Uncommon Folk
The world of folklore is a diverse, thriving mix of ancient traditions, old gods, strange beasts and curious tales.
Every land has their own folk traditions, and while some themes are universal, each has something special about them that makes them unique.
Join stand-up comedian, writer, and folklore PhD candidate Dan Mitchell as he dives into the dark oceans of folk, hoping to find a never before found denizen of the deep. Featuring exclusive interviews with academics, folklorists, scientists, poets, magical practitioners, and many more special guests from around the world, Uncommon Folk hopes to unearth the bones of folklore and resurrect them with incantations long forgotten.
From deep dives to short nuggets, Uncommon Folk will enlighten, enthuse, and entertain the folk community.
Uncommon Folk
Uncommon Folk 31 Days of Winter- Pantomime
Discover the enchanting world of pantomime, a theatrical tradition that's as British as a cup of afternoon tea. Ever wondered why a young woman plays the principal boy or why the pantomime dame is always a man in drag? We're unveiling these intriguing customs and more in our latest episode. From slapstick comedy to audience interaction, pantomime is a whirlwind of laughter and nostalgia, perfect for both seasoned theatergoers and newcomers alike. You won't want to miss the fascinating history and evolution of pantomime, tracing its roots from Roman theater to its vibrant presence today.
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pantomime. Now, pantomime is a very familiar form of theater. Um, it's very familiar, I say, to the people of the uk and certainly of um other-speaking regions. It's a form of musical comedy, stage production and it's designed specifically for family entertainment. I mean, it may have begun in England but it has its sort of influences from Roman theatre and commedia dell'arte and it has changed significantly over the years. It's not just a tradition, it's. It's often um children's first sort of experience of theatre and it's very broad strokes and often built on familiar stories, folk, folk tales, fairy tales, even nursery rhymes like Mother Goose Stories, like more and more they've become the sort of grim fairy tales or even Aladdin, anything that's been Disney-fied that people will recognise, although there have been many, many variations over the years. But the fact is, pantomime in other places not away from the British Isles, pantomime often means miming, but here is a very specific form of entertainment and it has lots and lots of different conventions and these are all based on tradition and and um really, really important to the whole thing. And it's because these are so recognizable, these tropes are recognizable, that it becomes a sort of like uh, it's not just something you watch, it's something you become involved in and there are calls and responses, which I'll get into in a second. But there are a lot of conventions. Um, for example, the male juvenile, the leading male juvenile character, the principal boy in things like Dick Whittington or Peter Pan even, is traditionally played by a young woman. She'd dress in male garments, usually breeches, and her romantic partner is usually the principal girl, who would be female. Now there are pantomime dames. Pantomime dames who's an older woman, often the hero's mother or someone he works along or something like that, usually played by a man in drag. They are full of risque, double entendre, innuendo, coming out, there he is, and this idea is that there are some jokes that the children will not get and that's specifically for the adults and some that are for the kids.
Speaker 1:The audience participation I said about that's included. You call, like when you see someone the bad guy approach you. He's behind you, or you might boo or you might hiss, and then the person on stage will go oh, respond with oh, no, he isn't, and they oh, yes, it is, and vice versa. There'll be lots of calls and response and they can make this last as long as they want, as long as the audience is laughing. Now.
Speaker 1:They often involve music usually well-known tunes and they often get dance troupes maybe local dance troupes to come in and do dance numbers for specific things. There's also usually an animal involved, whether it be a cow or horse, and this is played by two actors in an animal skin. You know one person in the back, one person in the front and most unconvincing animals you've ever seen. But all of these are part of the ritual. They have good fairies. They always enter from stage right. The villain always enters from stage left, so you know where to look for the good and the bad.
Speaker 1:There is slapstick comedy. There is, uh, all manner of traditions which, no matter what the story these will be involved as well will sit on a bench and sing a cheerful song about overcoming their fears and that they're in a scary place. And whilst they're doing this, a ghost will appear behind them. The characters will ignore the warnings from the audience, and this is where the it's behind you comes in. This character comes in and this is where the it's behind you comes in. This character comes in and, one by one, the characters see the ghost run off and at last, the dame and the ghost come face to face, and the ghost is often scared away by the frightful makeup of the dame, but that is a pantomime.
