City News

The social networking platform Twitter is a worldwide online phenomenon used by celebrities from Jonathan Ross and Philip Schofield to Hollywood A-listers.   Last Christmas, the Twitter community in Birmingham raised the curtain on the great British tradition of pantomime, performing the second online version of Twitpanto, supported by the home of UK Pantomime, Birmingham Hippodrome.

Twitpanto featured a host of characters from well known pantos from Robin Hood to Cinderella, from the Dame to the pantomime cow, all acted out by a talented cast largely recruited from Birmingham’s expanding blogging scene    And those without a part, joined the online audience and participated with a few heckling tweets of “Oh no it isn’t” or “Oh yes it is”.
Whilst Twitpanto didn’t make the final shortlist, there’s big celebrations going on in the Birmingham Twitter community as Twitpanto has just been made an ‘Honouree’ in the 2010 International Webby Awards in the Net Art Category.

The Webby Awards is the leading international award honouring excellence on the Internet.   Established in 1996 during the Web's infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which includes an Executive 750-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities and Associate Members from musicians Beck and David Bowie to Richard Branson.
As a result of the exceptional quality of submissions, the Academy recognised outstanding entries as Official Honourees alongside Nominees and Winners.   The Official Honouree distinction is awarded to the top 15% of all work entered that exhibits remarkable achievement.  With nearly 10,000 entries received from 50 states and over 60 countries, this is an outstanding accomplishment.

Twitpanto was the brainchild of Birmingham-born Jon Bounds a social media consultant, artist, and founder of the infamous “Birmingham It’s Not S**t” website.
Jon said “Twitpanto offered real interaction with the performers and story, live and unedited on the internet for all to enjoy.   The Webby Awards shortlist included big budget projects like BBC Blast so, to be honoured in this way is fantastic recognition and coincidentally in the week when the RSC’s Twitter Shakespeare was launched”.
Jon continued “We could not have done so well without the support of Birmingham Hippodrome and the hundreds of people that joined during the performance – so huge thanks to everyone”.

Twitpanto was performed live on Twitter on 18th December 2009 whilst dozens of pantomimes were being performed on stages up and down the country.  You can still access Twitpanto by going to http://twitpanto.birminghamhippodrome.com/