New to Panto? This panel discussion with talk about everything you ever want to know about working in a sound team during the festive season.

Panel Chaired by Sound Designer Helen Skiera

With Sound Designer Matt Peploe

Sound Number One Chris Mock 

Sound Number One / Two Rosie Stroud

Topics to include:

- What challenges might you come across with actors not used to radio mics/theatre?

- How to manage a busy panto schedule

- How does mixing a panto differ from mixing say, a musical?

About our panelists:

Helen Skiera 

Helen has worked for many years in theatre sound design as a designer and associate designer, with theatres and companies such as the Royal Court, Bristol Old Vic, Salisbury Playhouse, Complicite and the West End. She has designed two pantos for Stratford East.

She currently has sound designs for "Metamorphosis" with Frantic Assembly on a UK tour, and "Mind Mangler, Member of the Tragic Circle" on Virgin Voyages. More recently she has been involved with alternate audio storytelling processes, and recently made three binaural audio dramas in the series F**ked up Bedtime Stories with ETT, featuring David Harewood, Stephen Mangan and Maxine Peake, scheduled to be released in October. She is also developing work with Raucous for an AR/binaural style table top experience for a project called 'The Foundling'. She has designed and recorded audio for a series of experiences, some online, some live AR, for Fast Familiar.

She also teaches and leads workshops in sound design; concept and technical skills.

Matt Peploe

Matt has been a part of the professional sound industry for more than fifteen years and has worked on a variety of shows and events worldwide. After graduating Matt became the sound designer for the one the country’s oldest theatres., which lead to him becoming a trustee of this heritage venue, a title he continues to proudly holds today. After five years designing sound for regional theatre Matt joined Team Gareth Owen Sound where he continues his creative passion to this day. Matt is proud to be creatively involved in some of the world’s largest theatrical productions.

Highlights include: &Juliet, Tommy, ALWs Cinderella, The Prince of Egypt, Bat Out of Hell, Diana, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Panto at the London Palladium, Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Rocky Horror Show, Nine to Five, The Producers, Let it Be, Carmen La Cubana, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, ALWs ‘Unmasked’, Singing In The Rain, and What’s New Pussycat.

Chris Mock

This year: Sound Number One on Snow White Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. 

Chris is a Sound Engineer and has worked extensively in the Theatre and Live Entertainment industry.

Credits include:-

Strictly Ballroom the Musical UK Tour, Strictly Come Dancing Live, Gareth Malone Sing-A-Long Tour, Dawn French is a Huge Twat Tour, Alan Partridge - Stratagem Tour, Russell Watson UK Tour, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Grandpa’s Great Escape Arena Tour, Still Game - The Final Farewell Arena Show, An Evening with Bonnie Langford, An Evening with Jason Robert Brown, Michael Palin - Erebus Tour, Strictly Come Dancing - The Professionals Tour, Cambridge Rock Festival, 4 Tours with Ben Fogle, An Evening with Ant Middleton UK Tour, DanTDM Australian Tour, Hillsong Church Conference at the o2 Arena, Ten Fè, Wonderland The Musical UK Tour, Midnight Cowboy by Tony Hawks, Carousel for Opera North, Betty Blue Eyes UK Tour and Many Pantomimes!

He also has spent time as a Sound Tutor in Education, with time as Post Production Sound Tutor at the London Film Academy and as Head of Sound for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Rosie Stroud 

This Year: Sound Number Two on cBebbies Robin Hood at Venue Cymru 

Rosie has been working as a Sound Engineer for over 10 years on a variety of shows including West End and UK/International touring theatre.