Pantomime Dames Prepare For The Panto Season

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 04: Pantomime Dame Steve Wickenden, aged 28, on stage as Sarah The Cook in Dick Wittington at Millfield Arts Centre on December 4, 2013 in Edmonton, North London, England. This is Steve's second year as a pantomime Dame. Pantomime is a Christmas tradition in the UK that dates back over 500 years to beginnings in the 16th Century Italian street theatre Commedia dell'arte, and uses physical theatre, innuendo and slapstick comedy to tell fairy stories. The central cross-dressing role of the Pantomime Dame, usually a mother, queen or widow, is a kind hearted figure, played by middle-aged men in large colourful dresses, and vivid, exaggerated make-up. The Dame emerged in the music halls of 19th century Victorian London and continues to this day, evolving and becoming more glamorous each year. Photo by Mary Turner/Getty Images)