If you like pantomime and you like libraries then, hello, I’m the middle of your Venn diagram! I think they’re two of the most culturally important things the UK has to offer (and I will argue that fact) for several reasons:
- They’re both for everyone. Regardless of literally anything to do with our lives, the doors to the library and the panto auditorium are open to all.
- They both have the power to shape the way we think, especially from a young age.
- A town without either has an unhappier community, I suspect, I don’t know, I’ve actually not done the survey on that one.
What I’m saying is: I think it’s essential that both exist in our towns and cities. At a time when we’re facing an uphill struggle in terms of inclusion; when rights of specific groups are at risk of being taken away: we need access to information, and we need to be able to challenge the status quo.
And funnily enough, that’s what my show, The Magic Bookmark, is about…
Libraries and books are, historically and currently, the first defence to equality that groups try and break down. Knowledge is power, and what are books full of? Knowledge! And who is leading the defence? Those cute, mild mannered, fabulous librarians! They’re quietly doing the most audacious thing: making sure you get the knowledge to blossom and grow into the wonderful person they’ve known you to be since you first walked in as a little kid.
Libraries quietly shape minds. That terrifies some people. Usually the people that want to control you. As I write this, the news has come out that libraries in Essex have been banned from promoting pride events. In the outrage that followed the council doubled down and stopped libraries promoting ANYTHING! Women’s health, dementia awareness, Black History Month… the list is bizarre and endless. It’s also dangerous for us as a society and for the political party that ordered it. Without representation, our communities will fall apart, and the council won’t be able to cope. Who will be left to pick up the pieces in the wake of all this? Libraries! WE NEED THEM!
This is where panto steps in… The beauty of panto (I hate to say it), in this respect, is that it’s commercial. It’s not run by a local authority, and I don’t think any panto receives Arts Council funding (that’s an issue for another time!) Therefore, panto can play by its own rules, and does!
Panto holds up a mirror to society and allows us to laugh at our social conventions. It also gives us the means to question the authority that tries to control us by stopping libraries from supporting their communities. The most beautiful thing is that panto does all this with laughter, glitter, and in a way that all ages can understand!
Protect libraries! Protect panto! And do that by seeing my show!
Mama G: The Magic Bookmark, Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 31 Aug, 12.20pm