THE Gareloch Headliners are getting ready to make a brand new song and dance this festive season as preparations for their annual pantomime gather pace.

The classic tale of Dick Whittington will be performed a the Gibson Hall in the village on December 1, 2 and 3.

Jackie Wade from the Headliners said: “Rehearsale are going well so far. We have a chorus of primary age children and they're all working really, really hard. They'll be joining in with the adults' rehearsals from next week.

“It's a very traditional production. We like our traditional pantos. It's been written by Ben Crocker, who wrote last year's production, Cinderella, which got fantastic feedback from the people who came to see it.”

Dick Whittington is one of the few pantomimes which owes its roots at least partly to a real person: Dick is popularly supposed to have escaped his poverty-stricken childhood and made his fortune as Lord Mayor of London thanks to the rat-catching abilities of his cat.

In fact there's little evidence that the real-life Whittington really did rise out of poverty, or that he owned a rat-catching cat (though he did become Lord Mayor of London), but that hasn't stopped generations of pantomime audiences having a great time enjoying the tale.

The star of any pantomime is of course the panto dame, a role which this year will be filled by Ben Elmer-White – who, as if the most demanding on-stage role wasn't enough, is also directing this year's production.

“Ben played one of the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella last year,” Jackie continued. “It takes a special kind of character to play the dame, but we've always been lucky to have someone who can fill the role.

“Ben had a background in theatre production when he was younger, so he's bringing some experience to the role – as well as a different twist.

“I've directed the last few productions but I thought it was time for a change – I never thought I'd get the chance to pass on the job, but I'm delighted that Ben has taken it on.”

Including the children in the chorus there are around 25 people involved in the Headliners' panto this year, from cast and chorus to backstage crew and costume-makers.

But the group are still keen to hear from anyone who would like to get involved in the production – not least an expert in make-up, since the person who was in charge of that has had to step down from the role.

If you'd like to get involved, contact Jackie on 07590525829.

Tickets for the panto will be available from Friday, November 4, costing just £6 (£4 concessions).