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Take yourself back to early 1996... The Swanwick Centre was very much in its infancy and many people from across the country were moving home, family and job to become part of what would become NATS' flagship site. Local people were joining in too; contractors for security, catering, admin and the many other roles it takes to operate such a centre. It seemed like every day there were more and more faces that one might pass in a corridor and never get the chance to meet. These faces also had families who were new to the area and were looking for friends and social activities. It was very clear that we needed to do something to bring people together, and that thing was obvious - perform a pantomime (what else?)! So, Engineering Watch Manager Phil Howard and a group of fine pioneers formed SPOTS - the Swanwick Pantomime Troupe. Its intent was not only to bring people together by producing such a thing, but also to provide fun and entertainment for the many families and friends who would witness the performances. As an added bonus, if we made a profit we'd give the money away to charity. Our first production, 'Aladdin' had a crew of just 21 and was performed at the Victory Hall Warsash on 11th January 1997. The two performances were remarkably well received and also raised £600 for Tankerville Special School in Eastleigh.
With such a success there was only one option. Do it again! The audience came back, as they obviously couldn't believe it the first time, and so started a unique Swanwick tradition. Since then we've gone on to ensure that the stories of 'Cinderella', 'Treasure Island', 'Lil' Red Riding Hood', 'Robin Hood', 'Jack and the Beanstalk', 'Ali Baba' and Cinderella (again!) will never be quite the same again!! Squeezed into the middle of all those shows was also a fabulous night of fun at Southampton Guildhall where Spots lead the bill in celebrating Swanwick's 2002 'O' date. In 2006 we moved on to a completely original show entitled 'The Secret of the Glass Key', a victorian panto-drama. The audience loved it; the crew loved it. That success made it a difficult decision when we decided to take time out in 2007 to rest, take stock and decide on where we wanted future pantos to go. Although it's very rewarding producing a show it's also very hard work. Take note that we not only perform, but we also write all the scripts, create the music, the costumes, the scenery,,, see how it all works on our 'How do they do it?' page. After the year of rest and recouperation SPOTS came back in full force in 2008 with a completely original version of Aladdin!. What a success! Audiences returned to three sell out shows and our reviews with many reporting that it was our best yet. That is, until we performed Robin Hood again in 2010! And a n updated Jack and the beanstalk again in 2011...! Does it ever end? Oh
- and we also seem to have met our objectives of 1996. We've had around
100 members over the years building many working relationships and,
more importantly friendships. We've also helped many, many people less
fortunate than ourselves. Long may it last. Charities. It's fantastic to think that we've raised well over £15,000 since 1996 for many charities. Look at our Charities page for details.
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