Newstalk Documentaries

Take a festive journey through A History of Irish Panto, a light-hearted and informative unveiling of the story of pantomime in Ireland.This two-part documentary series focuses on the seasonal theatrical extravaganzas, from their origins on the streets of Venice in the 1500s, to their first mention in an Irish newspaper in the 1731. From the productions that spread across the country in the 1800s, to the star-studded pantos that we know and love today. From the geamaireacht, the first Irish language pantos at the Abbey Theatre, to 150 years of the tradition at the Gaiety Theatre.In the local parish halls of today, just as in the grand Victorian theatres of the past, the Irish panto has had people rolling in the aisles for centuries. With contributions from theatre historians, advocates and panto fans and performers, we recount the story of a much-loved artform: a story 500 years in the making.A History of Irish Panto is presented by Amy O’Dwyer and Donncha O’Dea, the team who brought you the IMRO-nominated do