The panto production company Regal Entertainments Ltd is celebrating after being shortlisted in four categories at the prestigious National Panto Awards 2023.
Behind the fantastic family shows staged at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre and St Helens Theatre Royal is mother and daughter team Jane Joseph and Chantelle Nolan.
And both Goldilocks and the Three Bears, which entertained Epstein Theatre audiences last Christmas, and Cinderella which dazzled festive theatregoers at St Helens Theatre Royal, have been nominated for accolades.
The hotly contested annual National Panto Awards are run by the UK Pantomime Association which celebrates excellence and champions pantomime as an important British art form.
This year’s awards ceremony takes place at the Trafalgar Theatre in London’s West End on Tuesday 11 April and will be hosted by stage and screen star Christopher Biggins.
The nominees were chosen by 64 judges who attended more than 240 venues and saw more than 700 performances across the UK.
Regal Entertainments Ltd has been shortlisted in four separate categories:
Best Small Panto (under 500 seats): Goldilocks and the Three Bears at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre.
Best Villain: Timothy Lucas for his role as Baron Von Vippemall in Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Best Ensemble: Grace Faulkner, Jack Trafford, Lucy Stewart, Molly Thorpe Franklin, Callum Fairfield, Lucy Deakin and Georgia Murray in Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Best Sound Design: Conrad Kemp for Cinderella at St Helens Theatre Royal.
Regal Entertainments Ltd.’s Jane Joseph and Chantelle Nolan said:
“This is fantastic news for everyone at Regal Entertainments, not least our extraordinarily talented and hard-working casts and creative teams who more than deserve this national industry recognition.
“Pantomime is such an important part of British theatre tradition; it’s often children and young people’s first taste of live performance. A great panto can spark a lifelong love affair with the theatre, and that’s what we strive to give our audiences at both the Epstein Theatre and at St Helens.”
Simon Sladen, chairman of the UK Panto Association, added:
“After what for many venues was a record-breaking pantomime season in 2022/23, we can’t wait to celebrate the wide array of excellence in the genre at the National Pantomime Awards this April.
“Pantomime is one of the most exciting, vibrant forms of theatre, entertaining millions of people each festive season.
“Thank you to everyone who brings the pantomime magic to the stage, and good luck to all of this year’s nominees.”
Along with producing shows, Regal Entertainments Ltd has run St Helens Theatre Royal since 1999 and co-manages the Epstein Theatre.
It is set to stage pantomimes at both venues this Easter; Beauty and the Beast at St Helens Theatre Royal (5-16 April) and Sleeping Beauty at the Epstein Theatre (7-16 April).
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