COMMUNITY performers and special guests will come together next month to put on a show celebrating the life and cultural contribution of Enid Pennington BEM.
The word legend is often used to describe people, but in this case, legend or icon are the only words suitable to pay tribute to an artiste like Enid.
Enid was born in 1924 and throughout her life Enid has acted in, produced and directed countless plays and musicals at the Theatre Royal. Her involvement there, spanned almost 70 years and she was an active member of many of the theatre’s organisations. She joined the Unnamed Players in the 1950s and was appointed director in 1986.
Her first principal role was with St Helens Amateur Operatic society in 1948 in the production The Student Prince, however she went on to play The Merry Widow, South Pacific, Carousel and Maid of the Mountains, amongst others.
When the St Helens Theatre Royal closed its doors in 1984, Enid was a founding member of the Friends of the Theatre Royal group, which campaigned to raise funds to reopen the Corporation Street venue. For her dedication to the arts and amateur dramatics she was awarded a BEM in 2017.
She died on February 6, aged 99, and the artistic community in St Helens have decided to go ahead with a celebration to pay tribute to her and celebrate her life.
Nicholas Wilding, Chairman of the Trust said that the original idea was to celebrate her hundredth birthday with this fund-raising event and when he suggested it to her before Christmas, she was really excited about it.
Sadly, he said "She did not quite make it, but she lived and breathed this building and anybody performing in it.
"So she would have been delighted that everyone on stage at this event has agreed to take part in this fund-raising show to honour her and that the production will reflect the changes that she saw in her own lifetime."
The event will take place at St Helens Theatre Royal on Saturday, May 18 from 7.30pm and will feature a mixed programme of variety performance from the 1920s themes to 2020s. Tour manager at St Helens Theatre Royal, Anthony Proctor said: “It has been a real privilege to work alongside Nicholas the chairman of St Helens Theatre Royal Trust and local performers Vicki and Patricia to bring this very important evening to the stage.
“Enid Pennington worked to save St Helen’s Theatre Royal and she has left behind a wonderful legacy. I am immensely grateful to Enid for her work preserving the theatre for generations to come and am very proud to have this opportunity to help to mark her contribution to the cultural life of the region.
“Along this journey to bring Celebration of the Century to the stage, I have met many amazing local community performers and really looking forward to a very special night at the Theatre Royal.
“The evening will raise vital funds to replace the theatre’s heating loop system to increase accessibility to the theatre for deaf and hearing impaired audience members. This celebration of Enid Pennington’s amazing years continues her work, doing good and raising money for the theatre.”
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