Blog: Pantomime has finally made it to Moose Jaw, writes former Shropshire woman Rebecca Lawrence from her new home in Canada.

While this British tradition has been a part of Christmas and childhood memories for generations of Britons, the phenomenon is just beginning in Saskatchewan.

This Christmas, the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre, which houses the city’s beautiful historic theatre, the Mae Wilson, will hold its first panto.

The chosen tale is Cinderella, which I think will be a great way to introduce the audience to the delights of ‘he’s behind you’ and ‘oh no, he’s not’.

Graham Hall, who is the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre’s executive director, is British and has long wanted to bring a traditional panto to the city.

This year, he said, the timing is right.

He is hoping the slapstick and laughter will become a well-loved part of the Canadian Christmas, just as it is in the UK.

Obviously the audience might need a bit of help with the interaction and may have to be prompted to shout out but I’m sure they will get the hang of it.

Mr Hall has managed to find a director, Trudy Moffatt, of Diversified Productions, who has put on pantos in the UK as well as in Ontario so she knows how to adapt them for a Canadian audience.

The Ugly Sisters will be men in drag, Cinderella will be beautiful and Baron Hardup and Prince Charming’s sidekick Dandini will have the audience in stitches.

Youngsters from the city will also be involved as a local dance school has been asked to provide the chorus.

Moose Javians might at first feel the panto is aimed at children but I would advise them it’s for everybody.

One of the funniest things I remember from Shrewsbury’s pantomimes is when children are called up on to the stage. They always say hilarious things and never realise how amusing they are.

It’s also wonderful to watch children’s faces as they see the spectacle unfold and all the stupid things from water spraying to sweet throwing.

Pantomimes are performed in Canada but mainly on the East Coast and Vancouver and Mr Hall felt people in Moose Jaw were missing out.

But now the people of Moose Jaw are going to experience the comic tradition for themselves – and I hope they love it just as much as the British.

The Mae Wilson Theatre is certainly the perfect setting for a pantomime.

It often reminds me of Shrewsbury’s old Music Hall theatre. It still has many original features, including panels emblazoned with cherubs and an ornate plaster ceiling, mirrored pillars and tile floors in the lobby.

It was designed in 1913 as the Monarch Theatre but due to the first World War, it was not completed until the Allen Theatre Chain took over the project.

In 1916, the Allen Theatre was the largest theatre in Saskatchewan but in 1922, the name was changed to the Capitol Theatre. In 1929, it became Canada’s 21st theatre in the Famous Players Chain to receive Movietone and Vitaphone equipment.

From 1983, it was split into a 652- seat triplex and operated as the Capitol thre movie theatre until it closed in August, 2001.

In 2000, a feasibility study recommended incorporating two adjacent heritage buildings to create a new cultural facility for the town.

The Army and Navy department Store became a base for visual arts and the Capitol Theatre was transformed into a performing arts theatre. Funds were raised for construction to start in 2002 and the facility opened in 2003.

The theatre was named the Mae Wilson Theatre after the mother of Larry Wilson, the former Moose Jaw resident who bought the old Capitol Theatre for $350,000 and donated it to the cultural centre project. He died in 2002, shortly after he contributed the money.

It truly is a great asset to Moose Jaw and many acts come from all over Canada and beyond come to perform there.

Now the traditional pantomime will hopefully have its slot every Christmas – and future generations will remember heading to Moose Jaw’s theatre for their annual dose of slapstick and laughter.