Derby Pantomime nominated for four national awards

Beauty and the Beast has been nominated for four awards at the Great British Pantomime Awards, which were announced on Sunday 11th February. The star-studded family pantomime was co-produced by Derby LIVE and Little Wolf Entertainment and staged at Derby Arena last year. In the first year of this new partnership the pantomime proved to be the most successful yet at Derby Arena with more than 30,000 people seeing Beauty and the Beast over the festive season, including more than 13,000 children.

Beauty and the Beast has been nominated in the category of Best Staging and Set, Best Script, Best Special Effect (for the Beast’s transformation) and Best Pantomime of the year 1500 + seats. These four nominations speak to the success of the pantomime, with Derby Arena nominated alongside venues such as London Palladium and Birmingham Hippodrome for the Best Pantomime of the year 1500+ seats award. Beauty and Beast has been nominated for the Best Special Effect award for the spell-binding moment when the Beast transformed into the Prince, which featured flying over the heads of the audience in the Arena.

Little Wolf’s co-founder and producer, and Beauty and The Beast’s own Betty Brioche, Morgan Brind is the nominee for two of these awards, for his wonderful design of the stage and set, which transformed the vast arena into a glittering and magical theatre. Audiences were whisked from the streets of Spondon on the Seine to the inside of the Beast’s enchanted castle via a spooky woodland with ingenious use of a revolving stage. Morgan is also the writer behind the devastatingly funny script which has been nominated for Best Script. The hard work of Morgan and the whole of the Little Wolf, Derby LIVE and Derby Arena teams to create a huge pantomime has been recognised in these four nominations. The awards evening will be taking place on Sunday 15 April at New Wimbledon Theatre.

Little Wolf producer Morgan Brind said of the nominations: “I’m very excited and flattered to be nominated for these awards, particularly as it truly is a team effort, after all a script is only as funny as the people saying it and the set design is only as good as the talented craftspeople who build and paint it. We had a fantastic first season working with the wonderful Derby LIVE staff and the team at the Arena and along with my co-producer Alan I am delighted to see the news spreading and Derby being placed side by side with some of the most established venues in the country. It also means the pressure is on with Jack and the Beanstalk to deliver the biggest panto yet, and I’m already excited by the plans we are putting in place this year!”

These nominations mark the success of the new partnership between Derby LIVE and Little Wolf Entertainment, who have come together to create this phenomenal show. The partnership continues this year to produce Jack and the Beanstalk, the new and exciting pantomime for 2018.

Councillor Raju, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said: “It’s fantastic that in the first year of this partnership we have secured four national award nominations. We have a great team in Little Wolf Entertainment, Derby LIVE and Derby Arena, that have really raised the bar. We are all now looking forward to this year’s panto Jack and the Beanstalk”

Tickets are now on sale for the 2018 Derby LIVE pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk which promises marvellous moosic, cow-ntless costumes and an udderly ridiculous dame with giant-sized jokes!

The villagers of Dappy Darley on the Derwent are under threat from a ginormous giant! Poor young Jack has his head in the clouds, but when he sells his beloved cow Pat for just a handful of beans he begins a huge adventure which takes him to new heights. Once again Derby Arena will be transformed into a magical theatre space, with a star cast, spectacular pyrotechnics and amazing special effects. It will bring together sensational sets and costumes, hilarious comedy, fabulous music and dazzling dance routines, as well as the audience participation that makes pantomime magical.

Jack and the Beanstalk will be on stage at Derby Arena from Saturday 8 December 2018 until Saturday 5 January 2019, tickets priced from £14.75 with concessions, group, school and family tickets available. Customers can save £2 with the Early Bird offer when booking tickets before Thursday 1 November, with other savings available. With hundreds of seats already booked, it’s never too early to book for this fantastic festive treat.

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