the avondale mills were a system of textile mills located predominantly in alabama , but also in georgia and south carolina , with headquarters in birmingham , and later in sylacauga , alabama .

the birmingham neighborhood of avondale was chosen to be the site of the first mill , hence the naming of the company .

founded in 1897 , the mills employed thousands of alabamians throughout its 109-year history until they closed in 2006 .

avondale mills was founded in 1897 by a consortium of investors including the trainer family of chester , pennsylvania , the future governor of alabama , braxton bragg comer , and a group of birmingham civic leaders including frederick mitchell jackson sr . the mills refined the plentiful cotton from alabama fields and , at its peak , devoured 20 % of the entire state of alabama 's cotton production .

the owners and operators of avondale mills were noted not only for progressive stances with regards to the overall well being of their workers , but also for conditions of child labor that , while common at the time , are today considered abusive .

the mills were operated solely in alabama until donald comer released control of avondale mills to his brother-in-law , craig smith , who helped expand the mills into both georgia and south carolina . .

walton monroe mills inc. purchased avondale mills in 1986 .

in 1995 , the owning firm acquired the textile operations of the graniteville company .

disaster struck when , on the morning of january 6 , 2005 , a train accident outside of the graniteville , south carolina mill caused a massive chemical explosion that killed 9 .

in 2006 , as a result of the graniteville disaster and increased competition from overseas , avondale formally shuttered its operations .

avondale mills

avondale mills <EOT> avondale sun ( from the b . b . comer memorial library avondale mills collection )

avondale mills , inc . ( avondale ) issued the following press release on may 30 , 2006 .

avondale mills , inc . ( avondale ) issued the following press release on may 22 , 2006 .

alvin c . missildine v . avondale mills , inc . , a corporation .

15 . " all these ( except the baby ) work in avondale mills . "

11 . " two girls ( not the youngest ) who work in avondale mills . "

i worked at the avondale mills in pell city , al . it also burned down !

some children working at avondale mills birmingham nov . 25 , 1910 – photo by lewis hines

avondale mills , inc . associate profit sharing & savings plan | 2006 form 5500 by brightscope

avondale mills , inc . associate profit sharing & savings plan | 2010 form 5500 by brightscope

avondale mills , inc . associate profit sharing & savings plan | 2009 form 5500 by brightscope

when avondale mills closed in late july 2006 , sylacauga mayor sam wright said , “losing avondale is like losing a friend . it’s so sad . ”

see the demolition of the historic avondale mills smokestack in pell city on nov . 24 , 2015 .

the process of demolishing a smokestack at pell city ' s avondale mills was more involved than expected .

avondale mills was a system of textile mills that were primarily located in alabama . avondale , a suburb of birmingham , was the location of the first mill , which was the basis of the company’s name .

two girls ( not the youngest ) who work in avondale mills , . location : birmingham , alabama .

nobody that never worked for the comer’s or avondale mills could ever imagine what it was like to work for a family and origination as good as avondale mills , the comer’s were just like family to all of us .

avondale mill village was a section of housing near the avondale mills plant in avondale . it was located between 4th terrace north and 5th court alley north and between 37th and 40th street north , behind the massive brick mill building .

in 1897 , braxton bragg comer built the first mill in the birmingham neighborhood of avondale , hence the name avondale mills . he went on to become governor in 1906 .

for 109 years , avondale mills left its mark on towns like sylacauga throughout alabama and several other southern states .

6 . " ' our baby doffer ' and some of the other infants all working in avondale mills . "

9 . " ' our baby doffer ' and some of the other doffers all working in avondale mills . "

central mills , sylacauga ( owned by avondale mills , birmingham ) ; 25 , 536 ring sp . ; 75 cards ; 3 boilers ; 18 to 32 hosiery yarns .

" avondale mills seeks stockholder approval of sale , " united press international , march 28 , 1986 , am cycle .

phifer owns phoenix services of alabama , which contracted with pell city to demolish the old avondale mills ' brick smokestack .

17 . " noon hour . going to work in avondale mills . i saw these girls at work inside . "

feral dogs have become a big problem in sylacauga ' s mill village since the avondale mills plant closed in 2006 .

the avondale mills textile company was founded in 1897 , opening locations throughout the state of alabama . in 1919 , avondale bought the pell city location , off of u . s . 231 , from pell city manufacturing company . avondale mills became a constant in the pell city community for nearly a century .

" third suitor emerges in fight for avondale mills , " financial times , march 13 , 1986 , p . i35 .

buechler , joseph p . ( 1985 ) " avondale mills : the first fifty years . " honors thesis , auburn university

5 . " john tidwell , a cotton mill product . doffer in avondale mills . many of these youngsters smoke . "

7 . " noon hour at avondale mills . i saw this young girl working at her machine in the mill . "

12 . " noon hour at avondale mills . i saw this young girl working at her machine in the mill . "

in its 109 - year history , avondale mills expanded to include plants throughout alabama . by 1947 and 1948 , avondale mills had reached its apex in alabama , with 7 , 000 employees . the company later branched out into georgia and south carolina .

when avondale mills arrived in sylacauga , it was described by a local historian as the most important event in the town’s history .

noon hour . going to work in avondale mills . i saw these girls at work inside . location : birmingham , alabama .

“i don’t want to be alone ; i can’t breathe , ’’ an avondale mills worker told a 911 dispatcher at the time .

avondale was a company town built east of birmingham , alabama in jefferson county . the town was incorporated on march 18 , 1887 . the city was annexed into birmingham and is now divided into three separate neighborhoods , north avondale , east avondale and south avondale . ( wikipedia )

retreat at mills creek is the third phase of the overall redevelopment of tobie grant manor into the villages of mills creek .

the avondale sun , a newspaper published by avondale mills for its employees , ran from 1924 - 2006 . over its 82 year history it published community and employee news , company information , and photographs .

initially constructed around the avondale mills , from which the area takes its name , avondale is now considered a trendy neighborhood near the university of alabama at birmingham and downtown birmingham . avondale hosts a happening food and beverage scene with mainstays such as saw’s soul kitchen , post office pies , melt , and avondale brewing . entertainment and education abound near avondale with the nearby presence of the alabama ballet , alabama theatre , birmingham civil rights institute , avondale park , and vulcan park and museum .

important notice concerning your rights under the avondale mills , inc . associate profit sharing and savings plan , dated may 22 , 2006 .

national labor relations board , petitioner , v . avondale mills , respondent , 242 f . 2d 669 ( 5th cir . 1957 )

hugh’s father , governor comer , founded avondale mills with the backing of several birmingham bankers and other supporters , and moved the headquarters from birmingham to sylacauga . as the need for cotton grew , avondale mills expanded to other small cities in birmingham . mill towns grew up around these mills and avondale provided housing , schools , doctors and company stores for their employees . many families benefitted from life in these villages .

g . stephen felker , chairman , president and ceo , has allocated us $ 115 million to a modernization plan for avondale mills inc .

avondale mills was a consortium of textile mills founded in 1897 in birmingham by b . b . comer . the company was granted a 30 - acre parcel in a soon - to - be - developed suburb of avondale by the avondale land company . the mill was constructed on the north side of what became 1st avenue north between 37th street and 39th street .

under the settlement agreement , both avondale and fmic have the right to separately settle their respective claims against norfolk southern . in addition , avondale and fmic agreed that , in the event of a jury award of any separate compensatory damages to avondale and fmic , avondale and fmic will retain the separate damages awarded to them respectively . in the event of a joint settlement between avondale , fmic and norfolk southern or a jury award where compensatory damages are not separately allocated between avondale and fmic , avondale and fmic have agreed to a division of the proceeds in the settlement agreement . avondale will retain any punitive damages awarded .

14 . " noon hour at avondale mills . the youngest boy ( on left end ) said he had been doffing there four years . "

covenant not to sue and settlement agreement by and between avondale mills , inc . and factory mutual insurance company , dated may 16 , 2006 .

eva jane mills , sylacauga ( owned by avondale mills , birmingham ) ; 40 , 000 ring sp . ; 125 cards ; 1 , 200 looms ; 8 boilers ; dye ; bleach ; sheetings & colored goods .

good old days . infants working in avondale mills , birmingham , by lewis w hine 1910 . | lewis w . hine photography | pinterest | photos

national labor relations board , petitioner , v . avondale mills , respondent , 242 f . 2d 669 ( 5th cir . 1957 ) : : justia

avondale closed three mills in sylacauga and one each in alexander city , pell city and rockford , laying off more than 1 , 300 workers . in sylacauga , avondale generated an annual payroll of $ 35 million the year it closed .

irby , william g . , " the avondale mills of alabama and georgia , " textile history review , october 1962 , pp . 197 - 204 .

john jones measures the loss of mortar on the avondale mills’ smokestack in april 2008 , two months after the mill burned . news - aegis file photo .

avondale shuts some u . s . sales offices ; textile fabric and yarn manufacturer ,

yep i worked at eva jane at avondale millls . now it has burned down .

after standing in its location for over a century , the main building of avondale mills’ pell city facility burned down in 2008 , leaving only the smokestack behind .

than toward textiles . nevertheless , after graduation he was hired as a management trainee at avondale mills , inc . , a yarn and denim weaver in sylacauga ,

10 . " noon hour , avondale mills . the next day , nov . 24th , i went through the mills during working hours and saw this young girl and six others like her working in the spinning and weave rooms . "

in 1986 , walton monroe mills inc . purchased avondale mills . the two merged in 1993 to become avondale incorporated . three years later , avondale acquired the textile assets of the graniteville company . then in january 2005 , the train accident occurred near the graniteville plant . sixteen freight cars from one train and one car and a locomotive from another train derailed . sixty tons of chlorine gas was released in the wreck .

