Young Offenders star Michael Sands is heading to panto this Christmas

If your lot are already campaigning for a Christmas outing before the Halloween decorations are even down, we may have found your answer. Michael Sands, best known to Irish audiences as a familiar face in the hit comedy series The Young Offenders, is swapping the streets of Cork for towering wigs and outrageous gowns this December. He’ll be making his panto dame debut as Dame Nanny Nora in Snow White at SETU Arena, Waterford, running from 12 to 30 December 2026.

Yes, Dame Nanny Nora. Complete with the wigs, the frocks and — if Sands has anything to do with it — a generous helping of mischief thrown in for good measure.

A big first for a seriously experienced performer

What makes this casting so good is that Sands is far from a panto novice in general. He trained at Montforts and has had a career that reads like a theatrical bucket list — Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Sweeney in Sweeney Todd, Les Misérables and Fiddler on the Roof at the London Palladium, Camelot at the Royal Opera House, and performances with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra at the National Concert Hall. He’s no stranger to a stage. But stepping into the role of panto dame for the very first time, after years starring at Cork’s Everyman Panto, is a whole different kettle of fish — and he knows it.

“I’ve played some fantastic roles over the years, but becoming a pantomime dame for the first time is something completely different,” Sands said. “I’m really looking forward to letting loose, having a bit of fun with the costumes and bringing Dame Nanny Nora to life. You can expect plenty of laughs, a little bit of mischief and hopefully a few surprises along the way. I can’t wait to get to Waterford and give audiences a Christmas to remember.”

Honestly, that quote alone is enough to have the kids on board.

Michael Sands

A cast that makes this one worth the trip to Waterford

Sands won’t be going it alone. The show is written by Richie Hayes, who brings 25 years of panto experience to the production and will also appear on stage as The Man in the Mirror. Country music star Cliona Hagan takes on the role of the wicked Queen Draganella, Waterford’s own Holly Ryan plays Snow White, Evan O’Hanlon is the Prince, and Alex Kavanagh steps in as The Spirit of the Panto. More than 80 young performers from across the South East will also be part of the show — so if you’ve been looking for a production that genuinely feels like a big occasion, this is shaping up to be exactly that.

The team behind it aren’t resting on their laurels either. Last year’s production of Jack and the Beanstalk drew almost 12,000 people to SETU Arena. For 2026 they’re upping the ante with increased capacity, bigger sound, more lighting and enhanced staging. In other words, this isn’t a low-key village hall affair. It’s a proper, full-scale Christmas spectacular.

Worth getting in early for

With a run of just under three weeks and a cast this strong, tickets are the kind of thing you’ll want to sort before it slips your mind until mid-December, at which point you’ll be fighting for the last few seats while also trying to locate the school nativity costume. We’ve all been there.

Snow White runs at SETU Arena, Waterford from 12 to 30 December 2026. Tickets are available at Pantoland.net.