WITH its magical story, spectacular effects and beautiful costumes, this year’s family pantomime Aladdin is currently delighting audiences at Lighthouse, Poole’s centre for the arts.

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 the cast, 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.”

Also looking forward to making a home at Lighthouse this Christmas is former Emmerdale star Sapphire Elia who plays the Princess, Aladdin’s love interest. She’s looking 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, I’ll have all my cards round, get some flowers in, it’s so nice, I love it. It is Christmas after all!”

Settling in was made much easier for Miguel Angel, who plays the Genie, as soon as he made contact with his landlady.

“The first thing she said to me was: ‘Oh, I had a Genie stay with me before!’ She’s a lovely lady and it’s good to know that she knows what it’s like to have someone around for six or seven weeks. When you’re staying in someone’s spare room and you’ve never even met them it’s important to feel at home with the people and the place.”

Meanwhile, Laura Curnick who plays Pantaloon is happy simply to be in a theatre, whatever the time of year.

“It’s really important to be friendly with whole building and everyone in it because you feel less alien that way. When I was training I worked in a theatre for such a long time and ran the front of house and the box office that just walking into a theatre makes me feel happy anyway – I can’t help myself checking the seats to see if there’s any rubbish left behind!”

:: Aladdin runs at Lighthouse, Poole’s centre for the arts, from 6 December until 8 January. Tickets on 01202 280000, www.lighthousepoole.co.uk