During rehearsals, Eric and Janet Nott, ably assisted by a very young Wayne Nott and a small group of other members, concentrated on producing scenery and musical accompaniment to those actors brave enough to sing – or sufficiently loud music to drown them out. The ever- supportive Geoff Gaffney worked tirelessly throughout and made sure that programmes were designed and printed for each panto to give the audiences an idea of what was (supposed to be) the story. Captain’s drive-ins After the space used for pantomimes had been converted to offices there was no suitable area for the shows to continue. However, the tradition has continued annually, albeit in a ‘mini’ format. Each year the ex-lady captains get together to perform a short panto that is based on aspects of the new lady captain’s life. This is presented prior to the drive-in – to
much hilarity. June Gaffney has again written, produced and certainly directed many of the drive-in sketches (supported by Allison Wood). For 2022 ladies captain Sue Jenkins, this took the form of a ‘royal visit’ (recognising Sue as a former resident of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead). June, who also loves a starring role, guided the sketch as town crier and Sue was exceptionally privileged to have visits from the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, President Macron of France, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Anne and Zara Tindall, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and, of course, Her Majesty The Queen; ably supported by heralds, horses and cleaners. These minor roles often see June wielding her most persuasive powers to entice the owner, senior management, men’s captains, and many a past captain to make complete fools of themselves! Previous sketches have been built around themes such as Boudica, CinderAnn, Weakest Link,
LEFT: CLUBS AHOY AT THE CAPTAIN’S DRIVE-IN ABOVE: A ' 90S PANTO PROGRAMME RIGHT: FURRY FUN AT THE DRIVE-IN
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