Trafalgar Entertainment acquires pantomime producer Imagine Theatre

Trafalgar Entertainment has announced a “majority strategic investment” in Imagine Theatre, one of the UK’s largest pantomime producers. 

Run by husband-and-wife team, Steve and Sarah Boden, Imagine Theatre is a production company that supports pantomimes in over 50 venues nationwide.

This winter, the company will produce 19 shows across the UK: six productions of Cinderella (Coventry, Rotherham, Crewe, Swansea, Hastings, Halifax), four productions of Beauty and the Beast (Porthcawl, Hayes, Stafford, Wycombe), three productions of Jack and the Beanstalk (Kilmarnock, Leamington Spa, Leicester), two productions of Sleeping Beauty (Inverness, Reading), a Peter Pan (Llandudno), a Snow White (Swindon), and new productions of The Little Mermaid (Kirkcaldy), and Treasure Island (Glasgow).

Trafalgar Entertainment’s investment will allow for future growth opportunities for the business to invest in new pantomimes. Imagine Theatre received twelve nominations at the 2023 UK Pantomime Awards, winning three awards including Best Pantomime over 900 seats.

“As bold visionaries with big imaginations, Sarah and Steve [Boden] have created one of the UK’s most successful and respected pantomime companies,” commented Helen Enright, CEO of Trafalgar Theatres. She continued: “With fun-filled family values at the heart of everything they do, Imagine has always led from the front, whether in the development of new technologies or through building relationships with producers and theatre owners.”

Speaking about the recent acquiring, Steve Boden, joint CEO and managing director of Imagine Theatre said: “With the exponential growth of Imagine in recent years, this exciting new partnership with Trafalgar is a natural step forward in our continuing journey to deliver exceptional family pantomime.”

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