And so we leave the Island of Abbadonia...

Pantomime is over for another year - oh yes, it is! - and we've been taking a bit of a break to recharge our batteries.

It's been an exciting, enjoyable and, at times, emotional ride to the shores of Abbadonia and back, and now we're raring to go again with our carnival routines and our early preparations for next year's pantomime.

Robinson Crusoe was a resounding success, and we had five brilliant audiences, whose warmth, laughter and applause kept us buzzing from start to finish. We couldn't have asked for a better atmosphere for our party in panto-land!

Positive feedback flooded in from curtain up at the first performance, and here are just a few of the things people have said about our 2014 pantomime, Robinson Crusoe...

"Great show on Saturday evening. My Mum and myself had a real good laugh. The pirates made our evening. everything else was superb."
- Gareth Hayles

"Thank you Wight Strollers for a fab Panto this afternoon, thoroughly enjoyed it - loved the pirates syncro swimming scene and Precious was brilliant."
- Christine Feltham

"Wow, just wow - you were all absolutely amazing, I really could not stop laughing! Each & every one of you on stage & behind the scenes deserve a great big round of applause. After Sleeping Beauty last year, I thought it would be a tough act to follow, but you did it again."
- Claire Barry

"The family haven't laughed so much in ages...I would highly recommend it. A truly hilarious performance...we thoroughly enjoyed it."
- Wight Time

"Thank you The Wight Strollers for helping 6th Newport Cubs celebrate Crunchie's BIG BIRTHDAY,
 She has forgiven 'Captain Jake & his band of Pirates' but I think it will take few months to forgive her little Sister for lettng the cat out of the bag! Thank you for a fantastic show and see you all next year!"
- Caroline Seaward

"Your production of Robinson Crusoe was just wonderfully entertaining, fabulous to look at, incredibly joyful and an all round delight to watch. Thank you cast and crew of Wight Strollers - you made my afternoon."
- Lynne Johnson Harkins

"Thoroughly enjoyed this fabulous show. Amateur production with total professionalism! We'll done!"
- Geraldine Tulloch

"We loved every second of it, and at one point I actually had tears of laughter running down my face! We can't decide on our favourite characters as they were all superb! I will be recommending this to everyone I know, and the fact the money all goes to charity makes it even better. Well done to every single Stroller and thank you for a wonderful evening of entertainment. Completely and utterly brilliant in every way."
- Lou Hewison

"Thank you for letting us come to the final dress rehearsal last night; we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The last scene of Act 1 had me in tears of laughter! Thank you for supporting our surfing charity; you're all amazing!"
- Katie Bond

"That was awesome! Well done on costumes, script, acting, dance and sheer awesomeness! Haven't laughed so much in ages!"
- Julie Anne Harris

"A lot of talented people and the pirates were hilarious.Well done."
- Amelia Paine

"Great show - brilliant fun & the dancing, singing, scenery and costumes were fantastic!"
- Janet Hingert

We also received a couple of reviews, from the Island's youth website, yoppul, and from the Isle of Wight County Press.

Glowing praise all round - it makes you proud to be a Stroller! But not as proud as the amount we give to charity - watch this space for our donations and details of next year's pantomime...

Sleeping Beauty: The Debrief, Part One!

Huge apologies for the radio silence, everyone! We've been busy, busy, busy since our pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, finished in February. Normal service will now be resumed!

Sleeping Beauty was a massive success - we packed Medina Theatre, selling out four of the five performances, with ticket sales overall up on last year's pantomime. The lead-up was...a little stressful. Two days before the show, we found ourselves without a drummer and the call to arms went up. We had to find help, and we were on borrowed time.

Nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming response we received that day. Nothing makes you feel so loved as when people rise to help you in a crisis!

So thank-you to everyone who sent out messages on Facebook and Twitter, and to everyone who got in touch with us to hand over names of potential drummers, and to everyone who offered their services in any way, but particularly to the following we must extend a huge thank-you:

The Isle of Wight County Press - Never have I known such a supportive working environment. Not only did they allow me to spend my afternoon drummer-hunting, my colleagues also used their personal Twitter and Facebook accounts to join the appeal, for which I know the Strollers were all grateful.

Rob da Bank - With over 50,000 followers, and hundreds of people requesting retweets, he was under no obligation to help us. But help us he did, by sending out a message to all those thousands of followers and prompting a flood of help and no small amount of sympathy for our plight...thanks, Rob!


