SCENERY PAINTING FOR THE AMATEUR MUSICAL THEATRE and PANTOMIME

ALADDIN Bushmills page one
Designed and painted by Brian Willis. Scenery built by Kenny McKay and Trevor McKendry.
Performed by Bushmills Primary School PTA and friends.(2003)

A first ever production put on by a group of members and friends of Bushmills Primary School Parent Teachers Association to raise money for the school. Everyone gave their services free, with wood donated by Bushmills and Coleraine timber merchants and paint from several Bushmills painters & decorators and Coleraine paint shops.

"The Market Square" painted on the back wall of the school stage. Unfortunately there is a wooden bar that runs right across this wall which I had to paint over.
Size of this painting is 18 feet long by 11 feet high. (5Ltr paint tin for scale)
The school principal (who incidentally took a leading role in the Panto) has written this note to accompany these Aladdin web pages.
BUSHMILLS PRIMARY SCHOOL PTA PANTOMIME

All parents love seeing their pride and joy on stage in the annual school play or concert. Whose heart hasn't filled with pride at their youngster's perfect diction and Oscar worthy acting ability? And they make it look so easy, wouldn't it be fun for the parents to put on their own performance for the children to enjoy?

This may not have been the argument used by Producer Mandy Walker when she started recruiting parents and friends of Bushmills Primary School for the pantomime Aladdin, but whatever argument she did use she soon had a troop of mostly willing volunteers. With a school governor in the title role and the principal playing his/her mother surely success is assured.

An outsider was head hunted to direct the production, she would be able to shout at everyone, and anyone not acting was expected to support the show in some way. The people of Bushmills are well known for their generosity, the school frequently raises embarrassing amounts of money for charity, and this venture was no exception. Everything from the script to the scenery was begged, borrowed but hopefully not stolen; the local police sergeant was one of the players.

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