“what i know is what people have addressed with me when they see me within city limits , ” taylor said . “‘what can we do about avondale mills ? ’”

irby , william g . ( october 1962 ) " the avondale mills of alabama and georgia . " textile history review , no . 3 , pp . 197 - 204

to help adopt the dogs out , the three have created a facebook page , “the feral dogs of avondale mills , ” to help document the work they have done .

cotton mills in the south and coal mines in the north… . just babies .

in 1910 , lewis wickes hine , famous photographer and american sociologist , visited avondale mills . he snapped a few photos of the child workers , in addition to interviewing them .

john tidwell : november 1910 . birmingham , alabama . " john tidwell , doffer in avondale mills . " a closeup of the boy seen earlier today , this image was… | pinteres…

noon hour for some doffers at avondale mills , birmingham in november 1920 by lewis wickes hine – photo taken in november – notice the bare - feet of many of the boys .

missildine v . avondale mills , inc . : : 1981 : : supreme court of alabama decisions : : alabama case law : : alabama law : : us law : : justia

susan gabriella comer was born in alabama on july 16 , 1922 , the first daughter of gillian goodall and hugh moss comer . her father was the youngest son of braxton bragg comer who founded avondale mills in 1897 , and served as governor of alabama from 1907 - 1911 . hugh and gillian lived in sylacauga where he worked as vice president for avondale mills .

graniteville shook the morning of jan . 6 , 2005 , when a norfolk southern train smashed into a parked rail car in the yard at avondale mills , the community’s major employer .

the birmingham mill was shut down in 1971 and the mill buildings were demolished in 1976 . the site was redeveloped as the avondale commerce park . the company was sold to walton monroe mills inc . in 1986 and was merged into its parent to form avondale inc . in 1993 .

" when you look at those avondale suns , you realize that avondale history was alabama history because they were all over the state and they reflect the culture of the time , " spears said .

a pell city contractor pleaded guilty to federal explosives storage and record - keeping charges two years after his failed implosion of a more than 100 - year - old smokestack at avondale mills .

" avondale stockholders approve merger , " united press international , july 2 , 1986 , am cycle .

now , the town and county are losing a part of history with avondale’s destruction by fire wednesday .

female mill workers at fulton bag and cotton mills , atlanta , georgia , 1915 . courtesy of georgia tech archives & records management , fulton bag and cotton mills digital collection .

the russellville mill was alabama mills inc . and closed in 1945 during world war 2 .

haglind p , lundholm m , rylander r . prevalence of byssinosis in swedish cotton mills .

within two years of the 2005 crash , avondale mills closed , taking with it more than 1 , 000 jobs that had kept graniteville residents employed . the loss of the mills , the cornerstone of graniteville since the 1800s , left the community on the verge of becoming a ghost town .

2 . " group of workers in avondale mills . smallest boy is john tidwell , been doffing 3 months . boy next to him is ragin bryant , been doffing here for five years . "

4 . " overseer and two of the doffer boys , charles hennessy and john douglass in avondale mills . noon hour . overseer said , ' we ' ve got 30 of ' em . ' "

blaming the negative impact of that disaster , officials of avondale mills announced in 2006 that they were shutting down operations in graniteville and elsewhere , putting approximately 2 , 000 aiken county residents out of work .

as previously announced , avondale has delivered notices required by applicable law respecting potential plant closures to employees at most of its plants . avondale anticipates that it will close substantially all of its plants by july 31 , 2006 .

“hell’s half acre , was a row of disreputable houses not on the property of avondale mills , but at the edge of the avondale mill settlement . there were innumerable instances showing the bad moral influence of these houses for the cotton mill settlement . location : birmingham , alabama . ” by lewis wickes hine november 1910

home of workers in willingham cotton mills , macon , ga . location : macon , georgia .

these and other avondale plants typically turned out rope , hosiery yarns , sheeting , indigo denims and heavy twills .

g . stephen felker , avondales chairman and chief executive officer , stated , caring for avondale has been my lifes work and i am deeply saddened by the prospect of dismantling the company . our board of directors and management , however , are focused upon our duty to avondales creditors and shareholders . we are committed to maximizing value .

the entire town was originally built , surrounding avondale mills . the mill eventually , provided parks , schools , hospitals , and housing for the population of mill workers . it was incorporated on march 18 , 1887 .

according to the encyclopedia of alabama , avondale mills spanned the rise and fall of alabama’s industrial history , and its most notable owners , the comer family , became some of the most powerful people in the state .

other major textile mills operated across the south and in the upstate and coastal areas of south carolina . about 1 . 3 million people worked in textile mills nationwide in 1948 , according to published reports .

convenient to routes 11 , 78 , and 280 as well as i - 20 , getting around from avondale is easy . birmingham - shuttlesworth international airport is less than four miles from avondale as well , making air travel plans simple .

1 department of community medicine , university of zimbabwe , p . o . box a178 , avondale , harare , zimbabwe

walton monroe mills , inc . , a manufacturer of yarn and undyed fabric , has been managed by the same family since its 1895 origins . like other venerable mills , walton monroe was forced to adapt to an era of foreign competition , new technologies , and industry consolidation ushered in by the 1960s . unlike many of other smaller mills , walton monroe survived the sea of change . after launching an aggressive campaign of capital investment and improved efficiency in the early 1980s , walton monroe acquired dakotah mills in 1984 and avondale mills , inc . , in 1986 to become the 325th largest u . s . private company by 1993 .

[ … ] can you believe children this young worked in the mills . many look under the age of ten . many more pictures in alabama cotton mills can be found on alabama pioneers . [ … ]

avondale has actively been seeking buyers for some of its facilities and has already sold three linked ring - spinning plants to parkdale mills inc . , gastonia , n . c . – a move that has saved 700 jobs .

my mother , father , sister , brother aunts and uncles all worked for avondale in sycamore . also no longer there .

avondale mills , birmingham ; inc . 1897 ; cap . $ 625 , 000 ; 39 , 800 ring sp . ; 58 cards ; 512 broad , 430 narrow looms ; dye ; 6 boilers ; print cloths & chambrays .

danville knitting mills , bon air ; est . 1914 ; 6 , 120 ring sp . ; 36 cards ; 1 boiler ; 14 to 18 hosiery yarn ; branch of danville knitting mills , danville , va .

at this meeting it was decided to sell the property to cliffside mills and dissolve the corporation of haynes mills inc . mr . chas . h . haynes succeeded his father as president and it was under his management that the property of haynes mill was transferred to cliffside mills and the building of the new mill was completed .

on may 16 , 2006 , avondale entered into a covenant not to sue and settlement agreement with its primary property and casualty insurer , factory mutual insurance company ( " fmic " ) , in connection with the january 6 , 2005 norfolk southern train derailment and chlorine spill ( the " norfolk southern derailment " ) . under the settlement agreement , avondale and fmic agreed to the total sum of $ 215 million to resolve all avondale claims against fmic arising from or related in any way to the norfolk southern derailment and discharge avondale from further response to the insurance policy adjustment , proof and appraisal requirements . of this amount , $ 115 million had previously been paid by fmic to avondale . fmic agreed to pay avondale the remaining $ 100 million on or before may 25 , 2006 . in exchange , avondale agreed not to sue fmic for any claims related to the norfolk southern derailment . the settlement agreement does not require avondale to use the settlement proceeds for repair or remediation of its facilities damaged by the norfolk southern derailment .

within the next month , about 70 pounds of explosives will be used to demolish the final remains of avondale mills . the brick smokestack will be leveled ; leaving the property that once housed one of pell city’s most prominent landmarks completely bare .

to begin with , it was the plan that mr . r . r . haynes and his family would build the mill and the village of avondale . previously in 1897 , he had built the florence mills at forest city and just after the turn of the century around 1901 he had built cliffside mills and the town of cliffside , north carolina .

as a major employer in the largely - undeveloped area , avondale mills constructed a mill village to house workers . the company supported local churches and schools , and also sponsored activities such as company bands , industrial league baseball , and a weekly newspaper , the avondale sun , which reported on company projects , as well as on the lives of its workers and their families .

when donald comer assumed management of avondale mills in 1907 , he continued his father’s business success . he expanded the company into sylacauga , building the eva jane plant in 1913 . in 1919 , he constructed salle b . no . 1 and catherine mills and completed sallie b . no . 2 in 1926 , although some sources said it was in 1922 .

the hartman center houses a vertical files collection from brouillard communications , a division of the j . walter thompson company advertising agency , with files on an extensive set of industry groups and individual companies . while processing this collection i came across this 1948 ad for avondale mills of alabama . the ad celebrates graduates from an avondale negro school with a quote from booker t . washington ( “cast down your bucket where you are” ) and encouragement to take advantage of the opportunities that education provides , whether in one of avondale’s mills—the ad points out that 1 in 12 avondale employees were african american , about 600 out of the 7 , 000 total workforce—or in any of a number of other professions . as a corporate public relations piece , it is effusively inspirational .

shortly thereafter , avondale moved for summary judgment , setting forth in support thereof an affidavit and several depositions . the affidavit of mr . donald comer iii , president and treasurer of avondale , stated that avondale did not own or operate the cowikee mill , but merely acquired its stock in 1975 and thereafter operated the mill as a separate corporation , therefore owing no duty to the plaintiff , missildine .

hicks hosiery mills , talladega , successor to talladega hosiery mills ; 80 knitting , 50 ribbing , 20 looping , 1 sewing machines ; 1 boiler ; dye ; finish ; electric power ; 136 needle cotton seamless half - hose .

today , little physical evidence exists in eufaula of the cowikee cotton mills or the mill village known as “southside . ” the cowikee mills band hall still stands on the site of the old community house grounds on south eufaula avenue .

“pell city owes its existence to avondale , ” murphy said . “it helped grow the city to become what it is today . ”

the first residents of the area were clustered around “kings spring” on the slopes of red mountain , now the site of avondale park .

