The Story of Pantomime

Speaker: Malcolm Jones

A very British art form

Sometimes called Britain’s greatest art form, pantomime has been a popular form of entertainment for over 300 years.

In the early 18th century, the word was used to describe the performances at Drury Lane Theatre based on the Italian Commedia Dell’arte. In the 18th century it was often seen as an opportunity for political satire, but it is through the 19th century the fairy-tale story plots were established and the extrovert Music Hall entertainers created the traditions that we know as the Christmas pantomime today.

Our speaker, Malcolm Jones, is an accredited lecturer at the Art Society. He also lectures on theatre and entertainment history. While at the Theatre Museum, Malcolm contributed as a speaker on theatre to many television and radio programmes. He has worked with Age Exchange Community Arts since 2000 on many creative arts programmes with older people and intergenerational film and theatre projects.

Zoom link

This is an on-line talk via Zoom. Members will be receiving their Zoom link via email.

Image credits

Speaker’s collection