THIS Saturday, community performers and special guests will come together to put on a variety show celebrating the life and cultural contribution of Enid Pennington BEM.
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.
Hosted by Gary Conley, the event will boast performances from The St Helens Singers, Minogue - A Tribute to Kylie, Elizabeth Hill School of Dance, Unnamed Players Drama Group, Dream Academy of Arts, Norman Weston, Pilkington Musical Theatre Company and many more!
All proceeds from this special occasion will be put towards repairing the theatre's Hearing Loop system to increase accessibility for D/deaf audiences.
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."
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