Panto dame’s theatre support

A Macrobert panto dame has penned a fairy story to shine a light on the plight of the theatre industry during the coronavirus pandemic.

Johnny Mcknight wrote and directed last year’s Christmas panto Rapunzel and has been involved with the Macrobert panto for more than a decade.

He is giving his support to social enterprise beer company Brewgooder which has launched four limited-edition beers to raise money for out-of-work actors and theatre freelancers, inspired by panto characters.

Johnny has written an original fairy story‘jack and The Beer Hops’, to shine a light on the plight of the theatre industry, and independent breweries, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The satirical script will be hosted on the Brewgooder website and will premiere on Saturday December 12 for audiences to laugh, boo and hiss at until Dec 31.

There is also a‘panto In A Box’ variety pack, designed in the style of a traditional theatre, with a curtain that lifts to reveal the quartet of cans.

Each‘panto In A Box’will feature a‘jack and The Beer Hops’story booklet written by Johnny Mcknight where audiences will be able to learn more about each character and the inspiration behind the original performance.

Proceeds from‘panto In A Box’ will be donated to The Theatre Artists Fund, a charity that provides emergency aid for theatre workers and freelancers across the UK who are in need of urgent and critical financial support following the devastating impact of Covid-19.