A photograph of a group of dancers rehearsing for a Christmas pantomime, taken by Sayers for the Daily Herald newspaper on 9 December, 1938.

A photograph of a group of dancers rehearsing for a Christmas pantomime, taken in December 1938 by Sayers for the Daily Herald.

The photograph is taken at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, where the dancers surround the producer Ralph Reader (1903-1982). Reader, a choreographer and musical director, worked in Britain and America in both theatre and the cinema. He is perhaps most famous for starting the Scouting Movement's annual 'Gang Shows' - a review of songs and comedy sketches begun in 1932.