& corresponding author : department of community medicine , university of zimbabwe , p . o . box a178 , avondale , harare , zimbabwe

david murphy , a former manager at avondale mills in pell city , revisits the site after news the iconic smokestack would sson come down . murphy said he hoped the city could preserve some of the smokestack for historic reasons . photo by kristen dale .

it is an issue that has steadily gotten worse since the closure of the avondale mills plant in 2006 that saw a large percentage of neighborhood homeowners leave without their canine companions . some residents estimate the total number of dogs there now to eclipse 100 .

i worked at kendall mills in albertville al . and at avondale mills in pell city . the work was hard and it was always hot in the plants but i miss it , the employs were a big family , i started workin in the mill when i was 18 i grew up there got married had my first child it was the best years of my life .

in connection with the board of directors decision of may 26 , 2006 to discontinue avondales operations , avondale anticipates recording impairment charges and wind down costs , including non - cash charges to write down property , plant and equipment , inventories and other assets to estimated net realizable value . avondale also expects to incur employee separation costs associated with the plant closure activities . avondale is currently evaluating the proper accounting for these events and will record the appropriate charges upon the completion of this review . the discussion of avondales plans to discontinue its ongoing business operations and sell its assets contained in item 8 . 01 of this current report on form 8 - k is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety .

davis , w . b . & sons , fort payne , formerly florence hosiery mills ; 100 knitting , 210 ribbing , 4 2 looping machines ; 1 boiler ; children’s cotton hosiery ; branch of davis hosiery mills , chattanooga , tenn .

andrews , mildred gwin , the men and the mills , macon : mercer university press , 1987 , p . 288 .

monroe , georgia ( may 22 , 2006 ) . . . avondale mills , inc . , a georgia - based textile manufacturer , announces a settlement with its primary property and casualty insurer related to the january 6 , 2005 norfolk southern train derailment and chlorine spill at its graniteville , south carolina location . in addition , avondale ' s board of directors authorizes management to continue to assess and explore strategic alternatives .

and cut out layers of inefficient bureaucracy . the avondale debt was reduced by improved cash flow and financing through the trust company bank of atlanta .

in order to show that a duty did exist , missildine attempted to show that avondale and cowikee were one and the same . appellant pleaded that cowikee was the alter ego of avondale and introduced check stubs and insurance payments to support that theory . in a letter brief to the trial court , plaintiff stated that only one legal entity was involved and that avondale was thus liable to him for the acts of its subsidiary , cowikee .

in connection with its review of strategic alternatives , avondale has delivered notices required by applicable law respecting potential plant closures to employees at most of its plants . pending any decisions with respect to one or more strategic alternatives , avondale ' s plants will continue to operate and service its customers .

the respondent was organized in 1897 . its history and policies are described in a booklet entitled " an introduction to avondale " , which recites :

gregg journeyed to new england in 1844 on a fact - finding mission to study textile mills , then returned to the state and founded the graniteville company in 1845 . the mill operated through the civil war , world war i and world war ii , the great depression and other landmark points in united states . the company was taken over by avondale mills in the 1980s and operated until the 1990s .

" walton monroe mills , inc . . " international directory of company histories . . retrieved july 09 , 2018 from urltoken urltoken

no it’s gone i had been working there 10 years the doors closed in 1996 . kendall mills was the name of it .

mr . maurice hendrick was the first superintendent , which position he held until about 1921 when he became superintendent of cliffside mills .

this suit was brought by alvin c . missildine , appellant , against avondale mills , inc . ( avondale ) , and curtis - marble machine company , inc . , alleging that avondale owned and operated a textile mill , cowikee mills , inc . ( cowikee ) , and that both defendants " negligently failed to provide missildine with a reasonably safe place to work and safety equipment or appliances with which to do his job . " as a proximate result of this negligence , appellant alleged , he was exposed to hazardous working conditions and unsafe machinery , and thereby forced to breath large amounts of cotton dust and fibers , which in turn caused him to become afflicted with byssinosis ( brown lung ) .

my whole family worked in the mills . both sides of the family . buck creek mills in siluria , al . later , my grandfather at avondale mills in birmingham . they were all lint heads . doffers , weavers , spinners , winders , loomers , weavers , etc . fortunately , my father and his uncle were great baseball players on the buck creek millers baseball team . we had a great mill house when i was young because of that in what is now alabaster , al . i will always be a lint head .

kevin henderson of aerial alabama ( urltoken ) is the final drone in the air on november 24 , 2015 , when the historic avondale mills smokestack finally gives way . henderson captures the tower falling onto the track hoe driven by tim phifer of phoenix services of alabama , llc .

yes . it’s modeled after a suburb of cincinnati . avondale is the only part of birmingham that didn’t have debt when it was incorporated into birmingham .

buck creek cotton mills , siluria ; inc . 1911 ; successor to siluria cotton mills co . ; cap . $ 600 , 000 ; 20 , 000 ring sp . ; 55 cards ; 400 looms ; 4 boilers ; electric power ; sheetings & drills .

as of july 2018 , the average apartment rent in avondale is $ 625 for a studio , $ 982 for one bedroom , $ 1 , 218 for two bedrooms , and $ 1 , 204 for three bedrooms . apartment rent in avondale has increased by 1 . 6 % in the past year .

girard cotton mills , girard ; inc . 1900 ; cap . $ 75 , 000 ; 7 , 616 ring sp . ; 22 cards ; 283 narrow looms ; 1 boiler ; electric power ; plaids ; subsidiary of eagle & phenix mills , columbus , ga .

looks like a lot of money was made from child labor and the workers who picked the cotton from the fields for the mills .

i didn’t see the opp and micolas mills from opp , alabama . i worked there during high school and a few years after .

group of " model tenements " occupied by the workers in augusta ( ga . ) cotton mills . location : augusta , georgia .

all that is known about these two is that they were “two workers in merrimack mills in november 1913 . ” they look exhausted .

3 . " three youngsters in avondale mills . boy in middle , john douglas said , ' i ' ve been to school my eight weeks . work now . been workin ' a year . ' " ( none of them , even the tiniest , would admit being under twelve . )

mary e . frederickson , as in the mills of the new south , male supervisors oversee the margilan weave room , uzbekistan , 2006 .

housing conditions at lynchburg cotton mills are not good . houses are ill - kept and out of repair . location : lynchburg , virginia .

this appeal is from a summary judgment granted in favor of defendant avondale mills in an action for damages for injury to the plaintiff ' s lungs caused by over thirty years ' work in a cotton mill operated by a subsidiary of that defendant . for the reasons set out herein , we affirm .

felker remarked that avondale ' s decision to invest these $ 74 million in alabama because of the alabama tort reform act of 1999 , in addition tax incentives .

the plant was designated as cliffside mills , haynes plant , until 1952 . mr . chas . h . haynes served as president until 1945 when he retired . mr . maurice hendrick succeeded him and served until 1951 , retiring during the year . mr . earle r . stall , sr . was elected president of cliffside mills in 1951 and in 1952 cliffside mills merged with and became a part of cone mills corporation , of which mr . stall was vice president . the mill was under his management until 1960 when , having served beyond his regular retirement date , mr . stall retired . he was succeeded by mr . earl r . stall , jr . , assistant vice president of cone mills corporation , who was in charge of the florence division , consisting of the florence plant , forest city , north carolina ; american spinning , greenville , south carolina ; and in 1960 the haynes plant , avondale , north carolina , became part of the florence division of cone mills corporation , greensboro , north carolina .

this all sounds very much like contemporary progressive economic and social rhetoric , and the list of avondale’s employee benefits would be appealing today . the following decades , of course , would see the collapse of the textile industry in the u . s . south as production moved overseas ( the avondale mills would themselves close for good in 2006 ) , but here in this ad is a remarkable testimony to a social experiment that combined progressive social welfare ambitions with company town paternalism .

s relaxed manner , his energy , and his aptitude at understanding the complexities of the industry . he left avondale on excellent terms and joined his father at monroe .

monroe , georgia ( may 30 , 2006 ) . . . avondale mills , inc . , a georgia - based textile manufacturer , announces that its board of directors has authorized a plan to discontinue the companys ongoing business operations and sell the companys assets in order to maximize value for its creditors and shareholders .

housing conditions at lynchburg cotton mills are not very good . houses are ill - kept and out of repair . location : lynchburg , virginia .

mill village , winona cotton mills , miss . fairly good conditions generally , but many very slovenly houses . location : mill village , mississippi .

avondale’s impact on sylacauga was heightened by the presence of five plants in talladega county . the catherine central plant and the eva jane plant employed almost 3 , 000 people .

dmslivecafe / 3 / 155536 / avondale thumbnail . jpg ? crop = ( 0 , 0 , 270 , 170 ) & cropxunits ; = 270 & cropyunits ; = 170

" george w . felker iii , 77 , headed family ' s woven textile mills , " atlanta journal and constitution , february 24 , 1993 .

" walton monroe mills , inc . . " international directory of company histories . . encyclopedia . com . ( july 9 , 2018 ) . urltoken

my dad worked at dan river mills in greenville for 40 yrs i worked about 1 . when i was born we lived in the mill village .

the impact avondale had on the city of pell city is unquestionable . the silhouette of the mill is engraved in the city’s seal , another symbol of how instrumental it was in the creation and growth of the area’s economy . murphy said avondale and pell city were synonymous for decades , as the mill consistently brought in new residents to the area .

sylacauga , ala . – across the railroad tracks from avondale mills , lies a local county school b . b . comer . from the looks of the building , one could assume that school was relatively new . however , the history that represents the school goes much deeper than the modern time in which we live today .

