FDS - The Sleeping Beauty poster

The Sleeping Beauty star

A pantomime by Ben Crocker
Friday 27 January 2023 - Sunday 29 January 2023
& Friday 3 February 2023 - Saturday 4 February 2023
The Elms Primary School (was Faringdon Junior School),
The Elms, Gloucester Street, Faringdon SN7 7HZ
Directed by Helen Thrower
Producer: Debbie Lock
Musical Director: Duncan Sinclair

Performances start 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Doors open 30 minutes earlier. Each performance lasts approximately 2½ hours. Matinées on Saturdays and Sunday.
Tickets: Adult £12. Child (under 16) £6. No concessions. Each adult ticket includes a programme.
Tickets were available from our Online Box Office.

Sleeping Beauty is a classic fairy tale which involves a beautiful princess, a sleeping enchantment, and a handsome prince.

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In this version of the story King Norbet and his wife Queen Dorothy finally are granted their wish of a daughter. When she is born, alas, they have not invited the bad fairy Carabosse to their celebration. Annoyed that she, and her cat Spindleshanks, are not invited she curses the Princess Aurora to prick her finger on a spindle and die! Fortunately Fairy Peaceful had not granted her wish yet so is able to alter this to sleep for a hundred years instead, to be woken to the kiss of a true Prince – however, no princesses were harmed in this production.

Lots of action for a busy chorus. Two clever cats, one good one bad. The most fierce and hissable Carabosse you will ever see. Loads of great comedy and absolutely fantastic music performances. All in all, an enchanting love story over the course of one hundred and eighteen years.

starRegional NODA awards for 2022-23 – The Nigel Gravette Award for Best Performance in a Pantomime – District 12 winner: Bex Hutchins as King Norbert in Sleeping Beauty.

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Photographs by Anna Marlow & Paul Mountford-Lister

This panto, by a different author, was performed by FDS in 1997.

Cast (in order of appearance):

Billy (The Royal Butler) - Lu Waywell
Bob (Billy’s Lackey) - Dexter Kent*
King Norbert - Bex Hutchings
Queen Dorothy - Verity Roberts
Kitty - Annabel Whalley*
Fairy Peaceful - Vicky Edmonds
Fairy Graceful - Byron Pound
Fairy Beautiful - Heather Kent*
Fairy Thoughtful - Kayleigh Booth
Carabosse - Jacob Bayliss
Spindleshanks - Jade Atkinson*
Princess Aurora - Kia Howard
Prince Orlando - Abby Valentine
Little Fairy - Tatum Rowley*
Ladies in waiting (for Queen) - Laura Kent; Jayne Hoyland; Katherine Miller; Rachel Bowers
Ladies in waiting (for Aurora) - Cecily Roberts*; Lauren Habgood*; Julie Childs
Courtiers/Rats - Bella Rowley*; Amber Allen*; Grace Hatliff*; Emilia Forth*; Jasmine Clark*
Band: Piano - Duncan Sinclair
Guitar - Richard Lock
Bass guitar - Mike Fraser
Drums - Nick Morris; Dave Martin
Woodwind - Debra Warner; Kara Allum

See programme for further details.

Production No.201 (7 shows were performed over 5 days)