Botley Community Theatre
Botley Community Theatre |
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| A STAGE IN THE COMMUNITY...... December 13, 1991 saw the birth of the Botley Community Theatre with its first production “Champion the Panto Horse Saves Wonderland”. The conception took place many months before on a coach loaded with Botleyites returning from Skittles (bowling) evening in the wilds of West Oxfordshire. “Why don’t they do something to improve the stage at Botley School?” Asked one. “Then we might get people wanting to put on plays there.” Said an innocent mug. “It’d cost a lot”. Commented another. “We could put on some plays to raise the money”. Persisted the mug.” Go on then!” Challenged the first speaker, and the mug was trapped, caught by his own incautious mouth. There and then the idea began to grow,
everyone on the bus, eloquent after the evening’s imbibements, revealed which
pantomime character they always wanted to play. By the time the coach arrived at
the parade in Botley the egg had been fertilized and the first production had
reached its embryonic stage. Ray Stone, for it was he who was the mug, wrote and directed the first production which had a cast of over 50 and played to three packed houses, a total audience size of 600!!! Year after year the group’s confidence grew and grew, Each production was unique, original and some would say wacky. Though based on traditional panto plots or characters, the plot always took in local places or happenings. This eclectic combination has proved a winner with the folks of Botley who come back year after year to find out just what has been happening in pantoland. Sadly, 1995 was a Panto-less year for Botley, pressures of work and falling membership made it impossible to stage the show. However the group bounced back the following year to continue the ongoing work of raising money to improve the school stage and putting on the annual family pantomime. In 1999 the scene shifted to Matthew Arnold School, though still with the same aims. The writers also changed with James Greenan taking on the bulk of the work. For the Millennium, Adie Buck stepped up to the dual challenge of writing and directing, roles that he shouldered successfully again this year. BCT are now back at Botley School and after the successful 2005 production of Little Red Riding Hood, BCT went to the West-End in 2006 with their brand new Panto "The Phantom of the Pantomime", written by Adie Buck's. 2007's show is another
original script written by member's of the group, rumour has it that it is an
adaptation of a classic children's tale.
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