Evolution Productions Announces Line Up Of 11 Pantos

2020 was the year that wasn't for pantomimes. Hundreds of live shows up and down the land were cancelled because of the COVID pandemic, and many were only performed to online audiences. This Christmas, panto is back with a vengeance! And the UK's top producer of bespoke pantomime is leading the way with an expanded operation of eleven shows playing in cities across the whole country.

The family-run pantomime producers, Evolution Productions will be serving a festive banquet of seasonal shows, and are proud to regularly be featured on lists of the top pantomimes in the country. Evolution have won 'Best Pantomime in the country' three times at The Great British Panto Awards, and this year are presenting 11 shows in some of the most prestigious theatres in the country.

This season, they are working with some of the biggest household names in the UK including Strictly Come Dancing Head Judge Shirley Ballas in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs at Assembly Theatre Tunbridge Wells, Gogglebox's Scarlett Moffatt in Cinderella at The Hawth Theatre, Crawley; Duncan James (Blue) and Joanne Clifton (Strictly Come Dancing) in Jack and the Beanstalk at The Marlowe, Canterbury; Janine Duvitksi (Benidorm) in Sleeping Beauty at Sheffield Lyceum; Chizzy Akudolu (Holby City) in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs at The Alban Arena, St Albans; Ricky Champ (EastEnders) and Phil Gallagher (Cbeebies' Mister Maker) in Dick Whittington at Royal & Derngate, Northampton; Andy Day (Cbeebies) in Cinderella at York Theatre Royal; and Richard David-Caine (Horrible Histories) in Aladdin at The Grove, Dunstable.

Evolution co-director Paul Hendy said:

"We are delighted to bring back pantomime to audiences across the UK. The Christmas of 2020 was incredibly difficult for everyone, but we used that time to come back bigger and more spectacular than ever. I think this year, more than any other year, people will need to laugh and have a good time and pantomime gives us the opportunity to do just that. Each of our shows is tailor-made for the theatres in which they play. We pride ourselves that we are not a 'one size fits all company' but a producer of bespoke and high -quality work with fantastic casting. This year we have expanded our output with three new theatres hosting our shows. Over the past year, Evolution has been on a long, difficult journey but in the best panto tradition we are back and raring to go."

Formed in 2005 by wife and husband Emily Wood and Paul Hendy, Evolution is built on its ethos of producing superior, bespoke theatre shows. They have produced over 100 pantomimes and their shows are acknowledged for high quality production values, strong casting and genuinely funny scripts. Evolution is, at its heart, a family run business and it maintains a close, home-crafted relationship with all of its work, providing it with a real intimacy and friendliness, but without losing any of the spectacle.

Emily read French and Italian literature at Oxford University and subsequently worked as a Production Manager for a company who made high-end cinema commercials. During this period, she worked with esteemed British film director, Jonathan Glazer, on projects for Stella Artois, Levis and the famous Guinness ads, as well as his film Birth which starred Nicole Kidman. However, live theatre was always Emily's passion and producing pantomimes was perhaps a pre-destined fate for Kent-based Emily; her Great-grandfather toured Variety and Pierrot shows all over the country during the early 1900s, and her parents, who met while working for Alan Ayckbourn, are a theatrical producer and designer. 2005 she began Evolution Productions with her husband, Paul Hendy, and now produces eleven pantomimes all over the country as well as hiring sets and costumes out to another six theatres. Today Evolution is very much a family business as Emily works alongside her mother and sister as well as her husband. She also juggles the huge demands of the business with having a young family. Her three children, Freddie, Poppy and Jago are proud owners of the Guinness World Record for the most pantomimes watched in one year.

Paul Hendy is a writer, director, producer and TV presenter. For TV he presented The Disney Club, Don't Try This At Home with Davina McCall, Wheel of Fortune, the BAFTA nominated Dear Mr Barker and the cult classic Stash the Cash. His critically praised novels include Diary Of A C-List Celeb and Who Killed Simon Peters? Alongside a career in writing and television, Paul has always been passionate about pantomime. He has performed in twenty-five professional pantomimes, has written over one hundred scripts, and for the last sixteen years has directed at least two major pantos a year. In 2014, Paul directed the national tour of the Olivier Award winning Eric Morecambe one-man play, Morecambe starring Bob Golding by Tim Whitnall which was a co-production between Evolution and Feather Productions. His short film The Last Laugh which he wrote, directed and produced, about a behind the scenes encounter between Eric Morcambe, Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse was completed in 2016 and has been sweeping up awards at film festivals across the world including 'Best Comedy Drama' at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and "Best Film' at Manchester Film Festival.

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