ST Helens Theatre Royal has been nominated for 2 top accolades at the UK’s prestigious annual Pantomime Awards this spring.

Dick Whittington is competing for the title of Best Panto in the awards which are run by the UK Pantomime Association.

And St Helens Theatre Royal’s sound technician Conrad Kemp is contesting the Best Sound title for the 3rd time in 4 years.

The UK Pantomime Association was founded in 2021 to explore, share and celebrate pantomime by investigating the genre’s rich past, engaging with contemporary practice and inspiring the future.

Its hotly contested annual awards celebrate the wealth of talent on show at theatres across the country, highlighting the breadth of skill, enthusiasm and hard work of those on and off stage who work tirelessly to deliver 1st-class entertainment to audiences.

This is the 5th anniversary of the awards, and there are more than 20 categories up for grabs this year, with 52 judges collectively visiting 216 venues and watching 496 performances to choose the successful shortlisted nominees.

The awards are presented in partnership with Trafalgar Entertainment and ATG Entertainment. The Best Panto (500 to 950 seats) category is sponsored by Showtime, and the Best Sound category by Orbital Sound.

And the 2026 winners will be revealed during a special evening at the Wycombe Swan in High Wycombe on:- Sunday, 19 April 2026.

Regal Entertainments Ltd has been bringing top quality and star-studded productions to the North-West for more than 20 years. It is run by the theatrical powerhouse mother and daughter duo of Jane and Chantelle Joseph who produce top quality drama, comedy and panto productions which continue to break box office records.

It produces four pantomimes – at Easter, Christmas and in the February and October half term holidays, with tens of thousands of St Helens theatregoers enjoying the fantastic family-friendly fun each year.

The company also stages pantomimes at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre, for which it was nominated in three categories at the Pantomime Awards in 2023.

St Helens’ Christmas show, Dick Whittington and his Magical Cat, was a smash hit sensation which was enjoyed by 40,000 people during its run and attracted a host of 5-star reviews, with critics saying it set “the benchmark of excellence for Merseyside pantomime”.

The cast was led by Emmerdale’s Matthew Wolfenden as Dick Whittington, appearing alongside audience favourites Lewis Devine, Timothy Lucas, Chantelle Morgan, Rachael Wood, Jenna Sian O’Hara and Richard Aucott.

They were joined by a stellar supporting company from Nazene Danielle’s School of Dance – Dance Dynamix.

Meanwhile this Easter, St Helens family audiences are promised the fairest panto of them all when Regal Entertainments staged Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs.

Panto director and St Helens Theatre Manager Chantelle Joseph said today:- “Christmas was the 1st time in Regal Entertainments’ 25-year history that we had staged Dick Whittington, and it was a huge hit with audiences with many of them describing it as the best panto they had ever seen. We were thrilled with their reaction, and to now receive wider industry recognition with a nomination for Best Panto in the UK Pantomime Awards is the icing on the cake. I’m also absolutely thrilled for Conrad. His contribution to the creative effort which goes into making sure St Helens pantos remain some of the finest in the UK is immense, and that’s underlined by the fact this is now his third award nomination in 4 years. As I have said before, a great panto can spark a lifelong love affair with the theatre, and that’s what we always try to give young theatregoers at St Helens. Dick Whittington received a fantastic response from our family audiences, and I know our wizard production of Snow White, which opens this month, will as well.”


Theatre Royal Booking Details

St Helens Theatre Royal 
Corporation Street, St Helens, Merseyside 
WA10 1LQ 

Book in person at the Theatre Royal Box Office, Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm

Telephone ticket booking line:- 01744 756000, lines open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm. 

Book online here.