The UK Pantomime Association (UKPA) has announced the winners of The Pantomime Awards 2024 in association with Stagecoach at a ceremony that took place on 18 June at G Live in Guildford. The awards were presented by stars of stage and screen, Angellica Bell, Myra DuBois and Ore Oduba, with Rob Madge presenting the coveted Best Pantomime Awards.
Twins FX received the Outstanding Achievement Award for their exceptional contribution to the pantomime industry. Their special effects have revolutionised pantomime through breathtaking transformation sequences and adding awe-inspiring spectacle from flying double-decker buses to enormous animatronic crocodiles and jaw-dropping illusions. Their creativity knows no bounds and helps create the true magic of pantomime.
The Special Recognition Awards, which celebrate productions and individuals representing the values that the Association seeks to promote, were given to:
Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling who received the Award for Achievement in Inclusive Practice for their production of Aladdin set in Discotopia which celebrated female empowerment, LGBTQ+ narratives and inclusive casting;
Cinderella at The Theatre Chipping Norton who won the Award for Achievement in Innovation with their production which relocated the traditional narrative to Latin America, celebrating the culture of carnival and addressing the challenge of deforestation. The production worked with cast and creatives from the Latinx community and engaged a dramaturg;
Michael J Batchelor who received an award for his contribution to Pantomime History, Tradition and Heritage. A talented designer, as well as Dame himself, his pantomime Dame costumes are regarded as the best in the industry, worn by Dames throughout Pantoland each season. He has perfected the art of costuming the Dame, ensuring impact, comedy and functionality through his inventive and playful designs.
Further winners on the night were:
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Myles Brown: Beauty and the Beast, Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells (Little Wolf Entertainment)
BEST COMIC (Sponsored by Trafalgar Entertainment)
Matt Slack: Jack and the Beanstalk, Birmingham Hippodrome (Crossroads Pantomimes)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Dawn Allsopp: Snow White, Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds (In-House)
CHRISTOPHER BIGGINS AWARDS FOR BEST DAME (Sponsored by John Good)
Ben Roddy: Aladdin, Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury (Marlowe Theatre and Evolution Productions)
BEST DIRECTION
Simon Fielding: Cinderella, Towngate Theatre, Basildon (Towngate Theatre and Simon Fielding Ltd)
BEST ENSEMBLE (Sponsored by Drama Kids)
Danielle Cato, Oliver Imeson, Sophie Karaolis, Sarah Jane Lowe, Louis Parkins and Luke Stone: Mother Goose, Cambridge Arts Theatre (In-House)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN (Sponsored by Production Light and Sound)
Jamie Corbidge: Cinderella, Swansea Grand Theatre (Imagine Theatre)
CARMEN SILVERA AWARD FOR BEST MAGICAL BEING
Amanda Henderson: Jack and the Beanstalk, Rhyl Pavilion (Anton Benson Productions)
BEST CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC (Sponsored by Howden Insurance)
Chris Wong: Aladdin, Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury (Marlowe Theatre and Evolution Productions)
BEST EARLY CAREER NEWCOMER (Sponsored by Staffordshire University)
Jewelle Hutchinson: Cinderella, Nottingham Playhouse (In-House)
BEST NEWCOMER TO PANTOMIME
Benjamin Armstrong: Aladdin, Lighthouse Theatre, Poole (In-House)
BARBARA WINDSOR AWARD FOR BEST PRINCIPAL LEAD
Alexandra Mardell: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Theatre Royal Plymouth (Crossroads Pantomimes)
BEST SCRIPT
Paul Hendy: Aladdin, Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury (Marlowe Theatre and Evolution Productions)
BEST SECONDARY LEAD
Lotti Brogan: Dick Whittington, King’s Lynn Corn Exchange (Jordan Productions)
BEST SET DESIGN (Sponsored by Blue i Group)
David Shields: Snow White, Grand Theatre Wolverhampton (In-House)
BEST SISTERS
Iain Lauchlan and Andy Hockley: Cinderella, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry (Belgrade Theatre and Imagine Theatre)
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Nigel Bayliss: Sleeping Beauty, Theatre Royal Bath (UK Productions)
BEST SUPPORTING ARTIST
Ben Tanner: Mother Goose, Derby Arena (Little Wolf Entertainment)
BEST VILLAIN (Sponsored by Breckman & Company)
Wendi Harriott: Sleeping Beauty, Watersmeet Theatre, Rickmansworth (Paul Holman Associates)
BEST PANTOMIME (UNDER 500 SEATS)
Aganeza Scrooge, Tron Theatre, Glasgow (In-House)
BEST PANTOMIME (500 – 900 SEATS)
Sleeping Beauty, Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage (Jordan Productions)
BEST PANTOMIME (OVER 900 SEATS)
Jack and the Beanstalk, Birmingham Hippodrome (Crossroads Pantomimes)
The Awards ceremony included special guest performances from Rob Madge who sang a number from their Olivier Award nominated show My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) as well as presenting the coveted Best Pantomime Awards, panto Dame Matthew Siviter who caused a buzz with his special rendition of a Beatles classic, entertainment from one of the industry’s top clowns Tweedy and a high-energy routine from Stagecoach Performing Arts students.
Simon Sladen, Chair of the UK Pantomime Association, said: “Congratulations to all the nominees and winners at The Pantomime Awards 2024! There is such a wealth of talent across the pantomime industry, which these awards truly acknowledge and celebrate. Pantomime is an important and integral aspect of British culture, and one the UK Pantomime Association is proud to champion.”
Andy Knights, CEO of Stagecoach Performing Arts, said: “We are so proud to be the headline sponsor at the Pantomime Awards and wish a huge congratulations to all the winners!”
Founded in 2021, the UK Pantomime Association (https://pantomimeassociation.co.uk) is a charity that explores, shares and celebrates pantomime by investigating the genre’s rich past, engaging with contemporary practice and inspiring the future. During the 2023-24 pantomime season, the third year in which the Awards have taken place, UKPA’s 70 judges had their biggest year ever, collectively visiting 259 venues to see over 728 performances, far and wide across the United Kingdom
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