The UK Pantomime Association Seeks Diverse Range Of Volunteer Judges For The 2023/24 Season

The UK Pantomime Association has launched a search for new judges to join its experienced team, visiting over 200 professional pantomimes across the length and breadth of the UK to shortlist nominations for The Pantomime Awards. The Association aims to ensure the team of more than 60 judges represents the diverse nature of pantomime audiences.  

Applications are especially welcome from disabled and neurodiverse individuals, members of the LGBTQI+ community, and people from the global majority, in particular those with African, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, North African, South Asian or South East Asian heritage, as these voices are currently underrepresented in the team.  

Simon Sladen, Chair of the UK Pantomime Association, said: “We aim to celebrate, support and champion diversity and inclusivity in our work, and we aspire to engage our judges from a diverse group of volunteers. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and acknowledge the importance of lived experience, as well as the significant role local audiences play in regional pantomime's production and reception.” 

Applications are invited from seasoned audience members with a critical eye, people with a professional pantomime performance or production credit and those with a journalistic/reviewing background. To apply, just complete a short questionnaire which is available here: https://forms.gle/yg9zScxX1XHo7JrD8. The deadline is 26 July 2023 at midnight.   

The benefits of being a judge include complimentary tickets for pantomime performances within an agreed region, an invitation to The Pantomime Awards judging conference and tickets for The Pantomime Awards ceremony. 

All judges will be required to watch approximately eight performances in their region from November until January (with the team clocking up more than 700 performances collectively!). They will be required to attend a training session and they will need to commit time to submit show reports via an online portal.  Judges are engaged on a voluntary basis, with no expenses covered. 

The Pantomime Awards 2023 in association with Butlin's took place in a star-studded ceremony at the Trafalgar Theatre in London's West End. Amongst the winners were Special Recognition Awards given to Ian McKellen for passionate advocacy and services to the artform of pantomime, Cast, Doncaster, for their ongoing commitment to integrated BSL signing in pantomime and the Theatre Royal Stratford East for their continued innovative and inclusive practice in the field of pantomime. 

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.  To find out more, visit https://pantomimeassociation.co.uk. 

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