Sarah Ellner of Kennington Amateur Dramatic Society, enjoys the family atmosphere of 2016’s annual panto Knight’s Fever

I am a Panto Baby. I blame it all on the fact that a group of like-minded friends decided to get together to perform plays for the good people of Kennington.

Their first pantomime was ‘The Beggars of Bagley Wood’ (an original script by the group’s keen playwright at the time) performed in the old Village Hall in 1980.

My mother and sister were among the founder members, and it wasn’t long before my father and brother decided to get in on the act.

Our annual pantomime has always been performed in January, but bad planning meant that Mum could not be in ‘Puss in Boots’ the following year, as she was heavily pregnant with me.

However, she was back on stage for ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’ the next year, as a Gypsy, with a wide-eyed infant strapped to her side making her stage debut at barely a year old.

Kennington Amateur Dramatic Society definitely has a family atmosphere, and we currently have several generations of families onstage (and offstage) coming together to have a good time putting on shows for the community.

This year’s pantomime is ‘Knight Fever!’ a tale of King Arthur’s Camelot where our hero, Justin Thyme (a humble stable boy), dreams of becoming a Knight of the fabled Round Table.

When a princess from a neighbouring land pays a royal visit, the wicked and dastardly Black Knight shows just how evil he is by kidnapping her and locking her away in a dungeon, guarded by the dreaded dragon Fangfurnace!

Mischief and trickery mean that King Arthur, his knights, and the magical Merlin, are powerless to help, so Justin must go on his own brave quest to save the day.

Packed with sing-along-songs, slapstick, bad jokes and general silliness, this pantomime is one to be enjoyed by anyone looking for a fun time.

We will also be collecting for our chosen charity ‘Help for Heroes’ at each performance.

Why not bring the family? Running over the next two weekends (January 22-24 and 29-30) at Kennington Village Centre, book on 01865 739025 or email at antipants67@gmail.com.