WITH its magical story, spectacular effects and beautiful costumes Poole's festive family pantomime Aladdin is proving a delight for audiences at Lighthouse.

The show continues its run until January 8 and, as is the case for pantomimes up and down the land, the venue will be a home from home for its hard working cast over the holiday period.

But what does the cast do when the applause dies down and the theatre empties before the next house?

With just a few hours between some shows, actors are effectively confined to their dressing rooms and the backstage area. That can be slow time for performers, which is why it is crucial for them to feel at ease in the theatre that has become their home for the next six weeks or so.

“In this job you get used to making a home where you land,” says Adam Price who’s playing perhaps the most memorable panto Dame of them all, Widow Twankey, in Aladdin. “I’ve just finished two years touring in Hairspray and I was shocked by the state of some of the backstage areas. Some places don’t even have wi-fi, which you would think would be standard in this day and age; it’s how we keep in touch.”

Having recently completed the much-needed £5.3 million modernisation of its facilities, including an extensive refurbishment of the backstage area and the creation of the first Green Room for artists in the building’s history, Lighthouse is able to extend an even warmer welcome to artists and performers.

“The Green Room is incredibly important,” says Adam. “That becomes the hub, especially in those shows where there’s very little time in between where you can’t really get out of your slap. To a certain extent the stage is your office and the more of a home from home the dressing rooms and the Green Room the better it is.”

Everyone connected to the panto, from the cast and crew to the venue management and volunteer hosts is working towards making what happens on stage the absolute best it can be. And the stars of the show are quick to acknowledge the team effort that goes into making the magic happen.

“It’s important to have a reciprocal relationship between artists and theatres, to look after artists and I know Lighthouse does that really well,” says Max Bowden, who’s playing Aladdin. Best known to television audiences as Justin Fitzgerald in Waterloo Road, Max appeared at Lighthouse last year in the acclaimed touring production of Sebastian Faulks’ war novel Birdsong, in which he appeared opposite his Aladdin co-star Peter Duncan.

“You do feel part of the family at Lighthouse, you’re made to feel so welcome here. We had a great time when we were here. This was one of my favourite venues. The audience is great and the way the theatre is laid out, there isn’t a bad seat, which is so rare in new-build theatres.

“Birdsong wasn’t an easy play to do so it was important to have some light relief after the show, to feel at home. We all stayed together and we did it for such a long time so we had to keep finding ways to make us remember this actually happened and it was real thing and it still should be fresh.”

Meanwhile former Emmerdale star Sapphire Elia who plays the Princess, Aladdin’s love interest likes to create a few home comforts.

“I’m not being a diva, but it is so good having a nice dressing room,” she says. “We spend so much time every day in our own dressing rooms so you tend to make it a bit of a home. I like to get it quite homely, l have my laptop set up in the corner, ..all my cards round and some flowers, it’s so nice, I love it. It is Christmas after all!”

:: Aladdin runs at Lighthouse, Poole’s centre for the arts until 8 January. Tickets on 01202 280000, www.lighthousepoole.co.uk