LAST year Jason Marc Williams made his debut as a panto dame, appearing in The Courtyard's Jack and the Beanstalk as Dame Marjie Poops, and this year he's back, ready for another wardrobe full of outrageous costumes and a lot of fun.

"I love panto," says Jason, "but I was quite scared of it to be honest. It's such an iconic role, the dame, and I was unsure whether I could do it." Though it was his first outing in outlandish frocks, Jason had appeared on The Courtyard stage in 2013's Cinderella, playing Baron Hardup, but he's delighted to be back this year as Dame Buffy Duster.

"It's lovely to come back," he says, going on to explain what it is makes this panto so special: "It's because it's produced in-house and everyone feels part of the show."

Originally from Swansea, Jason graduated from Guildford School of Acting and has been a professional actor ever since: "I've been round the UK in different things," he says, adding that he'll be coming to The Courtyard direct from playing Demetrius in the Pontardawe Arts Centre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which toured Wales throughout October. Rather than taking a break before heading for panto rehearsals, Jason then spent 10 days in South Africa volunteering with a youth group, POP Youth. "This was my second visit working with the POP (Path out Poverty) Youth of The Goedgedacht trust! This time we created a piece of theatre with them based around ARC Acts of Random Kindness so I directed them in the piece and performed alongside them, as well as teaching drama and dance workshops offering them new skills and visiting different POP centres in the local areas."

Since his elevation to damehood, Jason has taken a keen interest in the role: "I've seen lots of different pantos and seen lots of dames as well as researching the history of dames and people who have played them.

"You have to treat it like any other role, and you have to put a lot of yourself into it - the dame has the most contact with the audience and it's still your sense of humour and your energy. As I have a lot of energy anyway and I'm quite excitable, I'm already at an advantage!

"Buffy Duster runs a cleaning company and has a son called Buster Duster, and I'm trying to give her more light and dark than Dame Marjie last year. To have been asked back for a third year is a dream."

Jason admits that taking on the dame for the first time last year "was intimidating and scary, but it turned out to have been the best decision - I had the most fun I've ever had in a job," he says. "It's really hard work and the costume changes are exhausting - there are nine - but having done it last year I've now learned the knack of doing them!

Costume changes apart, there was another element of playing the dame that Jason was nervous about last year: "Adult nights. I was petrified, but I had a lot of support and by the time we did our fourth one I knew the gags. Rude and crude doesn't come naturally to me, but it's lovely to play on the suggestion of things. I'll embrace that much more this year."

Joining Jason in Beauty and the Beast are Beth Dillon and Ben Astle as the eponmyous couple, with Madeleine McMahon back for a fifth year to play the Bad Fairy, and Alistair Barron back in Hereford for his second panto and playing Buffy Duster's son Buster.

Taking up the directorial reins for the seventh time is Estelle van Warmelo, with the script written, as it has been for the last 16 years, by Lyndsay Maples, a professional writer, director, tutor and actor based in Hereford. As well as writing The Courtyard's panto (and appearing in quite a few, too), Lyndsay works as director and writer for Living Book, a theatre company for adults with significant learning difficulties.

Beauty and the Beast runs from Friday, November 27 to Saturday, January 9. To book, call the box office on 01432 340555 or visit courtyard.org.uk