Christmas Theatre 2022 Preview: Macastory’s Jack and the Beanstalk

“I hope Jack will inspire the children in the audience to dream big” The QR talks to Claire Mulholland, principal boy in Macastory’s Storytelling Pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk

Founded in 2003, Macastory — the creative child of performers Ron Fairweather and Fergus McNicol — have been delivering themed storytelling into schools, libraries and festivals all over Scotland. Their pantomimes have proved continuously popular, so much so that demand typically exceeds their availability, but the Edinburgh public has the opportunity to catch them during their run at the ever wonderful Scottish Storytelling Centre from now until the 23rd of December. Claire Mulholland, also a professional storyteller, has been drafted in to play Jack in this year’s offering, and she was kind enough to answer a few questions about the show, and the importance of storytelling…

Could you tell me a wee bit about yourselves, and how you find yourself at the wondrous Storytelling Centre this Christmas?

Macastory (Ron Fairweather & Fergus McNicol) have been telling stories and performing pantos for 20 years. I happen to be married to one half of the team, so Mrs Macastory. I have always loved watching Macastory in action their shows are incredibly light hearted and life affirming. This year it’s a dream come true to be a special guest as the principle boy.

I grew up in NI and as a wee girl I vividly remember seeing Anne Geddes (my friend’s mum) performing the principle boy role. She had a fine pair of legs! I’m in the second half of life now and it suddenly struck me playing the principle boy was on my bucket list. I was the Celtic 800 metres Champion back in the eighties, so my pins are nae too bad and I have a great pair of grey suede lederhosen to sport! The great thing about being a Mrs Macastory is I didn’t even have to audition for the part.

(We are all storytellers rather than actors by trade and there’s another Mrs Macastory (Ruth Kirkpatrick). I think of us as the Abba of the storytelling world…but as yet the four of us have never been on stage together. I’m working on it…..we don’t even need avatars!)

A storytelling panto…how does that set your Jack apart from the others bounding about stages at this time of year?

A few years ago when I was working as a social worker a colleague and I took a group of kids and families to one of the big pantos, to be honest it was just a bit too loud and overwhelming for some of the kids. It got me to thinking there’s a place for a more gentle style of panto aimed at younger children and their families. So my Jack asks the children to give a wave if this is their first panto and we do a wee intro on how you get to join in all the time…….you see were this is going…..”Oh no you don’t…..Oh yes we do!”

Panto…why has it survived do you suppose?

Well at the risk of being controversial in a country where half the population are keen to be Scottish rather than British. I do think Panto is one of the things that is just quintessentially British.

Fergus and I recently went to see the Ballet Trocadero from Montreal and at the Q & A post show their Director remarked that British audiences are the most receptive to the all male comic cast of dancers because of the tradition of pantomime which is so embedded in the culture.

Do you think it’s important that we keep telling old stories like Jack’s sojourn above the clouds? Why?

Tbh, Jack’s story might be an old story but you know what the French say “La plus ca change, la plus c’est la meme” (nothing much changes). Ron narrates the story and says lightly of Jack and his old Mother, ‘they were so poor, they couldn’t afford the holes in the bagels, they were so poor they could nae afford to pay attention, they were so poor when they went for a walk to the pond, the ducks threw bread at them”. We keep it light but we are acutely aware that poverty is real life for a lot of people at the moment.

You can be sure with Macastory that good will triumph over evil and even the vilest villains will find redemption. There are villains and heroes in the real world too, so meeting them in stories allows children rehearsal for real life. I hope Jack will inspire the children in the audience to dream big and to know that heroes sometimes appear a bit daft to folks with little imagination.

Do you have a favourite moment during this year’s production?

Well, we have chatted about this and we all have different highlights. The show is different every single time we perform it, because the response of each audience is unique. Jack asks the children do they have to do jobs at home and one wee boy told me he helped his mum because she was sick. I had to take a breath before telling the wee boy that Jack’s mum would just love a son like him.

Fergus likes the moment when the Giant realises he probably hid his gold in his special place behind the shoogly rock as it’s just the kind of thing he would do. The Giant is just perfect for a first panto he’s very funny and his wife keeps him in line.

Ron enjoys the moment when the strange man appears to the audience selling them all kinds of unusual items for a small fortune.

Ron and I both love the moment when Jack’s mum first appears in her shocking pink sparkly evening dress, the children laugh and squeal so loudly they nearly bring the house down.

And well the Strictly Final is just FAB U LOus Darling!

Jack, hero or villain? Does it matter?

In our story, the Giant stole his gold from Jack and his mum when Jack was just a wee baby and that’s why they are so poor. So Jack realises if he takes back the gold its not really stealing. When Jack comes up the beanstalk a third and final time he asks the Giants wife if there might be enough treasure behind the shoogly rock for him and all the folks in the audience to live happily ever after. There’s nae doubt in my mind that Jack is a hero and in these villianous times that really matters.

Christmas Theatre 2022 will be one of the most crucial festive seasons in stage history. TheQR is talking to as many of those making theatre in the UK this year as possible, to play a small part in raising their profile, and opportunities for a successful run. Though many of us face a tough winter, financially speaking, a magical night of theatre offers a (warm) escape for a few hours, and if you have the expendable income available will help support the livelihoods of those who keep that magic alive.