Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is celebrating huge success of last year’s pantomime Sleeping Beauty with a total of three nominations at the UK Pantomime Awards, which will be held on Sunday 19 April.

The pantomime has been nominated for Best Villain (Danny Beard), Best Script (Tam Ryan and Ian Adams) and Best Pantomime - Over 950 Seats.

Sleeping Beauty was produced entirely by Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and was a pantomime that championed local talent. To receive a total of three nominations is particularly outstanding. Such national recognition for a pantomime that was produced in Wolverhampton using the talents of many Grand Theatre staff, and culminated top-class talent in Wolverhampton, is an exciting indication of the Grand’s new vision for pantomime and its major contribution to the UK pantomime industry.

Following a string of 25 five-star reviews for Sleeping Beauty, and with critics hailing Wolverhampton Grand as “the regional pantomime that all others look to for inspiration” (Black Country Radio), the nominations are appreciated recognition for a pantomime which already achieved so much.

Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Karen Smallwood said, “Wolverhampton Grand Theatre has a very strong vision for pantomime, one that harnesses community, creativity and collaboration. Pantomime is the one show for all the family, and the production must balance the needs of every single audience member. We work incredibly hard across all departments to ensure the panto recipe is right and three award nominations on top of the critical acclaim received in December are a strong indication that our pantomime is achieving everything we set out to. We are delighted with the nominations and remain committed to ensuring our pantomime honours tradition yet pushes the boundaries of top-quality, inclusive, family-friendly theatre.”

Best Villain nominee Danny Beard said, “I chose this panto and this theatre over a couple of other offers because there is so much love here and so much thought goes into everything here, from the casting to the writing to the tech… people care on every level with this show and that’s what I’m like when it comes to my work which is why I slot right in with this show and this theatre.”

This year’s upcoming pantomime Treasure Island is enjoying record-breaking advance sales.  Audience appetite for the Grand Theatre panto formula and the excitement of a brand-new title has seen public sales exceeding all previous years and huge levels of excitement expressed on social media.

Tickets for Treasure Island are available at grandtheatre.co.uk.