" avondale shuts some u . s . sales offices ; textile fabric and yarn manufacturer , " women ' s wear daily , november 19 , 1991 , p . 14 .

in 2006 , avondale shut down operations , including the pell city operation . murphy said the decision was disappointing , but it wasn’t a huge surprise to people in the industry .

[ … ] is the mill school at avondale . the mill gate is but a few feet to the right of the photo and the employees pass through the [ … ]

gone were the steady paychecks that generations of families had been depending on since the 1840s , when william gregg founded the graniteville co . , which merged with avondale in 1996 .

part of felker ' s success stemmed from his ability to gain avondale ' s trust . " i believe they had faith i would continue to operate avondale mills under its present name with management remaining in place , for the most part , " he said in atlantic business chronicle . " i want to assure you that the company has a very special place in my heart , " felker said in a july 2 , 1986 , united press article . it was this trust that enabled am acquisition to purchase 39 percent of avondale stock from a descendant of the mill ' s founder , former alabama governor b . b . comer , while dominion arrived at purchasing only one percent .

as late as 2005 , the combined company employed more than 4 , 000 workers in 18 plants in alabama , georgia and south carolina . that year a norfolk - southern railroad accident near graniteville , south carolina caused irreparable damage to an avondale mills plant there . the company never recovered from the blow and closed shop in 2006 .

housing conditions at roanoke ( va . ) cotton mills are not very good . houses run down and not well kept . location : roanoke , virginia .

ten years ago , textile mills in the south were struggling to survive because of competition from cheaper labor overseas , and graniteville’s way of life was threatened .

applying the law to these facts , it is quite clear that avondale met its burden of showing no genuine issue as to a material fact . the motion for summary judgment was submitted to the trial court on the theory , as presented by the plaintiff , that avondale and cowikee were one legal entity and , as a result , avondale should be liable through its duty to missildine for the acts of its subsidiary . yet , if this is the case , then avondale would be entitled to the immunity provided by the workmen ' s compensation act , unless it fits within the exception of the dual capacity doctrine . under the holding of stone v . united states steel corp . , 384 so . 2d 17 ( ala . 1980 ) , however , it is clear that avondale undertook no special independent relationship toward missildine other than that of employee - employer , thus keeping it outside of the dual capacity doctrine . therefore , any claim against avondale would have to proceed under the workmen ' s compensation act . see , code 1975 , § 25 - 5 - 110 .

by currents of change avondale mills has become an institution in the textile industry , with a history spanning more than 150 years . by the turn of the 20th century , as the south finally emerged from reconstruction into the broad daylight of industrialization , a trio of companies had begun operations in alabama , georgia and south carolina . avondale mills , walton and monroe mills and the graniteville company , much like the three fates of greek mythology , were spinning and weaving parallel threads of production , expansion and employee self - improvement in the early 1900s . a rich heritage developed for all three companies over the ensuing century , one that was similar in its focus on quality , value and opportunity . by the end of the 20th century , the companies , like the fabrics they produced , had finally intertwined to form a cohesive whole .

phifer , 54 , pleaded guilty in april to one count of failing to record the acquisition of explosives and one count of improperly storing explosives - - two years after his failed implosion of a more than 100 - year - old smokestack at avondale mills . the demolition ended with the smokestack collapsing on the track hoe phifer was operating .

the orginal granite plant , built in 1845 . the formation of avondale mills , inc . , brought with it the illustrious more - than - 150 - year history of these southern companies , and it is from them that the company takes its motto today : to develop partnerships through relationships , information and product with its suppliers , associates and customers which create value and the opportunity for each to grow and profit . today , avondale is one of the nations largest producers of utility - wear fabrics , denim and sales yarn ; and one of the largest consumers of cotton . with sales in excess of $ 600 million , and more than 5 , 600 associates working in 20 plants in four southeastern states and 15 sales offices across the globe , avondale mills continues the heritage of innovation that was begun more than a century ago . how it all began

b . b . comer high school received its name from mr . braxton bragg comer who was the 33rd governor of alabama from 1907 to 1911 . he later served as a united states senator . one of comer’s primary goals as governor was to increase funding for education and rise the literacy rate . to succeed in this initiative , he planted schools in each county in the state . comer also served as president of avondale mills . this allowed the creation of many schools to be planted within the local avondale facilities .

avondale plants were overseen by other male comers and often bore the names of female comers ; for example , the eva jane plant was named for b . b . comer’s wife .

. with avondale , walton monroe entered into the denim business and set new sights on fancy , light - weight denims as well as the possibility of other apparel - fabric takeovers .

now , all 82 years ' worth of the avondale sun are available to the public online . the papers , which date back to 1924 and tell the stories of the workers at avondale ' s factories in birmingham , sylacauga , pell city , eufaula and other cities , provide a glimpse into a vanished way of life , said sylacauga library director shirley sears .

to assist in its assessment and ongoing review of strategic alternatives and related matters , avondale has engaged conway , del genio , gries & co . , llc as a financial advisor .

van meter , dwight c . ( march 1951 ) " donald comer and his 7 , 000 partners : labor - management troubles , not at avondale in alabama ! " the rotarian

“our baby doffer” they called him . this is one of the machines he has been working at for some months at the avondale mills . said , after hesitation , “i’m 12 , ” and another small boy added , “he can’t work unless he’s twelve . ” child labor regulations conspicuously posted in the mill . location : birmingham , alabama .

29 . ethel l . best , lost time and labor turnover in cotton mills ( washington , d . c . : gpo , 1926 ) , 16–17 .

clark - pratt cotton mills , prattville , successor to prattville cotton mills ; inc . as prattville manufacturing co . no . 1 , by act of jan . 13 , 1846 ( see text supra ) ; 12 , 500 ring sp . ; 290 narrow looms ; 4 boilers ; 1 water wheel ; cotton cloth .

my daddy worked in the cotton fields and in the cotton mills here in alabama … . had to , times were very hard in the 1930s for everyone .

the b . b . comer memorial library - - named for braxton bragg comer , the first president of avondale mills and alabama ' s 33rd governor - - received the newspapers and other documents soon after the company went out of business in 2006 . the library was also given a set of paintings of avondale employees that ran in the 1948 saturday evening post ; spears said the paintings , which are on permanent display , are a huge draw for the library , which is trying to gather oral histories from the people in them .

in 1986 walton monroe greatly expanded and diversified its offering line by acquiring avondale mills , inc . , an established manufacturer of denim and yarn , for $ 165 million . the acquisition startled textile experts because of the novel logistics of a small , privately owned mill like walton monroe acquiring a large , publicly owned company like avondale . walton monroe had $ 84 million in sales , compared with $ 240 million for the alabama mill . " when you march out and buy avondale with the assets of a walton monroe , well , that ' s a helluva maneuver , " cited walter forbes , ceo of the signal thread co . in a march 1988 georgia trend article . however impressive , the maneuver was not simple .

the mill remained opened in pell city 87 years , employing thousands of st . clair county residents . david murphy was a manager at the mill and worked for avondale for 33 years .

lewis hine , a typical spinner , lancaster cotton mills , lancaster , south carolina , 1908 . courtesy of the library of congress , national child labor committee collection .

highland city mills , talladega ; inc . 1898 ; cap . $ 50 , 000 ; 5 , 376 ring sp . ; hosiery yarns , 10 to 16 .

one day a man came by to visit papa and told him that he could get jobs for us at the mill ( avondale mills in sylacauga ) where he worked if he’d allow it . evelyn and i were excited about the opportunity and of course jumped at the offer . papa thought about it awhile since we were only teenagers , but he finally agreed .

bettie francis cotton mills , alexander city ; inc . 1914 ; cap . $ 100 , 000 ; 5 , 472 ring sp . ; electric power ; knitting yarn .

demopolis cotton mills , demopolis ; est . 1914 ; 3 , 600 mule sp . ; 9 sets cards ; 1 to 7 mule spun yarn ( woolen system ) .

marble city mills , sylacauga ; cap . $ 50 , 000 ; 4 , 120 ring sp . ; 20 cards ; 1 boiler ; 8 to 12 hosiery yarns .

the graniteville plant was closed following the accident . from then on , repercussions of the wreck ripped through the company until july 2006 , when avondale incorporated ceased operations and sold three of its plants .

two staffers spent three months indexing the archives so they can now be searched online ; shelton herself tested it out by looking up her own grandmother , who worked at the avondale plant in sycamore .

phifer owned phoenix services of alabama , which contracted with pell city to demolish the old avondale mills brick smokestack . court records show he held a federal permit to receive and use explosives , but failed to timely record the receipt of those explosives materials between september 2014 , and december 2014 . he also failed to properly store a detonating cord in december 2015 , records show .

in the past five years , however , aiken county industrial recruiters have found several new businesses for the area . those businesses include an appliance recycling plant that uses one of the old avondale mill buildings .

adelaide mills , anniston ; incorporated 1900 ; capital $ 50 , 000 ; 7 , 344 ring sp . ; 25 cards ; 3 boilers ; 12 to 20 hosiery yarns .

sycamore mills , sycamore ; cap . $ 300 , 000 ; 15 , 000 ring sp . ; 44 cards ; 3 boilers ; 16 to 24 hosiery & undyed yarns .

like many postwar planters , comer branched out into merchandising . in 1885 , he used the money he made as a merchant - planter in barbour county to become a partner in a wholesale grocery business in anniston , in calhoun county . he sold his interest in the firm in 1890 and moved to birmingham , where he became president of the city national bank and bought cornmeal , flour , and textile mills . comer achieved his greatest business success in the development of avondale mills , a textile venture that grew into one of alabama ' s largest industrial enterprises .

murphy spent over three decades with the company and knows what an importance it held to the people who worked for avondale . not only those who were employed by the mill , but by the entire town .

when sylacauga ' s public library received the archives of the newspaper that served avondale mill ' s multiple plants around the state , officials there didn ' t want to let it just sit on a shelf .

