In Pictures: Cast of 90 delight audiences with Little Bo Peep panto

Borderline Players returned to the stage at the Termon Complex in Pettigo last week with four sell-out performances of their latest pantomime, Little Bo Peep. Photographer Siobhan McGowan went along to capture a flavour of the fun and excitement of Panto in Pettigo.

Audiences were thrilled by the spectacular show which featured a cast of over 90 people from across the north west from communities including Pettigo, Laghey, Belleek, Garrison, Derrygonnelly, Kesh, Irvinestown and Belturbet. 

Performers in the show were aged from three to 69 and this was the talented group's first pantomime to be produced since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Little Bo Peep was directed by Siobhan O'Brien who has been producing and directing shows for Borderline Players since the group was formed back in September 2000. Siobhan is no stranger to the stage and screen herself having acted professionally and run her own drama school for a number of years. 

Speaking at the final performance on Saturday night Siobhan said that it had been an emotional and challenging experience bringing such a big cast and crew together but that the results had been very much worth it and she felt assured that given the wealth of talent on stage that the future of Borderline Player was safe for years to come. 

Key cast members included Joseph Walsh as Dame Fanny Fairacre. Joseph is well-known to local audiences and has performed the Dame's role on a number of occasions, most recently back in 2016. 

A familiar face across south Donegal, nurse Frances McGloin was back on stage as one-half of the comedy duo, Ding and Dong alongside another Borderline stalwart Aideen Casey, with the pair drawing many laughs from the audience across all four nights. 

Every pantomime needs a villain, and Little Bo Peep had two of them - the evil Mephista portrayed with devilish aplomb by Jane Weir who also took charge of the set design and construction for the show, and Alison Lappin as the snooty Lady Sneering. 

Ahead of her move this week to Canada, Una McGloin joined the cast in the title role of Little Bo Peep and alongside a newcomer to the principal cast, Tiernan McCaughey the pair entertained audiences with a series of romantic duets.

The pantomime was produced as part of the Communities Beyond Boundaries project which received funding from the National Lottery (UK) through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's Rural Engagement Arts Programme. 

The project was a collaboration between Borderline Players and the Garrison Working Together community group to promote community arts in the border communities.