Nominated for 'Best Panto' 2017/18
Sleeping Beauty, Weymouth Pavilion
Pantomime Production - The Made-to-Measure Ethos
In our opinion, the days of 'One Size Fits All Pantomime' are well and truly over, and we are committed to creating bespoke productions which are written and devised specifically to fit your venue and local audience. Each venue has unique technical specifications, a unique audience base and a unique vision in programming, so why shouldn't you have the unique pantomime production your theatre deserves to start and end each year?
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Made-to-Measure is passionate about pantomime and truly strives to make each and every performance something to be proud of. High quality and elaborate scenery, special effects, gorgeous costumes, targeted comedy and, above all, a strong and solid storyline are our key ingredients to a pantomime that doesn't just say 'Good', but 'WOW!'. Here at Made-to-Measure, we believe that 'WOW!' is imperative to building an audience who want to come back every year for your pantomime.
We're a close-knit and very approachable team who do our best to make sure we are always on-hand to answer any questions personally and with all the information to hand.
Script
Pantomime season is well known for being the most lucrative time of year for theatres. We feel that your venue should be able to make the most of this time by housing a production that has been specifically written and produced for you and your audience. Do you ever wish you could programme a unique, up to the minute show, instead of one that may have been already touring for up to 5 years?
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Who wouldn't?! But...aren't those productions 'tried and tested'? Sometimes, yes - but more often than not, producers are far too quick to 'drag and drop' a production from one theatre to the next with minimal updating of content and, even after a couple of years, these shows can become tired. Made-to-Measure Pantomimes are different. As we are a relatively small and committed company, we have the ability to not just adapt our scripts year to year, but to write them from scratch to meet your own specifications and requirements
Looking for something slightly different? We can provide scripts for not only the usual subjects, but also lesser known titles such as Alice in Wonderland, Robinson Crusoe and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We are also experienced in marketing and creating the brand for an out-of-season production such as a Summer, Easter or Half-Term Pantomime!
Music
Music is one of the major factors in creating magical moments in a successful pantomime. Not only do our productions feature a fantastic and varied selection of current chart hits and Musical Theatre numbers, but we also ensure that the score as a whole fits the production like a well-cut suit. Underscores, Overtures, Stings and Playoffs all contribute to the overall atmosphere of the pantomime experience. Knowing the importance of this, we analyse every scene to decide exactly where and when music should and shouldn't be featured, and if what we need isn't out there, we write the music for that moment ourselves.
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How about an original score? We can provide shows with a full original score for a completely unique production. All songs are written by the Made-to-Measure team and tracks created in-house!
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Live Music or Backing Tracks?
Wherever possible, we prefer to use live musicians, complemented by high quality in-house click tracks, to create the music for a production. This ensures that the 'improvised' tradition of pantomime can be preserved - even if there are only 2 musicians 'in the pit', it really does make a difference.
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However, we understand that there is not always the space, or budget, for a live band and so we also provide high quality backing tracks in place of musicians where this is convenient. Our spectacular production tracks are created in-house and can therefore, once again, be made-to-measure or your production, rather than being restricted to the arrangements and orchestrations of widely available tracks. We use top quality software and virtual instruments, alongside live musicians to create full and exciting sounding tracks! Even when a show is performed to backing tracks, we will ensure that the all-important underscoring and incidental music is provided to create that essential panto magic!
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Scenery, Costumes & Special Effects!
We work closely with the top pantomime scenery providers in the country to transport our audiences to Pantoland! We have access to a wide variety of luxurious sets, which gives us the advantage of being able to work in both flying and non-flying houses, as well as those without a proscenium arch or other technical restrictions. At Made-To-Measure, we believe that holding regular production meetings with your technical staff ensures that the whole process from Get-In to Get-Out runs as smoothly as possible for you and for us!
An often-overlooked aspect of pantomime production is the importance of the costumes in creating a magical world! again, we have close connections with a variety of high quality costume suppliers and makers, so whatever the character, you can be sure they'll look great from top to toe! Made-To-Measure also provides an experienced wardrobe team for each production keep up with the day-to-day maintenance.
Whether it's a flying carpet for Aladdin, a magical transformation for Cinderella, or a Fairy flying over the heads of the audience, we believe that the 'WOW!' factor is one of the best ways to get the local community talking about your production.
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In addition to set-pieces like Giants, Flying Dragons and Inflatable Sea Creatures, we also like to include pyrotechnics and other consumable effects such as snow, bubbles, dry ice and and even scents to really draw the audience into the story!
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We work closely with the Internationally Acclaimed Illusionists THE TWINS FX to bring these incredible goosebump-inducing moments to life live on stage!
Is your venue suitable for Special Effects?
Made-to-Measure is experienced in creating magic in all kinds of venues - even those with technical restraints.
Anything is possible in the world of Pantomime!
Casting & Production Team
It is widely accepted that a celebrity 'name' will help to sell tickets for a production, and we are able to provide star names should that be within your strategy. However, we feel that it is more important to use performers who really 'understand' pantomime, rather than using a celebrity purely for their Box Office value. We will never cast a celebrity who isn't well versed in pantomime, as this can be detrimental to the overall production.
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We complement our professional principal cast with a troupe of local dancers.
The experienced Made-To-Measure Team oversees all productions, and between us will also write and direct several pantomimes each season. We like to be as hands on as possible with our venues, but we're never afraid to work with professional, experienced and hand-picked directors to bring your production to live! In addition, a Musical Director (or Musical Supervisor) and Choreographer will work on each show to bring out the best in your cast. The Made-To-Measure Team will personally visit each venue several times throughout the season as well as receiving reports from our Company Managers to make sure everything is running smoothly.
We always work closely with each venue on casting, and we always prefer to hold auditions in the theatre itself with venue management present. This means that you really do have a say in who is going to appear in your Made-to-Measure Pantomime!
If you are a venue who is looking for an exciting new production company to work with on your next pantomime production then please get in touch via our Contact Page!