It’s Dame on as radio panto hits airwaves
Heartland FM staff to cheer listeners
Highland Perthshire’s community-run radio station, Heartland FM, has branched out to produce a radio pantomime to entertain listeners this festive season.
Heartland FM volunteer Tony Hull wrote a Highland Perthshire version of Aladdin to get over the problem of normal performance venues still being closed.
Recognising that listeners in Pitlochry and across Perthshire could do with a smile, Heartland agreed to broadcast a radio performance of Tony’s script.
Station manager Alistair Smith said: “When Tony sent me the panto script, I knew it would be great to do.
“But with the current COVID restrictions and our own restrictions on the number of people who can access our studios, I wondered how we could make this work.
“We couldn’t meet together to read through, rehearse or record. But that didn’t put us off. The team was already using technology to keep on air while broadcasting from home. So we ‘met virtually’ on the Google Meet video platform to rehearse.”
Writer Tony said: “We recorded from our home studios using a variation of microphones, shielded by home made sound booths made from travel rugs, duvets, pillows and umbrellas to stop the sound bouncing around our homes.
“Over three nights we recorded the script with our cast of 10. Then I went to work producing the final cut and we now have a locally produced radio panto, lasting over an hour, ready to be broadcast on air.”
The Heartland cast includes Charles Fletcher, the station’s political editor, playing the panto dame, Ramsay Beattie, the multi- media journalist playing Aladdin and administration volunteer Christine Russell playing Weenie McGennie.
Aladdin a Panto for Radio from Heartland FM will be broadcast this evening, Tuesday, December 22 at 6.45pm. The performance runs through to 8pm.
There is another chance to tune in on Wednesday, December 23 with a matinee performance beginning at 1pm with interviews with the cast and ‘curtain up’ at 1.45pm.
The panto will also be broadcast on Boxing Day, December 26 at 1pm and January 2 at 1pm. It can be found on 97.5 FM in Highland Perthshire or on the ‘listen live’ link from the following website: https://player.broadcastradio. com/heartland-fm
Another way to hear it is from the ‘on demand’ section of the Heartland website as a podcast.
We couldn’t meet together to rehearse but that didn’t put us off