A multi-award winning theatre company based in Wilmslow has announced their new upcoming production.
Cheshire Youth Pantomime Society (CHYPS) is a youth charity based in Wilmslow that puts on a spectacular pantomime in the first week of January each year. The company will be performing once again at the Evans Theatre in Wilmslow Leisure Centre with their latest production Cinderella.
Six performances of Cinderella are lined up from Thursday 2 January to Sunday 5 January 2025. The production guarantees a hilarious show packed with current and classic songs, performed by a brilliant group of 11 to 18-year-old actors, singers and dancers and backed by a live band and remarkable staging. Their shows are on a huge scale and entertain the whole family from young to old. There’s no doubt you’ll be left impressed and find it hard to believe you’re watching an amateur pantomime.
CHYPS received six awards for their last show Robin Hood, including Best Pantomime, Best Director, Best Choreography and Best Set Design.
We spoke to Rich Nicholson who leads the technical team and received the award for Best Set Design. “I don’t usually get to go on stage, so it was a huge honour to go up and receive the award for Best Set Design for Robin Hood. It made all the hard work by the whole team worthwhile. I have something even more spectacular and rather different planned for Cinderella. But obviously I can’t tell you any more about it – I am sworn to secrecy. You’ll just have to come and see it for yourself!”
CHYPS are very much at the heart of the community in Wilmslow. This year they are sponsored by Wilmslow Town Council, Wilmslow Round Table, Wilmslow’s Way Better, Travelbag and Lloyds Bank.
Sally Hunt is the director of Cinderella. She has been directing CHYPS since she formed the group in 2007. We asked her what motivates her. “CHYPS provide fantastic opportunities for talented teenagers to appear in a huge, high budget production that is seen by over 2000 people,” she explained. “I am hugely proud that Robin Hood virtually swept the board in this year’s GMDF Pantomime Awards. For many of the cast CHYPS is the beginning of a life-long love of performing, and many go on to pursue careers in musical theatre. We currently have former CHYPS cast studying at a number of prestigious theatre colleges such as Mountview, ArtsEd and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Supporting the amazing young talent we have in the area is hugely rewarding for me. I hope everyone will come and see what is, after all, the most-loved pantomime story of all time.”
Cinderella runs from 2nd – 5th January at Wilmslow Leisure Centre, and includes three matinee shows whilst the children are still off school. Tickets are on sale now and can be found at www.chypspanto.com.
