Wonka’s Golden Ticket: Clondalkin Drama Group stage popular Panto

“I MADE the “mistake” of mentioning it to our drama kids last January when we were wrapping up our previous panto, and they immediately got excited and started begging to be Oompa Loompas.

‘I couldn’t disappoint them!” laughs Michaela Courtney of Clondalkin Drama Group when asked what inspired this year’s panto of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’.

It was also helped by the release of ‘Wonka’ in cinemas last December, which brought the story back into popular culture.

Michaela started brainstorming and writing the show over the summer, and the group has been rehearsing since the end of September.

This panto will be their way of saying goodbye to a “great” year: “We had a fantastic time last year with “Peter Panto”, and I think we had some of our biggest audiences ever—to the point where we couldn’t fit everyone in at one show!”

‘In February they teamed up with Tallaght Theatre Group to put on three nights of one-acts in their own theatre; they hope to work with them again in the future.

‘We also had an extremely successful summer show this year with “Inspector Drake and the Perfekt Crime,” which was great fun.

‘We also hosted a few workshops towards the end of the summer for our own group members where we all learned some new techniques and practiced monologues. We’ve had a very busy and fulfilling 2024!

They would like to thank Quinlan’s The Black Lion Pub for letting them use the upstairs as a rehearsal space and Clondalkin Village Hardware for agreeing to sell their tickets from their shop.

They would also like to thank Colaiste Chillain for allowing them to use their hall this year and thank Moyle Park for hosting their pantomimes for the past few years.

They have a “fantastic” community in Clondalkin, and they are proud to be a part of it.

Be sure to catch the show when it performs in Colaiste Chillain from January 11-19; tickets are available from Clondalkin Village Hardware!