Two of the cast of York Theatre Royal’s 2023-24 production of Jack and the Beanstalk – Anna Soden and Mia Overfield – have been nominated in the 2024 UK Pantomime Awards.
Mia is nominated in the Best Early Career Newcomer category. She played heroic Jack in her pantomime debut, a year after leaving drama school.
Anna played Dave the cow, a very different kind of pantomime cow, in Jack and the Beanstalk. She is nominated in the Best Supporting Artist category. Anna grew up in York and was a member of York Youth Theatre for a decade. She was part of the young people’s ensemble for Theatre Royal shows including The Railway Children and the 2006 Cinderella pantomime.
Jack and the Beanstalk was the third pantomime produced by York Theatre Royal and leading pantomime producer Evolution with York Theatre Royal Creative Director Juliet Forster as director and Evolution’s Paul Hendy as writer.
The same team is behind the 2024-25 York Theatre Royal pantomime Aladdin (3 December to 5 January). Robin Simpson returns as Dame while other casting includes CBeebies and CBBC presenter Evie Pickerill as the Spirit of the Ring.
Tickets are now on sale. Box office 01904 623568 | yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
The UK Pantomime Awards ceremony, in association with Stagecoach, takes place at G Live in Guildford on 18 June.
During the 2023-24 pantomime season – the third year in which the awards have taken place – UKPA’s 70 judges had their biggest year yet, collectively visiting 259 venues to see over 728 performances, across the UK.
Founded in 2021, the Uk Pantomime Association (UKPA) is a charity that explores, shares and celebrates pantomime by investigating the genre’s rich past, engaging with contemporary practice and inspiring the future.
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