SOUTH Hill Park Arts Centre has won the Best Script prize at the UK Pantomime Association awards.
The Bracknell-based venue beat more than 700 other theatres around the country to lift the coveted prize.
Writer Joyce Branagh received the award from TV and panto star, Christopher Biggins, for her script of Jack and the Beanstalk.
In her acceptance speech, Joyce praised all the nominees and thanked the team at South Hill Park, describing it as a small theatre ‘punching above its weight’ in the cultural heart of Bracknell.
“South Hill Park is an amazing team to work with and I’d like to especially thank Jack and the Beanstalk’s director Adam Stafford,” she said.
“As any writer will know, a good director will knock your overly wordy nonsense into a lovely bit of entertainment for the whole family.”
This is the second win for South Hill Park, following Best Staging/Set Design in 2018 for Dick Whittington and His Cat, by Victoria Spearing.
South Hill Park was also nominated for Best Set Design for Jack and the Beanstalk.
Judges from the UK Pantomime Association’s attended 243 venues, watching 717 pantomime performances across the country, scoring the shows across categories developed in consultation with industry experts.
This year’s panto will be Sleeping Beauty, and will again be written by Joyce and directed by Adam.
It runs from Friday, November 24, to New Year’s Eve and tickets are on sale now.
For more details, or to book, log on to www.southhillpark.org.uk, or call the box office on 01344 484123.
