Late promoter 'would be proud' of theatre's panto
BBCA late music promoter would be "very proud" of the Christmas pantomime created by the theatre he was involved with, an actor and friend has said.
Mike Lloyd, who ran Music Mania in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, recently died unexpectedly, aged 82, while travelling home from the United States.
Alongside his music work, he was a board member at the Mitchell Arts Centre in Hanley, where he would hand out ice cream and greet visitors on the front door every December during panto season.
The theatre is due to launch its pantomime Cinderella on Thursday night and actor Tim Churchill told BBC Radio Stoke: "Mike would have been very proud of this one.
"It works really well. It's all come together brilliantly. I think Mike would be very, very pleased with it."
He said Mr Lloyd would also appear "a couple of times" in footage and images screened on stage during the show.
Mr Churchill, who will star as one of the ugly sisters, said it had been a tough time for the cast and crew since Mr Lloyd's death but they were "getting through it" for him.
He previously said he would miss hearing his friend's laughter at the back of the auditorium during performances.
"These last few days have been hectic for us. It's only when we stop to go and sit in the café, at the table where we normally sat with Mike, and realise he's not there," Mr Churchill added.
Mitchell Arts Centre has also invited members of the community to help create a "celebration window" at the theatre in honour of Mr Lloyd.
Mr Lloyd, who was born in Walsall, was awarded an OBE in 2022 for his services to classical music for his role as chief executive of Stoke-on-Trent Classics, which organises orchestral concerts.
He went on to be made an honorary freeman of Stoke-on-Trent in 2025 for "an exceptional commitment to enriching the cultural and musical landscape of Stoke-on-Trent".
He was instrumental in bringing the Lemmy Kilmister statue to Burslem, and was one of the people behind the plans to transform the town's vacant Queen's Theatre into a concert venue in memory of the Motorhead singer.
Cinderella at the Mitchell Arts Centre in Stoke-on-Trent will run from 18 to 31 December.
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