Nov 14, 2025 · 23 min · 10 segments
In this special episode, I sit down with my best friend James, a panto dame performer who’s spent years bringing joy to local audiences across South Wales. We dive into the heart of amateur dramatics…
I've been so honoured to see you in Panto, and there's been times where I've just been a complete oaf.
I know that a lot of it has been kind of amateur dramatics, and I think the theatre world as professionals is kind of, very intense and i think when you're doing it without uh financial gain and stuff what do you think the pull is about amtrak being and why is it so important that young people get involved in it and like what how's it
different from it's like grassroots theater it's it's the base it's the basis for anybody to go on there's so many people i've seen in my in my experience in amateur theater i've seen them come in through the youth section and they've gone on to be on the west end stage like lauren
drew that you know as well she's incredible she's come off playing Celine Dion in Titanic
she's fantastic it's like Robin Robin played Jack when I did Jack and Beanstalk about five years ago he's now on the West End it's fantastic it's just lovely seeing them get the grounding the foundations and then they go off to drama school they build on it I think amateur theatre is just such a it's the base it's the foundation and it gives them the taste of what is to come basically
think, yes, especially with Amtrap Theatre, I think a lot of people could sometimes look at it as maybe cheap and tacky, but I think with Amtrap Theatre, especially for me, it's done with pure love.
It is done with heart and passion and love, but I think in professional theatre you can kind of miss that.
There are people that have been wallflowers, they've been in the chorus, and sometimes they just need that little bit of nurture and that little nudge, and they can actually get the potential.
I've been so honoured to see you in Panto, and there's been times where I've just been a complete oaf.
I know that a lot of it has been kind of amateur dramatics, and I think the theatre world as professionals is kind of, very intense and i think when you're doing it without uh financial gain and stuff what do you think the pull is about amtrak being and why is it so important that young people get involved in it and like what how's it
different from it's like grassroots theater it's it's the base it's the basis for anybody to go on there's so many people i've seen in my in my experience in amateur theater i've seen them come in through the youth section and they've gone on to be on the west end stage like lauren
drew that you know as well she's incredible she's come off playing Celine Dion in Titanic
she's fantastic it's like Robin Robin played Jack when I did Jack and Beanstalk about five years ago he's now on the West End it's fantastic it's just lovely seeing them get the grounding the foundations and then they go off to drama school they build on it I think amateur theatre is just such a it's the base it's the foundation and it gives them the taste of what is to come basically
think, yes, especially with Amtrap Theatre, I think a lot of people could sometimes look at it as maybe cheap and tacky, but I think with Amtrap Theatre, especially for me, it's done with pure love.
It is done with heart and passion and love, but I think in professional theatre you can kind of miss that.
There are people that have been wallflowers, they've been in the chorus, and sometimes they just need that little bit of nurture and that little nudge, and they can actually get the potential.
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