WITH just over a month to go before Jack and the Beanstalk opens at Weymouth Pavilion, the pantomime’s producers are pulling out all the stops to get everyone involved.

Following the success of Panto Factor, an X Factor-style series of auditions to choose the actors for the key roles of Princess Apricot and Jack, they have invested £15,000 in an education roadshow for primary and secondary schools in the area.

Show producer Jamie Alexander Wilson of Magic Beans Pantomimes said: “I have a background in education and wherever we work we aim to develop audiences and artists of the future.

“The sooner we can expose young people to live theatre the better and it is important to get people engaged. I firmly believe that pantomime should be every child’s first experience of live theatre and the more families see the show, the more theatre audiences will be growing.”

During the week of November 26, Danny Mills and Paul Lawrence-Thomas, who play Dame Trott and Simple Simon in the show, will be visiting 15 primary school and giving one-hour shows to pupils explaining the history of pantomime.

The schools they will visit include Sticklands, Broadmayne, Loders and Holy Trinity in Weymouth.

Jamie said: “The shows are fun and loud and interactive and have been written specially for primary schools. They will give the children a bit of the history of pantomime, which can be traced back to ancient Greece but is also a uniquely British tradition that should be protected and kept alive.” Jamie is also visiting secondary schools and colleges and giving masterclasses to GCSE and A-level arts students.

He said: “It is all very well to go off to drama school and learn your Ibsen and Shakespeare, but when you are acting it is panto at Christmas that makes you the money.”

There are still some places available for the primary schools workshops and secondary school masterclasses – full details are available from weymouthpanto.com

Jack and the Beanstalk is at Weymouth Pavilion from December 15 to January 6. Two special school matinees are taking place at Weymouth Pavilion at 10.30am on December 18 and 19. There will be discounted tickets – visit weymouthpanto.com for details or call 01305 783225.