Time for magic and sparkle now the panto is here

Stephanie McGregor’s love for pantomime is infectious and she is delighted to be playing the role of Minnie McMinxster in this year’s production in St Andrews. “I genuinely love everything about panto,” she enthuses, “I love coming to St Andrews, I love the cast and staying together in our cottages. I love the audiences and all the magic and sparkle – and I love working with our young cast, who are just phenomenal.”

Her character is the maid to Princess Bonnie and, as the name Minnie McMinxster suggests, “she is cheeky and fun and a bit daft. She is a bit of a mix of panto roles – a bit of the Buttons-style character with a bit of the romantic lead thrown in!”

This production of Sleeping Beauty boasts a feisty lead who is determined to prove princesses don’t need to be rescued. “It’s a bit of a different version of the story,” explains Stephanie, “but I don’t want to say too much and give it away.

“There’s lot of other stories that have had an influence on this version of the story – Brave, Frozen, even Harry Potter – so it’s a really exciting adventure as well as having all the favourite panto elements.”

Before she appears on stage, it’s vital for Stephanie is to get into the right frame of mind for the show. “The most important thing is to wake yourself up – it’s such an energetic show, especially when you’re playing a character who has lots of interaction with the audience, so you’ve got to be really up for it. Then it’s all about reacting to what other actors and the audience give you so it’s really alive on stage.”

That interaction with the audience is one of the reasons why she loves pantomime so much.

“Every show is completely different and every audience is different – the people who come to a panto on a Friday night, when it’s the weekend, are different from those who bring their kids on a Sunday afternoon, so it’s great to interact with so many different types of audience and make sure the show works for all of them.”

● Catch Stephanie in Sleeping Beauty at the Byre Theatre until January 5. Visit www.byretheatre.com for details.