Where PhDs and panto directing converge

Michael Howcroft is directing this year’s Worthing pantomime – having recently completed his PhD in human geography from the University of Hull.

As he says, the cross-over perhaps is in the problem-solving, in the thinking on your feet that both demand.

He’s certainly delighted to be back in Worthing where he directed Cinderella a couple of years ago – and where he should also have been directing panto last year just as the pandemic tightened its grip again.

“It was really difficult because panto is such a lifeline for so many different venues. I was OK financially myself because I had other projects but you worry about the venues that really depend on panto. And the real problem was that nobody knew obviously how long it would last but actually looking back it’s too difficult to remember what happened when. It all becomes a bit of a blur.

“But I have just finished my PhD. I was doing a lot of writing (during the lockdowns) and two weeks ago I had my viva. The PhD is in human geography. It is cultural and social geography. My research is looking into the link between political and cultural behaviours and how cultural mega events like the Olympics influence the political and cultural life of a city. Hull was a strong Brexit city and then the following year it hosted the UK City of Culture and some people thought that the two things were incompatible. People were assuming that Brexit was an inward-looking and parochial business. So that was the kind of thing I was looking at.

“The whole journey started a long time ago when I did a masters in 2015. I trained as an actor. I had no academic background and I just wanted to do something academic. And yes, this will impact on my work now. I’ve just finished a contract at the University of Southampton as a research fellow and in January start a new research project with the University of Sheffield. I will be balancing freelance directing with research projects.”

In the meantime, Michael says pantomimes are more important than ever this year after all the disappointments of 2020: “I do think it’s so important to come together and to celebrate and just be silly. I think panto is such a fantastic time for families so yes definitely people should come along and see panto and this one is going to be great fun for everyone!”

Beauty and the Beast: The Pantomime runs from Friday November 26 2021 to Sunday January 2 at the Pavilion Theatre, Marine Parade, Worthing. Tickets are available from £10. For more information or to book your tickets visit www.wtam.uk or call the WTM box office on 01903 206206.