00:00 Yeah.
00:01 Good afternoon, my name is Phil here at Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers.
00:05 Lovely to speak again to Carly Norris, who is back in Panto in Eastbourne.
00:10 Now, Eastbourne, Carly, is a venue that you adore, don't you?
00:13 You love Eastbourne. There's something about it for you, isn't there?
00:16 Absolutely, a huge part of my life.
00:19 I've performed here quite a few times, and really many, many, many happy memories.
00:25 And I've come to know not just the people who work in the theatre on the stage,
00:31 but the backstage guys, the people on the stage door, and everyone at the box office.
00:37 Everyone is so friendly. So I look forward to this every year.
00:41 And it's a good place for Panto, isn't it?
00:43 It's the best place for Panto.
00:46 Having a matron theatre like this, with all the glory of the beautiful red drapes and the gold
00:52 inside, beautiful ceiling, and a raked stage.
00:56 It's a proscenium arch theatre. I love a modern theatre, don't get me wrong,
01:00 but this is the reason I went into acting.
01:02 So you've got a beautiful theatre, glorious theatre, and yet again, you're insisting on being evil.
01:08 Why?
01:10 I can't help it. It's just one of those things.
01:12 I've tried being good, and you know what? I've come to the conclusion it's good to be bad.
01:19 I can have a nice interaction with the parents.
01:24 The children hate me. The parents kind of like me, but they don't want me to know that.
01:28 And I can be quite naughty with them. So it's my ideal part to get my teeth into.
01:34 That sounds fantastic. But you're not total queen of darkness, are you?
01:37 It's important to throw in the humour as well.
01:39 Well, I think this is what I have said before.
01:43 My first ever time I played a baddie, I took it so, so seriously.
01:47 I was so dark that there were children crying left, right and centre.
01:51 But I got nominated for a Panto Award for Best Baddie.
01:55 So I thought, well, I'm doing something right. I'll do this, you know.
01:57 And then I got hold of Chris Jordan's scripts, and I thought, actually,
02:02 his baddies are really wonderful because there's a little
02:04 something under the layer that could be turned into ridiculousness.
02:08 So, you know, I'm very vain. I'm very sure of myself.
02:13 I know everything. I know I'm right, in the right all the time.
02:16 But I make ridiculous mistakes, silly faux pas,
02:20 and the audience can then laugh at me, which I absolutely love.
02:24 I love comedy. I'm a comedy actress. So I think it is for me, it's one of the best.
02:29 It sounds brilliant and slightly surprising.
02:31 It's only fairly recently that you've come to Panto, isn't it?
02:34 It's only the what, sorry?
02:36 Only fairly recently that you've come to Panto, isn't it?
02:39 Yes. Well, yeah, no. 2017 was my first baddie.
02:43 I did do one Panto years and years and years ago, about 20 years ago,
02:48 and I didn't really understand the concept of Panto.
02:51 And I think that's where some people trip up sometimes
02:54 because there are certain rules that you have to stick to.
02:56 There's the rule of three if you're going to do something.
02:59 Like, for instance, if I was doing a call out, "Oh, no, I won't,"
03:02 they'd come back, "Oh, yes, you will. Oh, no, I won't. Oh, yes, you will."
03:06 If you do it more than three times, it's not funny,
03:09 but you can always change it slightly on the third time.
03:12 And also, you know, the rules of Panto,
03:14 there are only certain people who can talk to the audience
03:17 or look at the audience and acknowledge them.
03:19 So, yeah, and every single character has got a different relationship
03:24 with the audience and a different job to do.
03:25 And the girls are going to love coming to see Beauty and the Beast.
03:31 Beauty's costumes, her ball gowns are incredible.
03:35 - Oh, yes, that's fantastic. - It's a really stunning...
03:37 One of the funniest actors I've ever worked with, Lewis.
03:40 They all are. It's the dream team.
03:42 Best cast I've ever worked with.
03:43 And it's so odd, isn't it, when you think about it.
03:45 There's so much in our lives changes, doesn't it?
03:47 But Panto just comes back year after year after year,
03:51 and it's a great constant, isn't it?
03:53 Absolutely. And I think the year we came back,
03:57 we couldn't have Panto when we were, you know,
03:59 obviously we were all on lockdown.
04:01 There was a massive relief when we could get back out
04:04 and enjoy theatre again, but particularly Panto,
04:07 even though we asked everyone in the audience to wear a mask
04:10 and we were all being very, very careful,
04:11 there was still a bit of COVID going round.
04:14 And we ended up down to, I think there were three
04:17 original cast members in the end at one point.
04:20 But luckily by the end of the performance,
04:23 by the last show, we were all back together again.
04:26 But the audience got it.
04:28 I mean, there was a moment in that where I walked on stage
04:30 with my surgical mask on by mistake
04:32 because we were supposed to wear it backstage.
04:34 And, you know, all this kind of shenanigans went on,
04:37 but they were kind of there
04:38 because they were going through it too.
04:39 We're only human beings as well.
04:42 We're not just magical actors that appear.
04:44 - It's just such a great way of bringing people together,
04:46 isn't it, Panto?
04:47 - Absolutely, 100%.
04:49 And it's a way of families celebrating together.
04:51 Families who don't see each other throughout the year,
04:53 they can all get a ticket to Panto, come along,
04:55 have something to eat, have an amazing night.
04:58 Maybe that's the only night that they do all get together,
05:00 but it's worth it.
05:02 And I just love it.
05:04 Christmas starts the day I get in my car
05:06 to drive down to the first rehearsal.
05:08 - Brilliant.
05:08 Well, thank you so much.
05:09 You are a fantastic ambassador for Panto.
05:11 Thank you.
05:12 It was really lovely to speak to you again.
05:14 Have a great Christmas in Eastbourne.
05:15 Thank you.
05:16 - Thanks.
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