iPad, meaning those with mobility issues can have a role in production. He said: “Everyone is part of it. I don’t like having an SEN group. As much as they are a good thing, I don’t like to separate people, because the moment you do that, you’re saying you’re in that group because you’ve got problems. Everyone helps each other out.”
Vince is originally from the south of England, but moved to Hull with his partner 27 years ago. He is a mainstay in the city’s amateur dramatics scene, and says there are many groups now for people to join. “It’s been hard work but it’s fun. People come to us, get the experience and confidence and move on.
“One girl joined us a few years ago, she was dragged along by a neighbour and did a murder mystery, then stayed with us for four years. She said the one thing she got out of doing panto was the confidence boost. That’s that thing with theatre, with all the companies throughout the city, it’s that confidence that you get doing drama. You don’t have to be you, you can be someone else. There needs to be more of it.”
Vince prides himself in offering affordable tickets, meaning some families get the chance to take children to see panto for the very first time. The children’s show takes place during the day, and the adult panto during the evening. Information about tickets and venues will be announced later in the year. Anyone interested in finding out more about taking part can contact On The Edge Community Arts and Drama on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ontheedgecommunityartsanddrama , or contact Vince directly: ote.hull@gmail.com
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