It may still be summer but preparations are already well underway for this year’s Christmas pantomime in Inverness.
Nearly 100 hopefuls under the age of 16 took to the boards at Eden Court yesterday to try and win a hotly contested spot in this year’s production Aladdin.
After a full day of X-factor style auditions directors for the production managed to whittle the list down to 24 dancing queens and kings, plus eight reserves for their junior chorus.
The 24 youngsters will be split up into teams of eight and will take part in around 19 of the showings of the annual extravaganza at Eden Court.
One of the successful applicants was Iona Thomson, 13, from Smithton who will be taking part in her fifth Inverness pantomime.
She said: “I’m really pleased to have got in and I’m looking forward to taking part.
“We start rehearsing on November 15 which is my birthday so that’s quite nice.”
Sarah Boden, business director for show producers Imagine Theatre, was delighted with the standard on show.
She said: “It’s been a great day and we’re really pleased with the performers we’ve eventually selected.
“We started with 95 in the morning, got that down to about 50 by lunchtime and then eventually to the final cast.
“The standard was very high across the board and we’re delighted with the amount of boys who auditioned and we’ve been able to put at least a boy in each group which is good for variety.”
The junior performers were immediately rewarded with the chance to put show director Steven Wren in his place by pouring a bucket of icy water over his head in the name of charity.
Now the cast face a long wait until November when final rehearsals start for the show, which premieres on December 2 and runs until January 4.
The junior chorus will be performing alongside a number of faces familiar to fans of pantomime in Inverness.
Firm favourite Ross Allan will be taking a leading role as Wishee Washee, while Greg Powrie while be the panto dame Widow Twankey.