Music and laughter, dance and song
Have you been to a pantomime?
It is a kind of theatre entertainment usually performed around Christmas and New Year. It is often referred to as a panto. It is meant for children. It is different form mime in the sense that there is a lot of action on-stage and for a panto to be successful you have to have a lot of audience participation.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane to see how pantos originated. In began in Ancient Greece and was known as pantomimos. It was usually performed by one dancer. However, in the Middle Ages, it developed into theatre called Commedia dell’arte. It told a story with certain characters. It evolved into being performed as a short entertainment between opera pieces. Until finally it became a separate show.
Today, the pantomime is a show for children. It usually tells the story that is popular and well known, like Cinderella, Musicians of Bremen or Puss in Boots and so on. There is a lot of conversation, music and sometimes the audience is called upon to join in.
The word search below contains the names of some well-known pantos. Use the pictures and the clues to find the names in the grid.