Evolution Productions and The Octagon Theatre win at UK Pantomime Awards 2023

The Octagon Theatre and Evolution Productions scooped the prize of Best Contribution to Music (Emma Fraser) at the UK Pantomime Awards last night, beating four other nominees to the award.

The annual UK Pantomime Awards were hosted at Trafalgar Theatre in London’s West End by Christopher Biggins, with The Octagon Theatre and Evolution Productions production of Dick Whittington being nominated for a total of four awards.

On the night, one award was won by the team – Best Contribution to Music. Emma Fraser was on the creative team as the Musical Director for Dick Whittington who put the production together and helped it to become such a success.

Dick Whittingham was also nominated for Best Pantomime (500-900 seats), Best Choreography (Josie Lee) and Best Lighting Design (Kathryn Monkton). The Octagon Theatre and Evolution Productions team believe that receiving so many nominations from over 700 pantomime performances in the UK shows the quality of pantomime available here in Yeovil.

Adam Burgan, Arts & Entertainment Venues Manager, said: “We are so proud of Emma and incredibly proud of our pantomime production of ‘Dick Whittington’. The Octagon pantomime continues to go from strength to strength each year and it is brilliant to be recognised by the theatre industry alongside some of the biggest and most high-profile venues. Our thanks go to the fantastic team behind the show and of course to the audiences who make all the hard work so worthwhile. We are excited for Cinderella this year and it looks set to be truly magical”.

Kate Roddy from Evolution Productions, added: “We were absolutely delighted to see Emma win 'Best Contribution to Music' at the Pantomime Awards for 'Dick Whittington', and so proud that The Octagon pantomime was recognised in four categories! It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Evolution and The Octagon's hard work and excellence, especially in the company of other exceptional venues and productions from across the whole of the UK. We are so excited to share our next magical production of Cinderella with our wonderful Yeovil audiences.... so don't be late for the ball!"

Founded in 2021, the UK Pantomime Association is a charity that explores, shares and celebrates pantomime by investigating the genre’s rich past, engaging with contemporary practice and inspiring the future.

2023 brings the regular Octagon Theatre festive pantomime by Evolution Productions to Westlands Entertainment Venue for the first time whilst The Octagon is closed for redevelopment. This year, don’t miss the hilarious, fun-filled, family pantomime Cinderella with thousands of tickets already sold. Take your pick of the best seats left in the ballroom by booking your tickets now.