Raiders of the Lost Panto 2020

With the staggering pressures faced by the arts around the world, UpShoot Theatre Company remains determined to produce work this year.

Our first thought in April 2020, after the news had sunk-in, the shock had softened and restrictions looked immovable, was let’s perform outside as soon as we can, this led to the development of ‘Garden Theatre’, which performed seven shows at six outdoor venues in North Suffolk, during early September 2020, to sold out socially distanced audiences.  

‘Christmas is usually a very hectic time for us,  UpShoot have produced the pantomime for the Fisher Theatre in Bungay for 3 years running, with the onset of the second lockdown all we could see ahead was a gaping hole in the traditional Christmas.  As theatre giants were forced to drop their Christmas Panto plans due to the enormous financial risks involved in going ahead, we thought we have to do something, and the idea of the ‘Lost Panto’, was conceived. A slightly shorter but very traditional Christmas show, jam-packed with panto content, performed to a socially distanced audience with a small cast and fewer performances.

Peter Pan was planned for this year, Laila France, a long-time Indiana Jones fan, couldn’t stop thinking of Raiders of the Lost Ark, her go-to movie when times were hard, and Jones’s quest to stop the precious ark falling into the wrong hands suddenly gave birth to an idea -  Panto this year was almost totally lost like the ark, and so Peter Pan had to save it from falling into oblivion, which became the hands of the dastardly Captain Hook! And why did Hook want panto wiped-out? Because he was tired to his back-teeth of that ticking crocodile coming after him year after year.

The Fisher Theatre (Bungay Arts & Theatre Society) are collaborating with UpShoot Theatre Company in managing the financial risks of bringing Panto to our community this year. We are also supported by local businesses who are sponsoring giveaway tickets for selected shows.