Snow White at the Sid – Courtenay Little Theatre brings Holiday Panto back to the Valley!
by Catherine Hannon
On a recent cold and rainy Sunday afternoon, the parking lot outside the Courtenay Little Theatre
rehearsal space is full of cars. Inside, the space is bustling merrily with over thirty- five people ranging in
age from six to over eighty years old, busy with all kinds of things; actors are trying on wigs, the
designers in the costume loft are doing fittings, the set painter has arrived for a consult, stage managers,
producers, choreographers, sound technicians discuss cues. Suddenly, director Mandy Tulloch’s
confident voice cuts through all this creative activity, gathering everyone together for a run through of
Act 1, her precise directions transforming the organized chaos into a fun and lively choreographed song
and dance number. Tulloch encourages her cast like a benign general, energetically calling out the
timing for dance sequences, correcting mistakes, even jumping on stage to demonstrate a tricky dance
move to an actor. Clearly, she knows exactly what she is doing.
It’s been over twelve years since Courtenay Little Theatre produced Magic Tinderbox, their last ‘Panto’
(a loud, fun, British musical-theatre tradition whose origins go back to Shakespeare and the Commedia
dell’arte). This holiday season, from Dec 22-31 at the Sid Williams Theatre, writer and director Mandy
Tulloch is bringing a traditional Panto back to the Comox Valley with her rendition of Snow White.
Tulloch began her long career in theatre acting in Panto as a young child of six in London, England,
eventually playing “every ‘Principal Boy’ role known to man”, in England and Canada. She has also
written and directed plays for adults and children, taught at Western University, was Artist in Residence
at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam, BC, and established her own drama school, Tulloch
Academy. She is currently living in the Comox Valley and is a co-owner and teacher with Sitka Stage and
Screen, in Courtenay.
Tulloch loves Panto, and with Snow White, she’s teaching and reviving the British Panto tradition with
Courtenay Little Theatre because “it’s a first opportunity to bring a young person into the theatre” and
“the beautiful thing about Panto is that it’s multi-generational; made for grandparents, great-
grandparents, parents and children – with jokes for both adults and kids”. The theme is Good versus Evil,
and of course, after a bit of a tussle, Good always wins. Hurrah!
Tulloch has written a script she hopes will have wide appeal, working in the Panto tradition of updating
a classic fairy tale by poking gentle fun at celebrities and referencing current events and cultural trends,
including Cosplay and the sci-fi drama Stranger Things. Snow White features stock Panto characters
played by local Courtenay Little Theatre actors; Snow White (Skye Rigdon and Celie Lacasse, alternating),
The Dame (Alex Schwalm), The Principle Boy (Autumn Balcke), Good Fairy (Katherine Watt Kimmins), Evil
Troll King (Jessie Hargreaves), