Leghowney's first panto features fabulous local cast and lots of craic and banter

One of the most anticipated events in the Donegal Town area this Christmas is underway, as panto comes to Leghowney Community Hall for the first time. 

With a long tradition of entertainment and particularly comedy drama, as well as a strong sense of community, Leghowney was certainly ripe for its very own panto.

At the helm of this production of Old Mother Hubbard in the Wild West is Berni Canny who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Leghowney stage. While directing on this occasion, she and local legend Pat Ward have gone down in panto lore for their unforgettable, total embodiment of the Ugly Sisters in Bosco Productions staging of Cinderella some years ago.

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Berni is delighted with the interest in the Leghowney panto. 

In a recent interview with Donegal Life, a magazine produced by the Donegal Democrat / Donegal Live team, she said: “We have the largest adult cast I have worked with, and a chorus of 60 to 70 kids aged eight and up.”

Berni believes that Leghowney is the perfect place for the unique and enduring approach that panto lends to staging a production in a local community.

“The participation of the audience is massive,” she said. “And you have great freedom in that you can draw on anything you want and incorporate it. You can include stuff that is happening in the wider world, and you can bring in local personalities. That is what makes it work.”

From her many years of nurturing young talent through teaching, drama, musical theatre, pantomime, and the Tirchonaill Youth Choir, Berni has seen many a young performer blossom as a result of being involved in these local productions. One such person is Ciara Boyle, who Berni is delighted to have on board as assistant director for the staging of Old Mother Hubbard.

Also part of the team is musical director Eileen Carr, a much-loved local music teacher who brings decades of experience to the production.

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And with a hugely talented cast and a script from which no-one is safe (you’ve been warned!), this is sure to be a hilarious and delightfully memorable panto debut for Leghowney.

Old Mother Hubbard in the Wild West got underway in Leghowney Community Hall on Sunday, December 7. The run continues on Monday, Thursday and Friday, December 8, 9 and 11 at 7pm, and Saturday, December 13 at 5pm (no show on Wednesday, December 10). 

Tickets costing €10 per child or €15 per adult will be available at the door.

The full interview with Berni where she reflects on her life on stage - and how it almost never happened - and of the importance of nurturing young performers can be found in the current edition of Donegal Life magazine in shops now.