on may 26 , 2006 , the board of directors approved the termination of the avondale mills , inc . associate profit sharing and savings plan ( the plan ) effective as of that date . as a result , eligibility to participate in the plan was closed on may 26 , 2006 to all avondale employees who had not previously begun participating in the plan . in addition , all future contributions to the plan ceased and account balances of all plan participants were fully vested to the extent not already vested effective as of may 26 , 2006 . avondale expects to submit the plan to the internal revenue service for a determination of the plans tax - qualified status upon its termination . distributions will be made to the plan participants in accordance with the terms of the plan . however , distributions have been temporarily suspended from the portion of the plans balanced equity fund investment option that is invested in avondale class a common stock in accordance with a blackout notice that was sent to the affected plan participants on may 22 , 2006 .


pantomime ( informally panto ) , is a type of musical comedy stage production , designed for family entertainment .

it was developed in england and is still performed throughout the united kingdom , generally during the christmas and new year season and , to a lesser extent , in other english-speaking countries .

modern pantomime includes songs , gags , slapstick comedy and dancing , employs gender-crossing actors , and combines topical humour with a story loosely based on a well-known fairy tale , fable or folk tale .

it is a participatory form of theatre , in which the audience is expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers .

pantomime has a long theatrical history in western culture dating back to classical theatre .

it developed partly from the 16th century commedia dell ' arte tradition of italy , as well as other european and british stage traditions , such as 17th-century masques and music hall .

an important part of the pantomime , until the late 19th century , was the harlequinade .

outside britain the word " pantomime " is usually understood to mean miming , rather than the theatrical form discussed here .

pantomime

pantomime <EOT> the role of pantomime in the victorian childhood experience and the participation of chid performers in victorian pantomime .

it talks about the english pantomime , which is very different from european and american ideas of pantomime .

the pantomime company is the core group of performers who bring the pantomime to life every season . . . more

pantomime script ) . pantomime is a form that is serious , comic , absurd , poetic and surreal all at the same time .

history of pantomime in 19th - century london from its origins in harlequinades to the familiar and popular pantomime style that developed in the victorian period .

[ " a splendid example of scottish pantomime " - - john moore . ]

‘the pantomime descended into tragedy last week and this evening became a farce . ’

a pantomime set in the 1980s , with the usual ingredients and multiple sets .

a scene from the pantomime , zu - zu macca in 2005 / 2006 .

) . nero not only patronized them , but acted himself as pantomime ( suet .

• learn more from " what is pantomime ? " on urltoken united kingdom travel .

pantomime is tacky . pantomime is warm beer and chips with brown sauce . pantomime is the rear end of the theatrical cow , the showbiz rectum of the spectrum . ian mckellen , who was a brilliant widow twankey at the old vic for two seasons , was nearer the mark when he said that he loved pantomime because " anything goes " .

instead , whenever a hereditary peer hangs up his ermine , a pantomime of democracy follows .

the malaysian owner was the pantomime villain in cardiff ' s only previous top flight season .

‘her major example is ‘circe , ’ where gesture and pantomime are all - important . ’

‘rocky needed a bath and that is a real pantomime as he hates being washed . ’

in fact , certain important connections between ballet - pantomime and these lighter genres did exist .

he is adept at communicating , using a mixture of single - word utterances and pantomime .

theatre pantomime , australia [ picture ] : photographs collected by the national library of australia .

a scene from the 2004 pantomime , iffa nuh so . photograph courtesy the little theatre movement

imitation and pantomime in high - functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders . - pubmed - ncbi

than pantomime , and in 1818 , when j . r . planche began his extravaganzas with " speaking openings , " pantomime in england became a dramatic spectacle with songs and speeches . joseph

woddis , roger , and steve bell . " cinderella ' 91 : a classless pantomime . "

if tess wants to pantomime breast - feeding while lauding the act , then good for her .

‘she was in a pantomime at christmas and was dancing and singing , said mr riordan . ’

‘in portraying vivid dramatic characters , realistic pantomime plays as important a role as the dance . ’

pantomime has become quintessentially british : as british as earl grey tea or a good indian curry .

what british pantomime will learn from commedia is the fun of witnessing the triumph of the underdog .

modern pantomime comprises the art of mime , which is performed by one actor , and presentations with all the features of a theatrical performance . in soviet pantomime both these types have been developed .

- without it there is nothing for the fancies and furbelows of the pantomime to hang on .

bonnie became determined to re - ignited a passion for panto in australia . “pantomime was my first

the following artistes from home & away appeared in pantomime – dates & venues to be confirmed .

of course , over the years some conventions of the traditional pantomime have faded – such as the casting of the “principal boy as a girl” – having proved about as useful as a pantomime horse .

for over 150 years harlequin remained the star of the pantomime , and pantomime was dominated by the harlequinade , a comic chase scene telling the story of harlequin and columbine . the harlequinade was in mime with music and lots of slapstick and tomfoolery . every pantomime had a harlequinade as part of the bill .

cinderella ; or , harlequin and the little glass slipper : a pantomime written by john l . douglas

although pantomime is not among the categories of performance she discusses , some of the issues are relevant .

this project will undertake a wide - ranging study of victorian pantomime in england , looking at pantomime as a rich vein of cultural history and topical commentary about british society and politics in the victorian period .

, 1779–1837 , english pantomime actor and clown . he made his debut at the age of three in

, 1796–1846 , french pantomime performer , whose original name was jan kaspar dvorjak , b . bohemia .

in more prosaic terms , english pantomime is a christmas entertainment based on a fairy tale . it is supposedly for children and is usually an english child’s first experience of live theatre . english pantomime is :

the pwc pantomime is an important part of the pwc in the community programme in the uk . it is supported financially by the pwc executive board and the fundraising efforts of the pwc pantomime production team .

[ besides entries a - z on all matters pertaining to pantomime , from actors , authors , theatres , and staging matters to roles and types , the encyclopedia includes essays by john morley on " how to write a pantomime , " " pantomime today , " and ( with roy hudd and jack tripp ) " the pantomime performer . " also includes a chronology , bibliography , and an amusing collection of " quotations about pantomime " such as g . b . shaw ' s " a child who has never seen a pantomime , or an adult who has never seen a play , is a public danger . " ]

‘the room is now illuminated only by the television that paints its own confused pantomime on the walls . ’

‘she stops to pantomime the drawing back of an arrow in a bow and lets the arrow fly . ’

dan leno , the late - 19th - century music hall star , was famous for playing pantomime dames .

there are few compensations for living through a british winter . one of them is the traditional christmas pantomime .

for the past few years , the newmarket stage company ' s musical pantomime has taken place in january .

cns activation and regional connectivity during pantomime observation : no engagement of the mirror neuron system for deaf signers .

audience participation - an important part of a pantomime . " he ' s behind you " , and " oh no he ' s not - oh yes he is " are heard in every pantomime across the country .

the point of her pantomime seemed to be that even getting bombed was better than being hidden under a burka .

tylor [ he ] saw a pantomime perform so well that he could follow the performance from the action alone .

‘with his silent pantomime and human special effect stature , the performance borders on the right side of genius . ’

broadbent , r . j . a history of pantomime . new york : benjamin blom , inc , 1901 .

millfield theatre pantomime - mother goose 2012 [ cc - by - sa - 2 . 0 urltoken via wikimedia commons

i have tried always to treat the pantomime as an important art form and the site aims to encourage this .

pre - recording : sir cliff richard in london this year recording his role of mirror enchanted for the pantomime .

from the past : garry mcdonald and paul blackwell in the pantomime alladin at the state theatre two decades ago .

australia has of course hosted pantomime since the victorian and edwardian era . one of this country’s top dames , freddie lees recalls performing in pantomime in the early 1960’s at the playhouse theatre in perth , for the national australian theatre .

, the british pantomime is a different breed , though the exact definition is hard to pin down . developed from italian

opened at the king ' s theatre in haymarket in january 1820 . twelve weeks later covent garden opened its easter pantomime

[ the first cinderella pantomime in england was the 1804 production at drury lane , dir . mr . byrne . see

‘roll over cinderella and tell sleeping beauty the news , york has a new and most unlikely pantomime in town . ’

‘on stage he has played character roles in ray cooney farces , pantomime , noel coward comedies and serious drama . ’

‘the vast majority of this movie is told in near pantomime : gestures , facial expressions , and stage direction . ’

‘he can also pantomime explosions and use a simple movement to suggest a picture , and it just comes across . ’

early in 1723 the managers of drury lane produced a pantomime entitled harlequin doctor faustus , which , constructed on a much more elaborate scale than those hitherto given at lincoln ' s inn fields , may be considered the first english pantomime .

one - act rhyming pantomime version of puss in boots , designed for minimal sets but requiring a few portable items .

theatre pantomime , australia [ picture ] : photographs collected by the national library of australia . - version details - trove

following the sell - out success of january ' s " arrr ! a very british pantomime " , deadgood events bring you another of the riotous , hilarious , anarchic family shows which for some reason the brits call " pantomime " .

the story of pantomime is a tale of dragons and serpents . it features men dressed as women , and women masquerading as young men . pantomime presents a tale of good and evil , where hope triumphs over adversity after danger and virtual despair . it has its roots in ancient greece , and via italy and france , insinuates itself into britain . pantomime ' s unique fusion of eccentricity , ambiguity and absurdity has much to tell us about our national identity . christmas , for many of us , would not be christmas without pantomime ; and pantomime was the place we first discovered the magic of theatre .

‘she made a waving motion with her hand in front of her mouth , trying to pantomime words coming from her . ’

not only in terms of taste - though that was satisfied through the rise of melodrama , pantomime , and domestic tragedy .

within pantoland both performers and audience - not to mention the stage management and musicians - remain aware of the pantomime conventions .

