Last month over 30,000 showgoers supported Bournemouth’s local panto Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs at Bournemouth Pavilion.

Boasting comedic legend Su Pollard as the Wicked Queen, Noel Brodie as the loveable Muddles, and local panto favourite Jamie Steen as Dame Dilly Donut, the much-anticipated festive event received glowing praise throughout its run at Bournemouth Pavilion, with visitors sharing;

“Bournemouth is always the best when it comes to panto,” and, “Great cast and lots of fun. The Pavilion is a great venue.”

Relaxed and captioned performances created a more inclusive environment for audiences with community groups including schools, scouts, brownies, theatre schools and nursing homes that took advantage of lower-priced tickets and dedicated performances to enable thousands of young people to enjoy the fun.

When speaking about the importance of pantomime, Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs star Su Pollard shared;

“We are entrusted with such a special art form and as actors we have a great responsibility. For some of these children they’ve not been to the theatre before, seen actors live on stage, or been part of a real-time live audience – it’s very special and actually a real honour and privilege to be the keepers of this first-time experience.”

Su Pollard was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement Award for her decades of passion and commitment to pantomime in a UK Pantomime Association (UKPA) award ceremony in April 2023.

Bournemouth Pavilion is operated by registered charity BH Live in partnership with BCP Council. As a registered charity, any surplus revenue generated through their facilities and services is reinvested back into the local community, such as in the continued upkeep of its venues such as Bournemouth Pavilion.

Steve Turner, BH Live’s Associate Director of Venues said;

“Pantomime is such a beloved local tradition at Bournemouth Pavilion. For many of our younger audience members, pantomime is their first introduction to the world of theatre. It’s wonderful to hear so many people enjoyed last year’s performance and we want to thank all our visitors for their continued support.”

Over 1,000 tickets have already been sold for this year’s performance, Jack and the Beanstalk [7 December 2024 – 5 January 2025], which sees local panto favourite Noel Brodie confirmed to return to the stage as Silly Simon in his tenth year of starring in Bournemouth Pavilion’s pantomimes.

A relaxed performance is scheduled for Tuesday 17 December 2024 and school and groups bookings are already being taken.

Full casting is to be announced later this year.