PANTOMIME: A VERY BRITISH FEAST – A lecture presented by The Arts Society Ealing - Monday 25 November 2024

Over 2500 years in the making, the great British pantomime is a very potent brew indeed. Mix the earliest Greek and Roman drama with commedia dell'arte and medieval morality plays, then stir in a sprig of C17th masque, a dash of C18th harlequinade and a hefty shot of Victorian music hall and, hey presto, you have the modern Christmas pantomime. (Oh no you don't!).

Giles Ramsay is an independent theatre director and producer who specialises in creating new work with artists in developing countries. He is the Founding Director of the charity Developing Artists, a Fellow of St. Chad's College, Durham University and is a Course Leader in Theatre at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Giles has run theatre projects in Botswana, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Kosovo, Palestine, Mexico, Thailand and Zimbabwe. He has given numerous talks for institutions ranging from The Foundation for Mexican Literature in Mexico City to The Royal College of Physicians in London. He regularly lectures on the history and practice of theatre on the Queen Mary 2.

This talk is at 7:30pm on Monday 25th November at Barnabas Church Hall, Pitshanger Lane, Ealing W5 1QG.

Visitors are welcome to attend at £8 per lecture (£3 for students); payment can be made in cash or by card on the evening.