Cirrus@Austlit

Stanley McKay's second pantomime company was formed in 1914, a few weeks after the previous troupe returned from New Zealand and disbanded. Initially known as his New Pantomime Company, it was later referred to as the No 1 Company when McKay established another simultaneously touring company in 1915. Headed by Jim Gerald (dame) and Essie Jennings (principal boy) the troupe's feature pantomimes were Mother Goose, Old Mother Hubbard, Robinson Crusoe and Cinderella. The troupe disbanded in 1915 when McKay and Gerald enlisted for active service .


Stanley McKay ran two touring pantomime companies and at least one dramatic company between 1910 and 1916, with each of these presenting their shows to the public either under canvas or in local theatres and halls. The first pantomime troupe, known variously as Stanley McKay's Pantomime Moving Theatre (sometimes Mammoth Moving Theatre) and the Royal Pantomime Company operated between 1910 and March 1914. The principal performers included Bruce Drysdale (dame) and Phyllis Faye (principal boy). After returning from New Zealand the company was disbanded and McKay put together a new company which started out on a regional New South Wales tour.

Initially billed as Stanley McKay's New Pantomime Company (he later came to refer to it as his No 1 Pantomime Company, and sometimes as the Mother Goose Company) the troupe travelled to through the western, northern and southern regions of New South Wales before heading down to Victoria around August/September 1914. The line-up is believed to have initially included Will Raynor, Fred Keeley, Annie Lillilund and the Aldous Trio. McKay soon realised, however, that it was short a couple of stars, and sometime between April and July he did a leasing deal with the Fullers which saw Jim Gerald and Essie Jennings join the company as the new dame and principal boy. After playing such towns as Wangaratta, Shepparton, Eroa and Beechworth, McKay brought the company to the seaside suburb of St Kilda, opening at the Lyric Theatre on 2 November. This season was followed by a Melbourne suburban tour.

On 13 March 1915 the company opened at the Bijou Theatre, Melbourne, under the management of Fullers' Theatres. This arrangement, possibly part of the Gerald/Jennings deal, saw the company continue to tour the company's circuit for several more months. In early April, around the time that the No 1 Company was in Broken Hill, McKay sent a second pantomime company to tour Tasmania. This new troupe, which McKay referred to as his No 2 Pantomime Company, featured Bruce Drysdale and Phyllis Faye, two of the principal artists in the original Royal Pantomime Company.


Following its season in Broken Hill, the Gerald-led troupe travelled to Adelaide to play at the Fullers King's Theatre, followed by a Western Australian tour. Among the places played were Perth (Melrose Theatre), Fremantle and the Western Australian goldfields. Reportedly comprising between 25 to 35 performers and musicians, the troupe provided the entire show in each city (apart from Melbourne where they presented only half the bill). The principal actors and ballet were also augmented by an array of specialty acts - some staying on for long periods while others appeared only for selected engagements in the major centres. Among the more prominent were the Fredo Bros (acrobatic musicians), the Atlas Bros (strength act), the Greshams (Three and Four) and William "Billy" Speed (trick cyclist). Stanley McKay also made occasional appearances with the company.

According to the September Theatre Magazine issue, by the time it had settled into a season at the Fullers Princess Theatre (Syd), the company had travelled no less than 27,000 miles during the previous twelve months (52-3). The repertoire featured Mother Goose and Old Mother Hubbard, with the support productions being Cinderella and Little Bo Peep. Some six weeks after the close of the Sydney season McKay took the company to New Zealand, opening at the Fullers' Auckland venue, the Grand Opera House on 4 October. The remainder of the six months tour appears to have been staged in association with George Stephenson, however. This relationship had been forged previously when McKay's Royal Pantomime Company (aka No2 Company) toured the Dominion for a similar period of time in 1913 and 1914. The productions staged were essentially the same as those toured in 1915. Interestingly Mother Goose was sometimes billed as Boy Blue, possibly to distinguish it from another Mother Goose pantomime toured around the same time by J. C. Williamson's. The Thames Star (New Zealand) records that in addition to a splendid array of scenic settings the company travelled with upwards of 120 costumes (30 October 1915, p.5).

Sometime after the company returned to Australia McKay closed down all his operations and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces, along with several other men from his two companies - notably Bruce Drysdale (No 2 Company).