" you ' re really like a child at a pantomime , babs , " he laughed , when they were alone .

gayle and gillian ( neighbours 1990 - 1992 ) appeared in pantomime in the uk together and individually during the mid 1990’s .

1 ) as a staple of the popular theatre economy today , a study of the roots of pantomime in the victorian creative industries is of interest . 2 ) contemporary theatre practitioners have already expressed interest in exploring and recreating traditional forms of pantomime performance in the harlequinade . 3 ) the study of pantomime could be part of an enrichment of upper primary and junior secondary school curricula . pantomime is one of the last remaining common theatrical experiences in the uk today , and still a focus for satire and topical commentary . the history of pantomime offers a lively way into the study of british culture and society in the nineteenth century .

according to writer and caricaturist max beerbohm , pantomime is the only art form ever invented in england . it ' s a splendid witticism , albeit untrue . pantomime has become quintessentially british : as british as earl grey tea or a good indian curry .

a major battle developed for the soul of pantomime in the later nineteenth century when sir augustus harris at drury lane began to change the nature of pantomime by the injection of music hall acts and spectacle . this emasculated the previously essential element of the harlequinade which had survived from the eighteenth century , and compromised what defenders of traditional pantomime ( such as charles dickens the younger , john ruskin , lewis carroll , and e . l . blanchard ) saw as the function of pantomime : the presentation of an ideal and idealised world in which moral values were regularly endorsed . a study of late victorian pantomime ( authored by the ci ) will identify the nature and causes of these changes , arguing for pantomime as a sensitive barometer to wider social and cultural changes .

british transplants fondly recall attending “the pantomime” each christmas as children , just as british actors sometimes mention having worked “in panto . ”

but spain’s politics look more stable than italy’s , with its fading mainstream parties and the pantomime - horse of populists in government .

‘the youthful energy and innovation have gone , and his choice of sport is problematic because wrestling is already a theatrical pantomime . ’

indeed , some critics looked upon ballet - pantomime characters ' silence with great displeasure , and actually suggested that they speak up .

pantomime ' s history is a story of border crossings , as plots and performers slip across national , linguistic and cultural boundaries .

the development of the tradition in pantomime of women dressing up as men and men dressing as women and animal characters and costumes .

from around 1770 to 1900 , harlequin ( arlecchino ) was the star of the english harlequinade , which later evolved into pantomime .

in 2012 professor richards and professor kate newey , of the university of exeter , conducted a major research project on the history and practice of pantomime , entitled ‘a cultural history of english pantomime , 1837 - 1901’ . the project was funded by the ahrc .

pantomime has a comic tradition that lets you say anything combined with a magical tradition that lets the story fly beyond the everyday .

for mr gant , this is his third time at the theatre royal with this pantomime , which is running until january 15 .

showing off : cast from the pantomime of cinderella stroll in newtown during a break in rehearsals at the elizabethan theatre in 1957 .

cns activation and regional connectivity during pantomime observation : no engagement of the mirror neuron system for deaf signers . - pubmed - ncbi

but what draws jamaicans to the fantasy of pantomime every year ? some pantomime faithful will tell you it’s the skillful integration of acting , dance and music ; the reasonable cost of the ticket or the mere fact that it is good , clean , family fun .

in the 19th century topical subjects began to be included in pantomime stories . ' the birth of the steam engine or harlequin locomotive and joe miller and his men ' was a pantomime that appeared shortly after the first railway engine made its journey from stockton to darlington .

‘in carnival , the commedia dell ' arte , the pantomime , and slapstick we find a modern expression of the trickster impulse . ’

‘calne players will be bringing all the fun and laughter of a pantomime to the town next week with their performance of cinderella . ’

at other times the physical world of the pantomime expands to include the band members in the pit , to whom the performers speak .

within pantoland performers can refer to rehearsals and other performances of this or any other pantomime , and to the world outside the theatre .

this feature was based on " pantomime before berwick kaler " , a merchant adventurers ' arts discovery event held on 9 november 2010 .

the origins and development of well - known pantomime stories including cinderella , babes in the wood , jack and the beanstalk and others .

the sets and paintings of contemporary pantomime may not be the object of regular commentary by the art critics of today , but spectacle is present in other areas , more in tune with modern artistic technology – digital special effects . this isn’t pantomime changing , rather upgrading .

two pantomime stars brought interactive storytelling to the children’s library in norwich’s forum , providing a magical distraction from the wind and rain outside .

carrie moore was a star of pantomime , revue and plays in britain from her arrival in the years before the outbreak of world war one . a noted principal boy , carrie played nearly every role in pantomime from 1910 through to her return to australia in 1940 .

1988 apollo oxford , the first pantomime to star an australian soap star was when anne charleston appeared in jack & the beanstalk with alvin stardust , lynsey de paul , freddie & the dreamers and peter thorne . for john farrow ‘s pantomime productions & charles haley productions .

the ltm pantomime is a musical characterised by lively music , brilliant sets , colourful costumes and positive themes . . . more . .

pantomime’s rich tradition of cross - dressing is its most notable challenge to the apparent fixity of gender roles in the nineteenth century ; there is much anecdotal and populist history of the ‘pantomime dame , ’ and the ideological and theoretical implications of male to female cross - dressing have begun to be explored in scholarly work ( weltman , radcliffe ) . research will investigate the pantomime chorus and its representations of and challenges to victorian ideals of femininity ( building on mayer , ‘sexuality of pantomime’ ) , the breeches or ‘principal boy’ role ( including a discussion of significant performers such as madame vestris and marie wilton ) , and the pantomime dame ( notably dan leno and herbert campbell ) .

outside of pantomime anne has toured extensively in plays including “five blue haired ladies sitting on a green park bench” , in “cemetery club” , in “love julie” a two hander with millicent martin and in “hot flush” the musical . anne was among the forerunners of the “aussie invasion” - her first appearance in pantomime was in 1988 , a year after guy pearce first crossed the oceans to colonise pantomime here in the uk !

pantomime was in 1852 . he established a style of rhyming verse and wit - often topical . although pantomimes today rarely have rhyming couplets throughout ( with the odd exception ) this tradition is carried on by the ' immortals ' who often begin a pantomime prologue today in rhyme .

cinderella : or , harlequin and the fairy slipper . a grand comic christmas pantomime , by edward l . blanchard ( 1820 - 1889 )

an entirely new and original pantomime , cinderella and the little glass slipper . written expressly for the pavilion theatre by frank w . green .

. a pantomime by peter quartermain . with additional material by clarkson rose . london : the richmond music company , ltd . , 1968 .

did you know ? the word pantomime comes from the greek words pan , which means all , and mimos , which translates as imitator .

in the game of charades , one player uses pantomime to represent a word or phrase that the other players have to try to guess .

reaching and grasping gestures towards imagined objects exhibit the distinctive pattern that is observed when subjects are asked to pantomime a reaching and grasping motion .

across the uk , children and adults come to their local theatre to be dazzled and thrilled by the spectacle and the fun of pantomime .

harlequin in his element : the english pantomime , 1806 - 1836 by david mayer iii : harvard university press 9780674372757 1st edition . - urltoken

mayer , david iii . harlequin in his element : the english pantomime , 1806 - 36 . cambridge : harvard university press , 1969 .

robinson crusoe was the first pantomime to be produced in america . it opened at the st john ' s theatre in new york in 1786 .

, in theatrical performances often bawdy and rowdy that were banished by the onset of christianity . the word pantomime means something different to residents of the

much of the information in this article comes from the excellent book ' the story of pantomime ' by a . e . wilson . published in

so nobody objected when alexander zickler , the beneficiary of alonso’s generosity , raced over to thank him , with pantomime ostentation , for the assist .

what made you want to look up pantomime ? please tell us where you read or heard it ( including the quote , if possible ) .

‘hart plays the genie in this raucous take on the british pantomime , a story based on the myth of aladdin and his magic lamp . ’

the critics almost all want to turn the clock back to the fondly remembered days of their childhood when a trip to the pantomime was usually their first theatrical experience – as it is today for many children . but don’t kid yourself that the pantomime of your childhood was its “golden age” .

what a beautiful day for appearing in pantomime ; pantos bring out the child in all of us . sir ken dodd recalls some of his favourites

sandilands says he’s never seen a pantomime before and is glad he wasn’t asked to “be a hugh jackman - type tap dancing around the stage” .

pantomime survived in england as a form of christmas entertainment , but faded from american stages by 1880 . american audiences were looking for something more intimate than burlesque and less childish than pantomime . the time was right for an innovation  the form we now know as " musical comedy . "

productions at drury lane theatre were acknowledged as the zenith of victorian pantomime , with harris regularly spending up to £10 , 000 on a show . contemporary commentators suggested pantomime on this scale was a fitting entertainment for a decadent society . in december 1900 , a critic in the star newspaper wrote :

ask ‘what is theatre ? ' and we ' ll be here all day . even then , we may not agree on a definition . but ask ‘what is pantomime ? ' and the answer is a little easier . we know a pantomime by certain structural and tonal rules , cobbled together over a hundred years , and without which we may have a piece of theatre , but it won ' t be the pantomime version of the story .

pantomime text for ' jack and the beanstalk ' at the theatre royal , drury lane , london , 1899 . © victoria and albert museum , london

jimbo the musical clown accordion music from around the world , circus skills , hat tricks , juggling , dance , pantomime and skits with audience participation .

