When Chelsey Gillard took up her position as the Torch Theatre’s new artistic director in 2022, her first job was trailing the former artistic director Peter Doran, as he put the actors through their paces for the pantomime.

Twelve months later she is in the unenviable position of having to step into the theatrical shoes of one of the greatest directing talents that south west Wales has ever seen.

“Having the chance to see a great master at work was a wonderful introduction to life at the Torch Theatre,” Chelsey told the Western Telegraph.

“This was the final production that Peter directed before his retirement and being able to see the way in which he directed and also the way in which he wrote his scripts was a wonderful opportunity.

“To take over that role is slightly terrifying but also very exciting.”

Despite her considerable experience both as an actor and as an artistic director, this is the first panto that Chelsey has produced.

“I’ve worked on numerous Christmas shows over the years but never a panto. Obviously there are staples to follow such as the good fairy versus the bad fairy, the antics of the dame and those blueprint lines such as ‘Who’s behind you?’, but with a pantomime you just never know how the audience to going to react and how the actors are going to have to adapt.

"And this is what makes a pantomime so exciting.”

A native of Bridgend – “I’m a Welsh girl through and through” – Chelsea was introduced to the stage at an early age.

“I'm certainly not from a theatrical family but when I was 14 I decided to join he Bridgend Youth Theatre and that undoubtedly gave me the theatre bug,” she explains.

“I tried to do something sensible as a career for a while, but the theatre kept pulling me back.”

After studying English and Drama as a joint degree, Chelsey began working with theatres in Cardiff, London and the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.

“Making the realisation that you could actually get a real job doing something like artistically directing a theatre production was fantastic as this was what has always interested me.

"Yes, I loved acting, but I was never very good at it. But I was interested in things such as how the lighting can affect the mood of a scene, and how a particular piece of music can totally change things.

“These are the tings that make a huge difference to a production and consequently to the audience’s experiences.”

Chelsea has based this year’s pantomime – Beauty and the Beast – firmly in the Peter Doran mould.

“I’ve read a lot of his scripts and have tried to include all those elements that local audiences have grown to love and admire. I also auditioned far and wide throughout the summer to find the right cast and I’m delighted at who we’ve found, particularly Amelia Ryan who plays the Beast’s butler. As I was writing the script, I could just see Amelia playing this character, so to have her on board is fantastic.”

Beauty and the Beast opens to the public on December 15 however schools throughout Pembrokeshire will have an opportunity to see it from November 29.