Stewartstown prepares for Humpty Dumpty and the Magic Wall

‘Humpty Dumpty and the Magic Wall’ to be staged at the Burnavon, Cookstown is being performed with the usual verve, sparkle and fun for all the family by the Dramatic Society.

The annual family pantomime has become a real event in the local calendar with many a local face appearing in various guises!

Roisin McGrath is one such face. Roisin brought her daughter Eleanor along to panto a few years ago and was persuaded to take a small part as a gorilla.

Although she had never acted before she really enjoyed it and subsequently played the part of the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland and progressed to take a main role as the evil Queen in Snow White. Roisin says, ‘I really enjoy the pantomime as I’ve met a lot of people and it’s a great way to pass the winter the months. There is a fantastic buzz on the days of the performances and to see the delight on the faces of the children in the audience is wonderful. I’d encourage anyone with an interest in drama to come along.’

Stewartstown Dramatic Society has been providers of panto for many years and while the well-practiced team take it very seriously, there is a real fun family atmosphere at the shows behind the scenes as well.

This year’s panto with a cast of adults and many children from the area appearing tells the tale of Humpty Dumpty. The Kingdom of Eggstonia is happy and carefree and legend says its’ happiness will continue as long as Humpty Dumpty remains locked inside a giant egg, which sits on a Magic Wall created by Fairy Soufflé. But in this imaginative twist on the traditional nursery rhyme story, everything changes when Witch Salmonella returns and frees her servant Humpty from the egg. Salmonella demands that King Benedict hands over his crown to her, but he bravely refuses and orders the army to piece Humpty’s shell together again and restore Fairy Soufflé’s spell.

Directed by Hilary McCammon, you can be assured of wonderful costumes, amazing sets, great music, and lots of laughs making this traditional festive pantomime unmissable entertainment for the whole family!

Whether it’s on stage, back stage or as part of the audience, you’ll be able to experience the magic this holiday season as the panto will be performed over three weekends in January, with Friday night performances starting at 8pm, and Saturday matinees at 2pm and evening performances at 7.30pm. Tickets, priced £10, are on sale now from the Burnavon Box Office in person at the Burn Road, Cookstown, by telephoning 028 8676 9949 or online at www.burnavon.com