Spilling the magic beans on pantomime

THEATRICAL stalwart Catherine Mahon-Buckley has surely earned the title of Mammy of Cork pantomime season now that she is directing her 20th seasonal show for the Everyman. Mahon-Buckley is directing Jack and the Beanstalk for the theatre, and says that every five years, a new generation emerges.

She enjoys the process of making pantomime, starting with an idea which she workshops with the children from her acting school, CADA (Cork Academy of Dramatic Arts). “Children are the greatest connoisseurs of pantomime. They have so much creativity. It’s great to get in tune with what they’re thinking. I take some of their ideas and bring them to the script writer.”

This year’s script writer is Dubliner, Martin Higgins, with whom Catherine has worked before. “He’s a genius of a script writer. And what I love about working with him is that he’s not precious about his writing. He’s open to change if something isn’t working. This is my fifth time working with him. He’s very open to ideas and we have great sessions with him. This is the part of the pantomime that I enjoy most; the journey and the process of it all.”