Worthing's modern Maid Marion represents girl power this Christmas

“I am so excited, and it is wonderful to be doing Robin Hood as well. It's not done very often and it is such a good story. For children it's the moral of knowing right from wrong and fighting against injustice but also you've got some really good strong characters. Maid Marion is representing girl power, and she is a strong and independent woman. She does not rely on any man and as a modern role model I think that's great.

“She is completely different to any of the other principal girls that you might imagine in any other panto. She is strong and she comes in immediately stopping injustice and she stands up for other people and she's questioning what other people are doing and why they're doing it. She really represents women. Even with Robin, even though they fall in love, she is saying I don't want to be led by you and I don't want to be helped in any way. She is perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet, and all the way through she is affirming that she is a modern woman. And that makes her so much more fun to play. I've always tried to make my principal girls a little bit feisty but this one is actually written that way. At first I think you might be a bit taken aback by how she comes across!

“I've done panto for about 20 years. My first panto was a fairy and then principal girls and then I did wicked and then I went back to fairy and now principal girls again. I love panto. I love the tradition. It is so important for children because for some children it is their first experience of the theatre and for some of them it is their only experience of the theatre and it is just so traditional to this country.”

Panto is quite unchanging: “And people come for that tradition but while it's important to maintain the traditional elements you also need to be bringing some new elements to it perhaps through the music that the children know and want to sing along to but you do expect the traditional comedy and I think that's what makes it so special. I think panto is a lovely comfort. For me panto is Christmas. Last year I took the year off from panto and it just felt so unusual for me. I'm so used to being in that world and so used to being with the cast and company. I think with the stresses of the modern world, panto is such a wonderful escape but having the year off seemed quite novel. But it just wasn't as magical. Panto brings such magic to everyone and so much joy and I think I just felt a little bit underwhelmed by Christmas last year. The days were rolling by and I was thinking ‘What shall I do?’ so I'm really pleased to be back now.”