Sleeping Beauty thank you speech - Jack Holloway

So now I move onto the all-important thank yous.

Seriously though, before anyone goes anywhere, I want to take some time to say thank you. Because what you’ve seen tonight didn’t just appear. This show exists because of a ridiculous amount of teamwork, creativity, patience, and people saying “yes” when they could have said I’ll pass!

Firstly I would like to welcome our new members, 

Josh, Bex, Clark, Luca, Annie, Tia, Josh and Thomas. It’s really  important that we are constantly welcome new members who bring new ideas, and fresh dynamics to the society. A very warm welcome and thank you for being apart of PBDS.  

First, our Creative Team, who turned an idea into a reality.

To our Director, Mike Darbon — thank you for your vision, your leadership, and for steering this production with clarity and confidence. Thank you for knowing when to push, when to reassure, and when to say “trust me, it’ll work,” even when the rest of us weren’t entirely convinced yet.

To our Musical Director, Bryony Da Silva — thank you for bringing the music to life, for holding everything together, and for keeping us all on the same page musically. You’ve led this show with skill, warmth, and an incredible amount of patience, and it shows in every moment.

To our Choreographer, Hannah Gruneberg — thank you for the creativity, the energy, and the movement that brought so much life to this show. Thank you for encouraging people to push past their comfort zones and for making it all look effortless.

To our Set Designers, Avril McNamara and Dawn Bardrick — thank you for creating a space that didn’t just look good, but actually worked. You turned ideas into reality and gave us a stage that supported everything happening on it.

To Costume Design & WHAM — Chloe Holloway, Amanda Shilstone, and Sean Galvin — thank you for the costumes, the attention to detail, and for making everyone look incredible from every angle. Thank you for problem-solving on the fly and for making the impossible possible.

To our Prop Designer, Liz — thank you for every prop that appeared exactly when it needed to, for every fix that happened quietly backstage, and for making sure the details were never forgotten.

And to Gemma, for Marketing & Social Media — thank you for spreading the word, building excitement, and making sure that all these people in the audience actually knew where to be and when.

Now, the Show Team — the people who turn planning into reality.

Thank you to our Set Painters, Avril, Dawn, Fran, and Sandy for making everything look finished, professional, and far better than it did at the start.To Set Construction, Barry, Richard and Richard Holloway, thank you for building things that were strong, stable, and didn’t collapse — which, frankly, is always a win.

Thank you to Anne for the Book Cover, during rehearsals you made tones of notes ensuring all the notes, moves and written down so that mike can refer back to them at a later stage.

To Richard, who took on Box Office and Front of House Manager duties — thank you for keeping everything running smoothly and for being a calm presence throughout.To Janet, our Bar Manager, and to our wonderful Bar Staff — Steve, Amy, Lou, Rachel, Sandy, and Friends of PBDS — thank you for keeping everyone well looked after and in good spirits.

To our brilliant Front of House Staff — Joy , Alice, Debbie, Emma, Gemma, Hannah, John, Joyce, Katie, Raine, Sandy, Sharon, Steve,— thank you for welcoming everyone, answering questions, solving problems, and creating such a warm atmosphere from the moment the doors opened.

Now to the people you don’t always see, but without whom the show simply would not happen.

Thank you to our Lighting Operators, Alex and Ben, for making the show look as good as it does.To our Sound Effects Operator, Josh, thank you for every perfectly timed cue. Riggers, Ben and Matteo, thank you for making sure everything stayed exactly where it was meant to be.

To our Stage Manager, Anne Barber, thank you for keeping the entire production running with precision and calm.

To our Deputy Stage Manager, Paul, thank you for being a steady hand throughout and calling all of my 460 odd lighting cues. That is not an easy task but you worked your magic with the script and we had a brilliantly called show every night.

To our Assistant Stage Managers, Liz and Dawn, thank you for being everywhere at once and always knowing what needed doing next.

And to our wider Crew — Daniel, Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Thomas — thank you for stepping in wherever you were needed, often before anyone even asked.

To our Dressers, Chloe and Amanda, thank you for the quick changes, the last-minute fixes, and the reassurance backstage.

And to Wigs, Hair & Makeup (WHAM) — Chloe, Amanda, Ellie, , Crina, Amelia , and Victoria — thank you for the transformations, the creativity, and the calm under pressure.