‘there are no words in the film - everything is performed in a solemn pantomime , with the dry humor left up to our own imaginations . ’

‘in a totally unstructured environment , they present this creative explosion through modern dance , mime , pantomime and music with a whole lot of playfulness . ’

not until the mid - twentieth century did linguists show that sign languages obey linguistic principles in a way that separates them from mere pantomime and gesture .

minimum male roles = 3 . minimum female roles = 5 . minimum total with doubling = 26 . minimum total without doubling = 33 . chorus . lots of pantomime juxtapositions possible , plus cat , dog , rats , woodland creatures and the appearance ( possibly the first ) of the pantomime octopus .

florrie forde , stalwart principal boy of pantomime was among the first great australian stars to perform in britain . she had appeared in her native melbourne where she was born in 1876 , and made her pantomime debut in “the house that jack built” as principal boy in the polytechnic theatre sydney in 1893 .

the music hall influence in pantomime grew stronger until , with the demise of music hall , the variety stages produced the pantomime stars . radio stars were always guaranteed full houses , as the novelty of seeing a radio favourite live on stage in the days before television was a sure bet for managements . arthur askey , richard murdock and sandy powell joined radio and variety stars like norman evans , betty jumel and tommy trinder treading the pantomime boards each year .

not to like pantomime , the journalist leigh hunt declared , is not to like love : pantomime is a curious blend of continental and british traditions . the raw energy of music hall , the sauciness of victorian burlesque , the crazy chase of the harlequinade , the acrobatic power of john rich , the archetypal plots of commedia . all these elements have shaped the pantomimes we enjoy today . the story of pantomime is a story of transformation and endless adaptation .

to what extent did pantomime dramatise and highlight contemporary political , social , and cultural issues and events ( for example , imperial wars , colonial politics , political disputes , cabinet politics , crime , and trade ) . this will include the extent of the influence of pantomime in the colonies , particularly australia .

the aussie invasion of panto was begun by the late pantomime producer , ( and a friend of mine - ) john farrow . john’s company “pantomime productions” was the first to invite the stars of neighbours to appear in pantomime in this country . in association with charles haley productions ( jennifer haley and philip charles ) the stage was set to present the exotic stars from ramsey street , and then summer bay in your town each christmas . after john’s death in 1990 john’s business partner simon barry continued the process under the banner of new pantomime productions ( npp ) and continues to present pantomimes today around the uk .

in geelong there are a collection of wooden sculptures by the artist jan mitchell . they form an arc around corio bay . one of these statues is of carrie moore , pantomime star – prince charming , robin hood , aladdin - a host of roles she portrayed in over thirty years in british pantomime .

the year 1806 marked the beginning of pantomime’s progress from a “cheerful and somewhat mindless entertainment to the only effective means of satire to hold the stage in the first thirty years of the nineteenth century . ” during this time the great clown joseph grimaldi dominated pantomime and , with his arrangers , articulated a style that raised pantomime to satirical and comic excellence and made it more topical and biting than ever before . in this comprehensive account of english pantomime during the period of grimaldi , david mayer combines a thorough examination of its structures , conventions , and characters with a full discussion of how it reflected the social , economic , political , and aesthetic issues of the age . he clearly conveys the flavor of pantomime , recreating it from manuscripts and libretti , reviews and memoirs .

the pantomime traditions of slapstick ( meaning a certain type of clownish physical comedy ) , chases , speed and transformations were developed from rich ' s harlequinades .

based on a folk tale , and first published in written form in 1697 by charles perrault , the puss in boots story is essentially a rags to riches story . the pantomime was first seen in covent garden around 1817 . it’s rarely seen as a pantomime today , despite the film shrek immortalising the puss character . it has all the trimmings of a usual pantomime – a dame , a king , a princess , an ogre – and ends in a marriage .

‘meanwhile , fans of side - splitting comedy can also take in the grand opera house ' s christmas pantomime , snow white and the seven dwarfs . ’

‘he has described the last meeting of castlebar town council as the most entertaining performance of a pantomime that has been rehearsing for the last four years . ’

‘an example of a test for apraxia is to ask the patient to pantomime the use of a common object such as a hammer or a toothbrush . ’

the production repertoire includes a number of musicals and musical plays , one man / one woman shows and pantomime , performed by both professional and amateur companies .

see c . aubert , art of pantomime ( 1927 , repr . 1969 ) ; j . lawson , mime ( 1957 , repr . 1973 ) .

the art of pantomime originated in ancient greece and rome . in the middle ages such performers as the histrion and jongleur made use of pantomime ; the art flourished again in the italian commedia dell’arte of the mid - 16th to 18th centuries . in the 19th century , j . grimaldi of great britain and j . - b . g . deburau of france , the creator of the famous stock character of pierrot , developed pantomime as an independent form of theater .

a special type of pantomime , accompanied by rhythmic music and singing , has been widespread since ancient times in india , indonesia , and other asian countries .

gloudon , herself a key architect in the growth of the modern pantomime , has written more than twenty since her first , moonshine anancy , in 1968 .

an entire show , done without words is often called a pantomime , but around december , you may read about a christmas pantomime . this is a traditional holiday show in the united kingdom . the play is usually based on a fairy tale , and it is put on especially for children . although it is called a pantomime or panto , the show actually includes talking , jokes , and music . the tradition goes back to the 1700s and is still popular today .

the value of that work is being recognised by more than the annual audiences who flock to see the pantomime . as the christmas season passes and the holiday crowds fade each year , a wave of students and researchers of caribbean culture take their place . the pantomime is often incorporated into school curricula , with essay questions and research papers assigned on its significance . in fact , the bulk of the audience from new year’s day to the show’s final performance in may is comprised of school groups ; students of all ages assigned to study each year’s production . to facilitate the further study of the pantomime and to preserve its rich history , the little theatre movement plans to create a pantomime museum — a move that will ensure that the gift of the pantomime can be enjoyed all year round .

pantomime stories and scripts usually have no direct relation to christmas , they are almost always based on traditional children ' s stories . classic pantomime stories include ; cinderella , sleeping beauty , aladdin , robin hood - babes in the wood , dick whittington , mother goose , snow white , and jack and the beanstalk .

following on from the success of the first wave of australian panto stars , john farrow for pantomime productions hit on the “double whammy” of starring ian smith and anne charleston in the same pantomime , thus bringing “madge and harold” into the world of fairytale . it had a magical effect on the box - office too !

animals every memorable pantomime contains them – and not always the type we have come to expect . the animals in pantomime are usually depicted by speciality turns in “skins” . it is true to say that some of the greats started their careers by literally playing the back legs of the pantomime horse . many years ago at the hippodrome theatre , stockport , the front end of the horse was a young man named charlie chaplin . animals have always enlisted the audience’s sympathy and support .

for every new round with paula , plaza burns a hole into the deck with her intent gaze , only occasionally breaking her concentration to pantomime in my direction .

‘last month , about 80 children , aged between eight and 11 , auditioned for the christmas pantomime , all hoping to tread the boards alongside the cast . ’

‘these kinds of inferential processes go on constantly in interaction , as we all know , on the basis of indexical signals that work like gestures in pantomime . ’

romantic writers deny this rendition of theatre ' s power by denigrating spectacle , " situation , " pantomime , on the grounds that it robs drama of poetry .

pantomime began as a type of traveling italian street theatre known as commedia dell ' arte which came to britain in the 16th century . over the centuries it has developed into a festive entertainment that is still beloved by modern audiences . discover more about the history of pantomime and it’s numerous well - loved stories and characters .

cover of pantomime text for jack & the beanstalk at the theatre royal , drury lane , 1899 – 1900 , england . © victoria and albert museum , london

so this year , if you have not added the pantomime to your list of family traditions consider making the jamaicanized drama a part of your list of activities .

the pwc pantomime is a unique charitable theatrical production that aims to bring joy to children everywhere and in particular to children from inner - city schools and charities .

in the context of an examination of these generic changes , we propose to make a study of pantomime as the space in which a creative symbiosis between the stage and the ‘sister arts’ in particular dance , design , music , and painting in creating a holistic theatrical experience occurs . the increasingly spectacular nature of victorian pantomime is frequently remarked upon ( mayer , booth ) , but a close study of the involvement in pantomime of artists from other media and genre is yet to be made .

“pantomime has value well beyond what happens on the stage , ” says campbell , author of jangah rock ( 1996 ) . “it’s contributed to the development of music and theatre in this country in a way that’s almost impossible to quantify . the actors , singers , writers we have today . . . [ many ] came out of the pantomime movement . the ndtc [ national dance theatre company of jamaica ] owes many of its dancers , costume designers and choreographers to the pantomime . ”

since the 1700s , the british have been flocking to the shows they call pantomimes — pantos for short . " pantomime " merges two greek words that translate as " mimic everything . " americans think of " pantomime " as a wordless performance , but british panto has nothing to do with keeping one ' s mouth shut .

a pantomime is a traditional british christmas play . they are an important part of our christmas festivities . they are performed in theatres , villages halls and community centres .

‘the society have been at the forefront of local theatrical drama for over two decades , staging some magnificent productions in serious drama , comedy , pantomime and more . ’

‘with a london debut in 1891 , he quickly established a successful career in music - hall , variety , pantomime , revue , operetta , and musical comedy . ’

‘with a single , fluid step , he brought the staff whistling through the air in both hands , and then released one hand to pantomime a short jab . ’

pantomime gives the costume designer plenty of opportunity to devise absurd outfits for the comic characters . no pantomime is complete without the larger - than - life dame , traditionally played by a man , whose outrageous dresses are ' sight gag ' costumes , designed to make an audience laugh as soon as ' she ' walks on stage .

the depiction of , and changing attitudes towards , masculinity , femininity and gender relations , involving such pantomime institutions as the male dame , and the female principal boy .

when queen victoria arrived on the throne in 1837 , the modern pantomime was borne out of the english harlequinade and storylines centred on dramatising fairytales suitable for young audiences .

at this time the pantomime and harlequinade were the ' desert ' to the main course of the evening , part of a lengthy programme . gradually the fairy story element of pantomime came to the fore , and the quality of the writing improved . chiefly responsible was e . l . blanchard , author of the drury lane pantomimes from 1852 - 1888 . it was during this period that the major changes began to occur . these changes were to transform pantomime into the template of today ' ’ entertainment .

pantomime has also always been subversive . some pantomime historians have claimed that the roles of the dame and the principal boy , a man dressed as a woman and a woman dressed as a man , were grand gestures of gender subversion . but they are in fact the sexist products of a patriarchal society reinforcing existing stereotypes of masculinity and femininity .

