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A member of Pannal Players in Harrogate gearing up for her first stint at directing has been inspired by her days as a young girl on stage back in the 1960s.

With just days until the launch of this year’s panto, Humpty Dumpty, Lorna Snowden, who joined Pannal Players eight years ago, has been casting her mind back to her childhood days in the Deanery Players.

Taking over for the first time from previous director and show writer, Clive Kirkham, Lorna remembers with fondness her own times as a youngster in panto in Harrogate.

"When Clive asked whether I might step into his shoes, I decided to adapt the original script from its cast of 60 staged at the Royal Hall in 1969, to a more modest cast number of 18 to be performed at Pannal Village Hall,” said Lorna.

Pannal Players present Humpty Dumpty runs at Pannal Village Hall from Wednesday, February 14 to Saturday, February 17. (Picture contributed)

"Only a few minor changes then!

"The story combines the traditional nursery rhyme characters with modern issues including a little twist at the end, just to put my personal stamp on it.”

As an adult, Lorna has played many roles with amateur dramatic groups in Harrogate, including Edith in Ello’ Ello and Geraldine Grainger in The Vicar of Dibley, although pantomime has remained her favourite type of stage production.

When the new production of Humpty Dumpty is unveiled on February 14, the show will see the efforts of Lorna’s skills in a wide range of ways.

As well as directing, she has been involved in the choreographing, has made a number of the costumes and has designed and drawn the scenery.

"I’m really excited to see my creation come to life,” said Lorna who is also a murder mystery writer two and set her debut novel, Murder After The Matinee, in the world of pantomime.

"This year’s panto is a different style to Clive but I just hope people enjoy it.”

Pannal Players present Humpty Dumpty runs at Pannal Village Hall from Wednesday, February 14 to Saturday, February 17.

There will be daily performances at 7.30pm with Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

For more information, visit: https://www.pannalvillagehall.co.uk/news/pannal-players-present-humpty-dumpty-a-pantomime

For tickets, visit: https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/humptydumpty

Fifty years after a childhood spent on the Harrogate stage multi-talented Lorna prepares to direct her first panto