Runner Boy, the Little theatre Movement (LTM) National Pantomime for 2008-09 comes to an end this Sunday at the Little Theatre where it has been playing since Boxing Day, December 26.

When the curtain goes down for the final time on Sunday afternoon, the pantomime company of actors, musicians, technical crew and others will have completed 100 performances.

A large percentage of the audience has been students of schools across Jamaica for whom a trip to the pantomime is an annual treat. One such group is Brown's Town Preparatory School, whose principal, Patricia Laird, wrote the producers of the show to express the appreciation of the students, teachers and parents for lessons they say they learned from the show, which they described as "scintillating and extremely interactive".

Among the lessons were opportunities can present themselves during difficult and trying situations; misguided decisions can bring about disappointments, and when one person wins, everyone wins.

Laird also shared the opinions of other persons in her group who attended the performance.

love and appreciation

"The characters were real and the sets were breathtaking," said the Reverend. Dr J.A. Prendergast.

"Each time we attend the national pantomime, our love and appreciation for this form of Jamaican theatre grows," commented Gladstone Samuels.

With the ending of Runner Boy, the pantomime company will regroup shortly to begin exploration of ideas for the next show.

"We always like to choose themes of contemporary interest," says a member of the production team. "So look out for something to do with pirates."