From the beginning....

The Limerick Panto Society was founded in 1985 with the purpose of creating and keeping Panto tradition alive in Limerick. The group was mainly comprised of people that had been involved in the John Player Tops competition with companies such as Telecom Éireann,  An Post, Teachers and the Crescent Shopping Centre.

Our very first committee in 1985

Many of the founder members are still involved to this day.

Cinderella : Our very first production

The first production was staged at the Crescent Hall, O'Connell Street, Limerick, in December 1985 and January 1986.

The classic tale of Cinderella was the popular choice and the show proved to be a great success despite playing to very small houses initially.

Our first cast on-stage in the Crescent Hall

The Finns

One of Cinderella's original ugly sisters in our debut panto back in 1985 was the sadly-missed John Finn, who was also highly involved on other areas, having done Set Construction and also penned many of our Pantomimes. The Finn family is one of many families that work hard every year to provide our festive entertainment with John's wife Sandra being the Wardrobe Mistress for many years. John's brother Mike wrote the script for our 1987 production, Snow White, which was also staged at the Crescent, featuring original songs and a superb cast.

Tony Cusack

Tony Cusack has produced most of the society's presentations and his family has also had a strong influence on the development of the group. Over the years Denis has taken on many roles, including Lighting Director, Chairman and PRO. Over the past few years, Tim has proved himself (!) to be an outstanding "Dame", and has also excelled at Scriptwriting.

The Cusack Connections

Tim and Tony's sister, Carol, is an excellent choreographer and their father Joe was also heavily involved, being the society's President until he passed away in 2007. Meanwhile both Tim and Tony's better halves, Imelda and Deirdre, are hard working committee members.

Malachy Cusack has stage-managed many of the shows, and even made a few appearances on-stage – however contrary to popular belief he is not a brother of Tim and Tony.

Supporting Local Charities

Thousands of pounds - and euros - have been raised over the year's for children's charities such as Cystic Fibrosis, Dóchas, Cari and The Irish MPS Society just to name a few and the first show was produced for the late Larry "The Fox" O'Brien's group in Garryowen.

Larry and the legendary John "The Man" Frawley were great supporters in the early years, and indeed the society has received great support from all the local media.

Stage Schools

Pantomimes are all about the young and of course the young at heart; many children are introduced to the theatre by their first trip to the annual Panto.The local stage schools provide a platform for children by participating in the Panto and the Panto Society has been fortunate to have the support of local Stage and Dance Schools.

The Westside Stage School with Colette Coughlan was involved in Cinderella, while Spotlight Stage School, under the direction of Judy O'Connor and Margaret Hough, also came on board and has taken part in all the productions since.

Expressive Arts (under the direction of Pearl Kiely, May O'Halloran and Geri O'Sullivan), Edel Gallager's School of Ballet and Linda Ball's School of Irish Dancing have also been regular contributors. Frontline Stage School with Gerdi McGlynn, and as Alice Marshall's Ballet School have performed on other occasions, and recent additions include Emma O'Driscoll's Gemstars.

Oliver Stapleton & Basil Collinson

The society had a very successful period in the Belltable with Oliver Stapleton - who regularly wowed audiences with his comic performances as the "Dame" - and of course the late "King of Panto" Basil Collinson.

Basil was a wonderful man and a great friend to all of the members.

He always had time to encourage the cast and crew in particular the younger performers. He appeared in the first 16 shows and never missed a rehearsal. He had a wonderful baritone voice and poignantly sang the "Last Farewell" in Robinson Crusoe, his last Panto.

Musical Direction

The music is provided each year by Michael Hinchy and his orchestra.

Once again, this is a family affair with Michael's brothers Dermot, Kenneth and Philip helping to provide excellent musical accompaniment to all of the cast.

As Musical Director, Michael is following in the footsteps of his dad Mick, who was Musical Director for many years and is credited with originally coming up with the idea of the Limerick Panto Society.