Visit our new exhibition in the Templeman Gallery showcasing the Magnificent! Spectacular! David Drummond Pantomime Collection
- Templeman Gallery, Templeman Library, First Floor, A Block
- Running from December 2024 to 14th March 2025
The David Drummond Pantomime collection is a treasure trove of fascinating material that highlights the unique British pantomime tradition from 1800 to the early 21st century. The exhibition revealed the incredible programmes, posters, photographs, scripts and other extraordinary items, telling the story of the history of pantomime from the early days of the Commedia dell’Arte to the modern extravaganza we know today. See our online exhibition pages here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/library-it/special-collections/our-exhibitions/pantomime
A selection of programmes from the David Drummond Pantomime Collection
In 2022 Special Collections and Archives were awarded a grant from the Archives Revealed programme to catalogue the David Drummond Pantomime Collection. Archives Revealed is a funding partnership between The National Archives, The Pilgrim Trust and The Wolfson Foundation.
Our project – Oh Yes It Is! – was dedicated to getting this collection catalogued and available to researchers and members of the public with an interest in pantomime.
Between 2022 and 2023 the Project Archivist, Daniella Gonzalez, began the mammoth task of establishing order, listing everything in the collection (as far as possible!), and creating detailed catalogue records for a large part of the collection.
In the course of our research into this collection over the last few years we have made some remarkable discoveries! One example is this wonderful self portrait of Dan Leno created for the matron of a home where he was recuperating after suffering from a period of poor mental health in 1903.
David Drummond Pantomime Collection, University of Kent
It was not long after his performance in Mother Goose at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and the drawing shows Leno’s transition in character from the old and homely Mother Goose into a glamorous 16 year old, an event that took place after the titular character was immersed in a magic pool. He notes on the page that the transition time for the costume change was 6 minutes. Leno returned to panto in the 1903/4 season, starring in Arthur Collins’ Humpty Dumpty at Drury Lane, but sadly died not long after in October 1904.
To see this item and many more, visit the Magnificent! Spectacular! Pantomime exhibition in the Templeman Library. The exhibition opened in December 2024 and will run until the 14th March 2025.
Click here to see the exhibition featured in Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine!
Guided Tours!
You can also book a guided tour of the exhibition on one of the following dates. Please contact us on specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book your place.
- Thursday 23rd January – 12.30pm
- Tuesday 28th January – 12.30pm
- Thursday 30th January – 12.30pm
- Monday 3rd February – 12.30pm
- Wednesday 26th February – 12.30pm