David joined BADCo with their 2nd production "Cinderella" after turning down an opportunity to be in the 1st production "Ali Baba".  He was in the chorus as an American tourist, involved in a number of dance routines. He remembers having an enjoyable time with this show in spite of the change of director mid-way through rehearsals!!?? Also in this show were Shawn Wilson, Cathy Barker, Alison Scott (make up) and George Johnson(sound),all of whom are still members of BADCo. David went on to direct the next panto "Hickory Dickory Dock" and wrote several future pantos including "Young Arthur" (2005). In addition to this he has written sketches for the variety shows. He looks forward to continuing with BADCo for as long as the group lasts!!!!!

David Holman - The Detail as written in 2004!

I first became aware of Bad.Co during rehearsals for their premiere pantomime; "Ali Baba",where I was approached by a cast member to be involved on stage in the current production. I considered the opportunity for a while but for some, now forgotten reason, I declined to become involved( a decision which I now regret).
The production came and went without my family or I even going to see it,which is a shame now,as there doesn't exist, any known recording of it.

Towards the end of 1995 I was asked by Lisa if I was interested in being in the chorus of "Cinderella",(Bad.Co's 2nd pantomime) which had been cast and was in the midst of early rehearsal.
This time I jumped at the chance and went along to the next available rehearsal. It was here that I met for the first time,three people who,like Lisa and myself, were to have a long association with Bad.Co that still continues to this day. George Johnston was cast as Cinderella's father,having previously played the dame in the 1st panto. Shawn Wilson,now an old and established friend was playing Prince Charming in his 1st ever panto.The 3rd person was Cathy Barker who was in the chorus playing my mum!!!!! In spite of being several years younger than me!!!!.
To say things didn't go smoothly would be an understatement,as following a few disagreements between director and cast members,the New Year found us continuing rehearsals with a new director,namely;Lynn Harrison,who was also to become a stalwart of Bad.Co.
In the end a thoroughly good time was had by all as Lynn and others pulled the production together to provide a lengthy and sometimes flawed production that nevertheless was a lot of fun.
This was the 1st of many pantos to be video recorded which meant we each had a memento of the production.This was hugely due to George Johnson the sound-man who has dedicatedly done sound for every Bad.Co panto (and Variety Show!) since the beginning.

It was at the after-show party,talking to Lynn that I suggested that I would be very interested in directing the next panto,if there was to be a 3rd.
I was immediately taken up on my offer,so I went away and discussed the possibility with Lisa. She,like me was keen to stretch her directing muscles and came on board to co-direct the 3rd Bad.Co production which was to be "Hickory Dickory Dock".
This production marked our 1st meeting with Graeme Watson who was to become a very good friend of the family,and someone I managed to side-track into other drama groups in the area such as Phoenix Players and C.O.D.S. Other notable faces to join Bad.Co at this time were David and Anna Eaton who went on to become an integral part of the group,both on and back-stage. It proved to be a very rewarding experience for Lisa and I and led to several,more ambitious projects with Bad.Co later.

By the time Panto no.4 came around I was ready for a rest and so Lisa took the brave step of directing "Sinbad" by herself. The usual suspects were back on board along with fresh talent in the form of Julian Stevens.
This production also introduced Anita and Neil Sanyal-Griffiths to the group who'd been gently coerced into joining by Lisa. Sadly this was to be the last panto to involve Lynn Harrison who went off to live in Bristol and eventually get married! Also,Mike and Liz Whiting who'd been in Hickory Dickory Dock left Bad.Co after this production to live and work in Suffolk.

For the 1999 production;"Dick Whittington" Lisa and I took a break from Bad.Co while an enthusiastic out-sider from Dursley Amateur Dramatic Society came in to direct,by the name of Rose Stower.
Lisa and I gave guide-lines and advice at a preliminary meeting,but the director apparently got into a few difficulties and the resulting panto was less than enthusiastically received or enjoyed by some cast members!

2000 saw Lisa and I working together on our 1st home-grown script;"Robin Hood" which we then handed to Neil and David Eaton to direct.  Lisa and I decided to have little to do with the production (other than Lisa practically painting the set single-handedly!!) and were away in Suffolk staying with Pam and Peter for the week of the performance until the Saturday when we returned in time for the final performance. We were pleasantly surprised with the final product,and felt we hadn't done too bad a job with the writing chores. This panto introduced the children;Jessica,Daniel and Becky in the chorus who went on to do several more with the group.
It also introduced new talent in the form of Mia Bennett who has been a driving force within Bad.Co ever since!

The 7th production was "Aladdin",written,directed,choreographed and produced by Lisa and myself(obviously feeling flushed from our success with writing "Robin Hood"!!
This was a very happy and enjoyable production for many reasons,not least of which was having Deryk Pavey join us alongside several very enthusiastic Year In Industry students. I got to play the arch baddie;"Abanazer" which was great fun and Lucy appeared on stage in her 1st speaking role,following her Bad.Co debut in "Hickory Dickory Dock".

2002 saw me tackle my first solo script when we did "Hansel and Gretel",while Lisa and I shared the directing duties. Lisa worked extremely hard on this one with very little help,especially on the set. Some difficulties with cast members added to our problems. However the resulting production was very well received and had some wonderful moments such as Lucy's butterfly;Ben's stage debut,the German dance sequence and the breakfast scene. The laughter from the audience caused by the sight of the gingerbread people was also very memorable!!

The most recent panto "Jack and the Beanstalk" written and directed by Neil had very little to do with us except for my role as f.o.h. manager which was very pleasant.

Currently as this is being written we are in the midst of rehearsals for our latest Variety Show (no.3) which is in the slot normally occupied by our panto. This will be the 1st year since Bad.Co started back in 1994 that there has been no pantomime,but we plan to ensure there is a production next year,whether it's Lisa's version of "The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe" or my version of "Sleeping Beauty" or something else!!!

David Holman
(18/02/04)