Guildford Fringe Theatre Company Will Present PINOCCHIO GETS WOOD Online Panto

Guildford Fringe Theatre Company's production team is busy working on the final preparations for its forthcoming show, Pinocchio Gets Wood the ONLINE Adult Panto, which will run from Thursday 10 - Saturday 12 September. Due to the current restrictions affecting live performance, the panto will be like no other show the company has ever delivered, and it presents its own unique challenges.

The cast will perform live on stage at The Back Room of the Star Inn in Guildford with full set, props, costumes, singing and dancing. However, there will be no live audience. Instead, the show will be live streamed to ticket-holders in the safety and comfort of home, or wherever they choose to watch.

To deliver the show in this unusual way, the producers have had to research and invest in new technologies, including TV software. They have also had to learn about techniques using multiple cameras to show the production as its best. To ensure the very best superfast broadband and uninterrupted signal, they have also spent lots of time moving and testing the venue's modem.

On 28 August, the cast will start rehearsals. The safety of the cast and crew is crucial, and so the audience may spot that the biggest thing missing is human connection as the cast will not be touching one another. The producers are planning to use clever camera angles to make this look less noticeable. To minimise the number of people on stage, the professional cast comprises of just four actors - Andrew Franklin, Tamsin Lynes, Daniel Page and Rachel Warrick-Clarke - who will 'double up' and play various extra roles.

All ticket holders will be sent a questionnaire, so that some of their answers can be included in the show. Although there will not be two-way audience and cast communication during the show, it will feel interactive with the cast encouraging the audience to shout at their TV screen in true panto style!

Managing Director, Nick Wyschna, said: "Putting the show on in this way comes with its challenges but we had the choice between trying something new or not doing it at all and the second option really wasn't ever an option! We have always prided ourselves for thinking on our feet and being innovative and that's what I think we have done here. If, like me, you miss theatre so deeply this is without doubt the next best thing to sitting in the stalls. All theatre producers are in the same boat but I really feel everyone is doing their best to keep the arts alive. This show is going to be as good as any other Adult Panto we have produced, the cast is just sublime. Please book your tickets and join us online for some proper belly laughs!"

Guildford Fringe had already sold tickets for planned performances of the show in July with a live audience in the theatre. When that had to be cancelled, 90% of those bookings didn't ask for a refund but wanted to support the company and the show and didn't want to miss out. The company hopes that the online aspect will make it easier for people who are not local to Guildford to watch and that it may even go global!

Pinocchio Gets Wood the ONLINE Adult Panto runs from Thursday 10 - Saturday 12 September at 8pm with tickets available from GuildfordFringe.com. Tickets - strictly for the grown-ups - are £14 per device and the producers ask that no more than 2 people watch on each device. There is a £28 ticket for households of more than 2 people watching together.

The show is produced and directed by Nick Wyschna, with script by James Chalmers and songs by Nick Wyschna and James Chalmers.

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