Coventry pantomime suppliers get ready for busy festive season

Sarah Boden has been supplying pantomimes for 20 years

A company that supplies pantomime shows all over the country is getting ready for its busiest time of the year.

Sarah and Steve Boden have been running Imagine Theatre in Coventry for two decades and said it was the "best job in the world".

The couple have all the scripts, sets, costumes and props for 45 pantomimes in their warehouse and are supplying 22 shows this year.

Mrs Boden said that at peak times it can be hard to move around.

She described their warehouse as an "Aladdin's cave of pantomime and wonders and glitter", with structured dame's dresses hanging from the ceiling.

Once panto season starts, she said it takes "a huge army behind the scenes just to prep everything".

The Imagine warehouse holds props, costumes and sets for 45 pantomimes

Many of their items have to be held in multiples, because of the need to supply so many shows.

But despite the hard work, she said: "You can't beat that magic of working all year on something and then sitting in a theatre and hearing that response from the audiences."

Steve Boden said Coventry had a proud history of pantomime production

Mr Boden said it was an "amazing career" and hoped the shows they supplied could inspire another generation to get into their line of business.

He said he thought many people were unaware of the "huge back office resource" behind pantomimes, but he preferred it if audiences were not thinking about the months of planning as they enjoyed the shows.

He also said Coventry had a proud history of pantomime production and said: "We are custodians of panto."