Magnificent! Spectacular!
The David Drummond Pantomime Collection
In 2022 Special Collections and Archives were awarded a grant from the Archives Revealed programme to catalogue the David Drummond Pantomime Collection. Archives Revealed is a funding partnership between The National Archives, The Pilgrim Trust and The Wolfson Foundation.
Our project – Oh Yes It Is! – was dedicated to getting this collection catalogued and available to researchers and public with an interest in pantomime.
The David Drummond Pantomime collection is a treasure trove of fascinating material that highlights the unique British pantomime tradition from 1800 to the early 21st century.
Between 2022 and 2023 the Project Archivist, Daniella Gonzalez, began the mammoth task of establishing order, listing everything in the collection, and creating detailed catalogue records.
This exhibition showcases this magnificent, spectacular collection. It highlights the incredible programmes, posters, photographs and other extraordinary items, telling the story of the history of pantomime from the early days of the Commedia dell’Arte to the modern extravaganza we know today!
The exhibition walks you through various periods in Pantomime history - click on the sections below to read more!
With the support of the Public Engagement Team at the Canterbury Festival, we were delighted to work with students from EKC Canterbury College studying fashion textiles, film, graphics and fine art.
In early 2024 we welcomed over 100 students onto campus to take part in workshops exploring the David Drummond Pantomime Collection. The students looked at costumes, pantomime and theatre posters, early pantomime material such as images of Grimaldi the clown and the Harlequinade, and photographs of performers playing Dames and Principal Boys.
The students used the collection as inspiration for their
coursework which was on the theme of Spectacular Spectacular! We were excited to see the inspiration of our collections in
their work when we visited the College to see the student’s work in progress.
Their creations were then showcased in an end-of-year show ‘In the City’ featuring a fashion show and exhibition of work that was open to the public.
Playing with gender roles and cross-dressing are some of the most distinctive elements of pantomime performance. The traditional roles of the pantomime Dame and the Principal Boy in modern panto have developed from a rich history of male and female impersonators who were hugely popular stars in music hall.
Today, the Pantomime Dame tends to be played for comic impact usually with clear emphasis that the male performer is playing a female role. While the role is loved by many, there are others that question whether the comedy presentation of a man in drag reinforces gender stereotypes in a way that does not sit comfortably with all in the audience.
In 2022/2023 researchers at the University of Kent have used the David Drummond Pantomime collection to reflect on questions such as this in a research project - Beyond the Binary: Performing Gender Then and Now.
The research was led by Professor Helen Brooks and Dr Oliver Double alongside a community of people with lived experience of gender diversity who were able to explore and learn from the material together. This included students, public researchers, performance makers, archivists and academics. The research uncovered new perspectives on performance and gender, both in the past and today.
The Beyond the Binary research project resulted in several workshops studying our original archive material, and a two-day event in the archives and at the Beaney House of Art and Knowledge featuring a pop-up exhibition and an ‘In Conversation’ event. A further event, Rowdy Dowdy Boys and Saucy Seaside Girls, took place at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre in September 2022, which was co-created with non-binary folk performers, Lunatraktors, and featured comedian Mark Thomas. A video of a performance created by Lunatraktors as part of the project can be found on their YouTube channel here. This was followed by a travelling exhibition ‘Pantomime: Beyond the Binary’ in partnership with Ambassador Theatre Group associated with the production of Mother Goose featuring Sir Ian McKellan and John Bishop.
Research discussion points included:
