A night to remember: adland’s first-ever pantomime coming to Sydney
For one night, and one night only, adland is dressing up in the name of fundraising, putting on its first-ever pantomime.
GroupM’s Aimee Buchanan, OMG’s Peter Horgan, Nova’s Nicole Bence and IMAA’s Sam Buchanan are among the stars of the show.
Produced and hosted by UnLtd’s CEO, Chris Freel, and IAB Australia’s CEO, Gai Le Roy, ‘Addy Lala and the MOOD Tea Thieves’ will tell the tale of a poor young media rep, Addy, struggling to meet targets.
Adland is rallying to raise money for MOOD tea
One day, Addy overhears a group of peers with a magic phrase that may just change her chances of success.
Casey Martin will star as Addy Lala, a wide-eyed and excited new media sales executive, with Olivia Scott acting as Teddy, the work best friend ‘we all need’.
Vanya Mariana will play a heartless and unforgiving (but stylish) sales director by the name of Cass, and Ricky Chanana will star as Micky Cabana, an industry savant guiding the next generation.
Roger Dunn will play The Shopkeeper, while Paul Kent will play the Space Cowboy. Industry veteran Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham will make a special appearance as Santa.
Aimee Buchanan and Horgan will play no-nonsense agency leaders Erica and Eric, while Bence will play alongside Mariana as another unrelenting sales director, Sandra. Sam Buchanan will star as Jim Seltzer, an adtech sales whiz with ‘more than one string on his bow’.
The industry is encouraged to buy tickets and watch, with all profits going towards MOOD tea initiatives.
UnLtd’s MOOD tea, which launched in 2021, is a funding program to support youth mental health, with more than 100 stakeholders across the media, marketing, tech and creative industries.
MOOD tea products
In mid-2022, the brand signed a major partnership with Woolworths, which saw the tea available exclusively on Woolies shelves.
Freel said at the time: “This new partnership with Woolworths is a gamechanger – it provides the scale and support to have a positive impact on more lives. We can now reach thousands more young Australians in need of help.”
The production will feature cameos from well-loved and known ad market celebrities, with the authenticity of a classic pantomime and a humorous look back at 2023. Additional cast members set to be announced in the coming weeks.
‘Addy Lala and the MOOD Tea Thieves’ is playing for one night only at Sydney’s Seymour Centre on 5 December. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased here.
This genuinely sounds like one of the absolute worst ways to spend an evening.
Nailed it ?