A huge thank you to our Chaperones, the Parents of PBDS Child Members — thank you for your time, your support, your flexibility, and your endless encouragement. We genuinely couldn’t do this without you.

Thank you to our Conductor, Bryony, for keeping everyone in time during the show.

To our fabulous Prop Makers, Liz and Sandy, and once again to Gemma for putting together the Programme.

And finally, our special thanks to Lightrics for supplying lighting and sound, to Pratts Bottom Village Hall for hosting us, and to Moonshine Productions for filming the show — so we can prove it all actually happened.

Every single person involved in this production gave their time, their energy, and their talent. This show is the result of collaboration, generosity, and a shared love of what we do.

It has been an absolute privilege to work alongside all of you.

Thank you for trusting the process, thank you for the hard work, thank you for the laughs — and thank you for making this show something truly special.

As I mentioned before putting on a show involves everyone, it’s not like a swimming lesson or Zumba class where your improving yourself. A show does not exist without everyone being apart of the process. A show does not exist without and audience, neither does it exist without, lighting, costume, cast. We all have to be either 100% in it or not, there is no middle ground otherwise we would have a half baked show. And no one wants what. So before I move on we have a couple of cast members that I wanted to recognise. The following cast members have had 100% attendance to every rehearsal called and shown exceptional commitment in doing so. Can I have a massive round of applause to Claire, Dan, Natalie!

And now onto our cast:

From the very first rehearsal to this final performance, every single one of you has brought energy, commitment, and heart to this production. You turned lines into characters, blocking into storytelling, and rehearsals into something genuinely special.

So I’m going to take my time.You deserve it.

Let’s start with our fairies — because every good story needs a little magic.

Michelle Ring, our Fairy Starlight — thank you for the warmth, the sparkle, and the magical authority. You grounded the fairy world and made it feel real, which is no small thing when you’re also wielding magic.

Amanda Shilstone, our Fairy Moonbeam — thank you for the elegance, the gentleness, and the strength you brought to the role. Every moment felt considered, and it added real depth to the story.

Fiona Gruneberg, our Fairy Dust — thank you for the tired energy, and the elderly sparkle. You brought fun and life into every scene you were in as well as your back stage lullaby trance.

Now, every panto needs a villain — and we had an excellent one.

Amanda Courtney, our Carabosse — thank you for fully committing to the villainy. You gave us drama, power, excellent singing and a character the audience absolutely loved to boo, which is exactly how it should be.

To the characters who brought comedy, heart, and chaos…

Claire Sheehy, our Muddles — thank you for the humour, the heart, and for being the emotional glue of so many scenes. You brought warmth, fantastic singing, spot on dance moves and comedy in perfect balance.

Dan Johnson, our Archbishop — thank you for the bumbling around, timing, and presence. Every appearance was grounded, confident, and well thought out.

Damon Norville, our Nanny Nightnurse — thank you for the comedy, the commitment, and the scene-stealing confidence. You leaned into the character fully, and it paid off every time. The Dreamers was pitch-perfect every time.

To our royal household…

Natalie Craker, our Old King Cole — thank you for the, warmth, and humour you brought to the role constantly being cut off by the queen of hearts every time you spoke.

Laura Clout, our Queen of Hearts — thank you for the drama, the authority, and the commanding stage presence. Every entrance meant something, and you owned every moment.

Now — a huge thank you to our younger cast, who absolutely rose to the challenge.

To our Young Auroras — Rosie Clarke and Emily Boatwright — thank you for your focus, confidence, and professionalism. You handled the stage beautifully and should be incredibly proud.

To our Young Avarices — Iylah-Louise Ashby-Williams and Imogen Bailey — thank you for the character, attitude, and energy you brought. You committed fully and it showed.

To our Young Arthurs — Luca Manzi and Clark Ring — thank you for your enthusiasm, bravery, and confidence on stage. You handled everything with real maturity.

Now to the roles carrying a huge amount of responsibility.

To our Princess Auroras — Alice Daniells and Annie Seward — thank you for carrying such an important role with grace, focus, great singing and confidence. You were a joy to watch and set the tone for the whole show.

To our Avarices — Rosabella Manzi and Chloe Twose — thank you for the comedy, character work, and energy. You brought fun, contrast, and brilliant timing to every scene.

To Scarlett Bagley, our Prince Arthur — thank you for the strength, sincerity, and presence you brought to the role. You anchored the story beautifully. A fantastic principle boy.

