Jack and the Beanstalk isn’t only the most family friendly pantomime in the region – it’s the most environmentally friendly, too.

Jack and the Beanstalk at The Roses Theatre is running until Sat 3 Jan. Previous pantomimes at the fifty-year-old community arts venue proving sell-outs – and this year, the team behind the annual highlight has committed to sustainability as well as popularity.

In this version of the festive favourite, Jack is played by an award-winning gymnast and colourful characters sing and dance throughout – but their village is undergoing weird weather events caused by a mysterious giant! In a nod to this interest in climate, the cast will wear costumes upcycled from existing textiles or sourced from vintage finds.

Doublets, Breeches – and Tracksuits

“One hundred per cent of our materials are recycled this year,” says the panto’s costume designer, Neil Fortin. “Our goal was to help highlight the wild fun of a production that has gymnasts and dancers live on stage while giving a nod towards the eco-friendly elements of our story.”

To sprinkle some fairy dust of their own over proceedings, Fortin’s team used recycled Adidas tracksuits from Vinted to craft 17^th-century-style doublets and breeches, extant granny square blankets to make one of Dame’s many outfits, and a reclaimed 1980s suit to fashion Madam Mayor’s bodice and skirt.

“You have this really amazing mix of modern athletic wear, trainers and varsity jackets mixed with late Tudor and early Restoration shapes,” explains Fortin. “We were especially inspired by the West End and Broadway musical & Juliet, which gave a contemporary note to all those puffed sleeves, corseted bodices and voluminous shirting.”

“Impactful As Well As Sustainable”

Working under the pantomime’s director Jessica Brewster, the production team has also collaborated with Jokoto Tailoring, a stalwart of Bristol’s famed Old Market, to recreate beautiful costumes of historical standard from existing clothing. Half of all the textiles used in the production began life as Vinted purchases.

“Our challenge here was to keep the story grounded in the vibrant present while also exhibiting pieces and parts of a magical seventeenth century,” says Brewster. “The action on stage never lets up, and the story offers contemporary twists of its own – so the wardrobe needed to be impactful as well as sustainable. Neil and the team aced the brief!”

With hand-painted details also being used to tell the panto’s story —wings appear on a fairy’s denim jacket , and a dairy logo on the back of Jack’s milking overalls – even the Dame’s outré wardrobe has become part of the make-do-and-mend design aesthetic.

“Such An Important Production”

The theatre’s Director, Derek Bond, says that the annual pantomime lies at the heart of The Roses’ programme.

“Pantomimes are such a wonderful British tradition, so we take our town’s part in the season really seriously,” he explains. “Pantos are a real opportunity to do what The Roses is all about – bringing the community into our theatre, and taking the arts out into the community, so that we can all share a wonderful live experience together.”

The panto has a material significance, too, adds the Olivier-winning director, who was appointed to the theatre in September – succeeding Brewster, who has moved to head the Cheltenham Trust.

“Like many local theatres, up to a fifth of our annual revenue is generated during panto season,” he says. “So this panto’s wardrobe may be eco-friendly – but it helps makes the theatre, and Tewkesbury’s cultural life, sustainable, too! And with giant beanstalks, surprising giants and those glorious upcycled wardrobes, audiences will enjoy this year’s Tewkesbury panto more than ever.