The cast and crew of Sleeping Beauty, their families and friends - Some of our own, and those that knew them, leapt into action the moment the call went up and came up with a number of names and contacts to try. This, I realise, is no mean feat - many of our members work full time, so for them to use their lunch breaks, tea breaks, and working contacts to help us meant a lot.

And finally, one thank-you that cannot be overlooked...

Simon Keates. Our saviour. The man with the sticks, who knows how to use them! As I climbed into my car, my head thunking onto the steering wheel, all but giving up on finding a drummer that could commit at such short notice, my phone rang.

"I hear you're looking for a drummer," said the mysterious voice on the other end. "I think I can help you."

And help us he did! Simon stepped in at the eleventh hour, and gave us better bashing, crashing and tinkles that we could ever have hoped for. Thank-you, Simon, truly, and we're thrilled to be welcoming you back as our drummer for 2013/14.

The show itself ran like a dream and, as the curtain fell each night, we were inundated with excellent feedback; it was so lovely, in fact, that we'd like to share some of it!

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"Thank-you for a brilliant afternoon's entertainment, and see you next year!"
Caroline Seaward, 6th Newport Cubs

"Excellent show. Well done, everyone. Not one thing on my snagging list! We all thoroughly enjoyed it."
Geraldine Tulloch

"More than worth going to see. Excellent."
Terry Adams

"My first ever panto...it was great, and great to see the money raised going to great causes. Well done, The Wight Strollers."
Gray - Wight Time


"Fabulous show, well done Strollers!"
Bayliss and Booth

"Brilliant show last night, well done to all the cast and everyone involved. We had a really enjoyable night."
Jeff Ritchie

"Another wonderful show...loved it! Well done!"
Ann Potts

"Brilliant. Never stopped laughing! Thank-you, Strollers, for making me laugh so much."
Debbie Egan

"Saw the evening show, superb in every aspect of the production. Haven't laughed like that for a while."
Gareth Hayles

"Layla's Trust went to see The Wight Strollers yesterday at the Medina Theatre, and had a fabulous time! Thanks to all the players, production team, volunteers and everyone behind the scenes that put on a magnificent show."
Layla's Trust

"It was fab. My little boy loved it. Sat through the whole thing, joined in with the clapping and booing, loved the bits he could dance to. Wonder if he was your youngest audience member. Well done. Great show as usual."
Vikki Roberts

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With such incredible feedback pouring in from the audiences, with many saying it was our best pantomime yet, there was one question on the lips of all the cast: what would the review be like...?

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End of Part One.

Sleeping Beauty is looming!

It's less then a month until our 2013 production of Sleeping Beauty, and rehearsals are reaching fever pitch!

With musical numbers from films, shows and the charts, this is a show we'd recommend coming along to see, even if you're not usually a panto fan, as it's set to be one of our most magical yet.

It's been a busy few months for our Strollers members: you may have seen our Princess Aurora, Em Scotcher, featured in the County Press and on yoppul for her role in the new Hollywood blockbuster, Les Mis; one of our senior dancers, Kerry Way, has achieved a full house of offers from the performing arts schools she's applied to; another senior dancer, Alex Chambers, is returning to work as a TeamStar on the mainland after a hugely successful 2012 season on the Isle of Sheppey; our wicked fairy, Sarah Scotcher, was interviewed by John Hannam for the February edition of the Isle of Wight Beacon; henchman Ryan Tulloch is finalising plans to visit Ethiopia; and we've decided on our chosen charities for this year - more on that soon!

To see all these members, and our forty others, in action, all you have to do is book a ticket to see Sleeping Beauty at Medina Theatre - the details are as follows:

Saturday 16th February - 2:30 and 7:30pm
Sunday 17th February - 2:30pm
Saturday 23rd February - 2:30 and 7:30pm

Tickets:
Adults - £7.50
Senior Citizens - £6.50
Children - £5.50
Youth Groups (Matinee only) - £5

Box Office:
01983 527020

We promise that you won't be disappointed, whatever your age or theatrical preferences!

The carnival theme for this year has also been decided, but it's all very hush-hush until the day of Newport Carnival, the first of the season, in July when our top secret theme will be revealed to the watching and waiting world...well, Island!

Happy January, everyone, and we'll see you in February at Medina - but hurry up and grab your tickets, they're selling fast!