Now — to the people who made the world feel full.

To our Palace Officials and Zombies — Julie McNab, Claire-Louise Molony, and Barry Fitzgerald — thank you for embracing the strange, the theatrical, and the fun. You added layers and texture to every scene.

And finally, to our incredible ensemble — the Citizens of Slumberville, Party Guests, School Children, and Nightmares —Eloise Fitzgerald, Matae Wise-O’Riordan, Eliza Baker, Annie Rowberry, and Tia Da Silva 

Thank you for your versatility, your energy, and your constant commitment. You filled the stage, supported every scene, and brought the world of this show to life.

To every member of the cast: thank you for the time you’ve given, the effort you’ve put in, and the trust you placed in this process. Thank you for supporting each other, for learning, growing, laughing, and for showing up ready to give your best.

You should be incredibly proud of what you’ve created together.

So please — one final time — give the entire cast the biggest round of applause…

before we let you go and enjoy the party, there’s one more group of wonderful people we simply have to recognise properly — the people who keep this society running all year, not just during rehearsals and show week.

I’m talking about our Leadership Team — the people who quietly keep the lights on, the finances balanced, the costumes organised, the events planned, and occasionally manage to herd cats in the form of enthusiastic performers.

Let’s give them a proper round of applause.

Anne Barber, our Production Coordinator — thank you for tying all the creative ideas together, for making sure shows actually become a reality and for being that calm, trusted voice in every discussion.

Fiona Gruneberg, our Operations Coordinator — thank you for making sure the society runs like a well-oiled machine (even on days when it felt more like squeaky old theatre props).

Joy Jordan & Elizabeth, our Artistic Coordinators — thank you for nurturing the creative heart of PBDS, helping guide artistic choices, and making sure our productions stay as vibrant as they are joyful.

Bryony Da Silva, Head of Musical Direction — thank you for the music, the harmony, the rhythm — and for making sure we stay in tune even when everything else is going around us!

Chloe Holloway, Head of Wardrobe and Wigs — thank you for keeping us looking fabulous, even when it involved hundreds of costume changes and emergency stitching sessions.

Amanda Shilstone, Deputy Head of Wardrobe and Wigs — thank you for being the right hand in the wardrobe department, and for keeping seams tighter than our show schedule!

Liz Baker, Head of Stage and Props — thank you for sourcing, creating, wrangling and sometimes inventing props that made every scene feel believable — and occasionally terrifying in their realism.

Hannah Gruneberg, Head of Choreography — thank you for shaping movement, managing steps, and making sure no one tripped over their feet (too many times).

Julie & Natalie, Cast Representation Managers — thank you for looking after our performers, advocating for them, and making sure everyone felt supported and heard.

Gemma Stevens, Head of Events and Social — thank you for organising the fun side of PBDS — the events, the socials, the get-togethers that make this society as much a family as a theatre group.

And also Gemma Stevens, Marketing Manager — because one Gemma simply wasn’t enough. Thank you for getting the word out, making our society known, and making sure audiences turn up with smiles and tickets in hand.

Richard Kerlogue, Front of House Manager — thank you for leading our front-of-house team, welcoming audiences with warmth, and making sure everyone feels at home from the moment they walk in the door.

Amanda Courtney, Safeguarding Manager — thank you for putting the safety and wellbeing of everyone first, creating a space where performers, volunteers, and audiences can feel secure and supported.

Barry Fitzgerald, Village Hall Representative — thank you for being our link with the lovely hall that hosts us, keeping good relations and ensuring PBDS always has a place to call home.

And Bryony Da Silva, our Head of Finance — thank you for balancing the books, keeping the accounts honest, and ensuring PBDS stays financially strong without sacrificing glitter and drama.

We also have one vacancy currently: Secretary — and if you’re interested in joining this amazing team, we’d absolutely love to hear from you!

To the whole Leadership Team:

Thank you for giving your time, your expertise, your energy, and your passion so that PBDS can flourish. You hold together the creative chaos, you steer this community, and you make all the magic behind the scenes possible.

Please give them a huge round of applause — because truly, we couldn't do this without you. 👏✨

So now it’s time to put yet another fantastic panto to sleep and we look forward to another bumper year of drama, magic and fun!

So just a reminder before we dance the night away, 10am we are back in here to strike the show and make sure it is back to looking like, well a village hall.

Thank you and goodnight!