" even though no other nation can make head nor tail of it , to the british there ' s nothing like a pantomime . . . " ( john morley )

ranny and miss lou gave life to pantomime as we know it , ” says barbara gloudon , coordinator of the pantomime and chairman of its production company , the little theatre movement . “they put a jamaican stamp on it , and gave it a purpose that has lasted throughout the years . ” as the jamaican model evolved , social commentary and satire became entrenched in the form . as gloudon describes it , the modern jamaican pantomime now serves the dual purpose of shedding light on fading folk tales and challenging social issues .

spectacle in the mid - victorian pantomime took the form of lengthy ballet sequences and dance routines often involving children . some 10 , 000 children were employed annually in pantomime over the uk . the audiences loved them and frequently called for their dances to be encored . their participation only diminished in the 1890s when health and safety regulations restricted their appearances .

this project explores the development of the popular entertainment form of pantomime in the nineteenth century . we show how the christmas entertainment still so popular today developed into this familiar form in the victorian period . we explore the roots of victorian pantomime in the work of the most famous clown , joseph grimaldi ( & quot ; joey & quot ; ) , and the spectacle and lavishness of the stages and settings of pantomime . we look at the parallel and complementary form of burlesque , through the work of j . r . planch & eacute ; , and explore the way that pantomime communicated ideas about contemporary world for victorian audiences . we argue that pantomime was the most responsive , and demotically democratic form of theatrical entertainment in the nineteenth century , and provides a rich documentation of popular political opinion , in ways that evaded the rigorous censorship of the stage in the nineteenth century .

in the same review the slender new woman is found wanting , too : “miss lilian davies is by no means the dashing and irresistibly gallant pantomime boy of bygone days . ”

costume design for ' africa ' for the 1908 drury lane pantomime dick whittington attilio comell watercolour and pencil on card museum no . 89 / 1202 © victoria and albert museum , london

costume design for ' asia ' for the 1908 drury lane pantomime dick whittington attilio comell watercolour and pencil on card museum no . 89 / 1202 © victoria and albert museum , london

costume design for ' america ' for the 1908 drury lane pantomime dick whittington attilio comell watercolour and pencil on card museum no . 89 / 1202 © victoria and albert museum , london

costume design for ' australia ' for the 1908 drury lane pantomime dick whittington attilio comell watercolour and pencil on card museum no . 89 / 1202 © victoria and albert museum , london

the cast are conceived as clowns , improvising scenery and costumes , and using stock theatrical devices , pantomime vaudeville and varied musical styles to interpret one of humanity ' s greatest events .

however , it remains almost entirely unanalysed and unstudied in a scholarly context . this neglect is almost certainly due to the widely held misapprehension that the pantomime is essentially lightweight and frivolous .

the extent to which , given theatrical censorship by the lord chamberlain ' s office , it was possible for pantomime to offer a subversive take on topics otherwise proscribed in ‘legitimate’ theatre .

1692–1761 , english actor - manager . rich introduced pantomime to england , himself playing ( 1717–60 ) the role of harlequin in annual performances . his successful production of john gay ' s

but if people fail to see beyond the tired old jokes , and the vanities brought to it by self indulgent writers and actors , pantomime will surely die - and deservedly so .

a 1947 spectator reviewer was unmoved by festive spirit when reviewing a bbc radio 4 broadcast from theatres , finding that “these samples of provincial pantomime leave the impression that the traditional “business” is being jettisoned to make room for more vaudeville and jokes which , even in these enlightened times , cannot be considered suitable for children . or is pantomime now designed for adults only ? ”

the term pantomime come from the greek , meaning ` we can act everything ' and was first used in reference to the performers who presented popular and often bawdy solo comic entertainments throughout the roman empire ( otherwise unconnected to the english pantomime tradition ) . cross - dressing becomes a feature of the bacchanalia , with slaves dressing in the clothes of their masters and mistresses .

costume design for the angel of wealth for the 1908 drury lane pantomime dick whittington attilio comell watercolour and pencil on card museum no . 89 / 1202 © victoria and albert museum , london

. palladium theatre , london . opened 24 december 1953 . book by michael bishop , eric sykes , and spike milligan . director val parnell - - his " 6th magnificent pantomime . "

front page of university of birmingham corporate website in december , 2011 . interest from commercial media outlets contacts from members of the public interested in finding out more about the traditions of pantomime .

in the uk a pantomime , or “panto” as it is usually affectionately called , is a form of interactive theatre , performed around the christmas season for the entertainment of millions of families .

a version of this article appeared in the print edition of the straits times on september 18 , 2015 , with the headline ' australia ' s pantomime democracy ' . print edition | subscribe

the chorus and juveniles the element of song and dance in pantomime is extremely important . and pantomime wouldn’t be the same without its chorus of singers and dancers , and troupes of juveniles . today the average chorus in a small provincial pantomime can number as little as eight . some shows manage to get by with as little as two professional dancers , supplemented by adult juveniles . conversely , the chorus / juveniles in amateur productions can vary enormously depending on the enthusiasm and support in any given community . some amateur groups can have upwards of thirty juveniles in the chorus .

in york , the pantomime has been an extraordinary success story , the jewel in the city ' s entertainment crown . each year 55 , 000 people of all ages come to the york theatre royal to see a cast headed by berwick kaler ( right ) who has played the dame for more than 30 years . pantomime has become a major visitor attraction in its own right .

the original harlequinade soon became just the second half of the classic victorian pantomime . as the century progressed , it shrank to a couple of token scenes before vanishing altogether . its original function was usurped by the so - called “music - hall invasion” which from the 1870s onwards saw music - hall stars cast in the pantomime with their distinctive slapstick routines , comic songs and catchphrases .

in russia pantomime was used in many folk plays , folk rituals , and skomorokh ( folk actor ) performances . in the 19th century it was performed at show booths and circuses . between 1910 and 1920 pantomime was utilized by the directors k . a . mardzhanov , n . n . evreinov , a . ia . tairov , and v . e . meyer - hold .

pantomime ' - from the greek , meaning ' an imitator of things ' . originally it meant a performer , not a theatrical style . the performer would mime , often accompanied by music .

the most popular comedians in the country . blanchard was still writing the pantomimes , but not with much enthusiasm . in 1881 he wrote ' sketching out the 2 nd scene in the pantomime by

this production gives the story new life by casting it as a tale told by two out - of - work actors who find the old novel and embark on a pantomime version of it .

‘they take up residence at the pavilion theatre for the annual pantomime of silly jokes and bad wigs in an all new , up - to - date production of jack and the beanstalk . ’

pantomime , with its increasingly diaphanous costumes and spangled teenage dancers , was no longer the kind of place a respectable victorian paterfamilias would take his children . ruskin offered a rather more highbrow kind of tub - thumping , in an essay thunderingly titled “the corruption of modern pleasure ( covent garden pantomime ) ” . other moralists meant that the girls of the stage assumed a disconcerting fetishised sexuality .

there was also spectacle in the scene painting and the special effects . the leading pantomime scene painter of the 19th century , w r beverley , was seriously compared to turner , poussin and watteau and the century’s greatest art critic , john ruskin , was a devotee of the pantomime . he visited half a dozen every christmas and praised them for teaching art appreciation to the mass audience .

pantomime has a number of conventions or traditons that are reconisable . some have weakened or changed over the years to adapt to social states . by no means are any of the following obligatory .

costume design for ' the angel of enterprise ' for the 1908 drury lane pantomime dick whittington attilio comell watercolour and pencil on card museum no . 89 / 1202 © victoria and albert museum , london

somewhere between 1860 and 1870 the theatres decided the pantomimes needed to be tightened up , and needed to be modernised . although pantomime players had become stars , now it was felt that established stars from

. shaw theatre , london . 4 december 1994 to 2 january 1995 . written and directed by ben benison . music by ken bolam . designed by richard bullwinkle . a borough of camden pantomime .

mumming is best described as early pantomime . the plays are based loosely on the legend of st . george and the dragon . the plays are intended to show the struggle between good and evil .

1851 , herman melville , moby dick , chapter 26 a staid , steadfast man , whose life for the most part was a telling pantomime of action , and not a tame chapter of sounds .

‘cameron ' s posing on a podium on friday , inviting lib dems to join his tory revolution , was an appropriate piece of pantomime to end parliament ' s last full week before christmas . ’

harlequin britain : pantomime and entertainment , 1690–1760 . by john o ' brien . baltimore : the johns hopkins university press , 2004 ; pp . xxv + 274 . $ 49 . 95 cloth .

the pantomime genre is a strange one , to say the least , especially for those born outside the uk . here , in an edited extract from getting directions by russ hope , is an introduction

. ( british panto is very different from the rest of the european pantomime tradition ) . for the really pedantic , there is even a justification of the use of " snow white and the seven

“nobody in pantomime does it for the money , ” says veteran composer grub cooper , who has written music for nearly two dozen pantomimes . “we do it for the history and the tradition . ”

cinderella tends to attract more crowds than any other pantomime – it’s certainly the most regularly performed pantomime of them all . rogers and hammerstein’s cinderella was performed in 1958 at the london coliseum with kenneth williams and ted durante as the ugly sisters and tommy steele as buttons , cinderella’s long - standing friend . the reality television star christopher biggins has performed an enormous 38 times in pantomimes , three times as buttons .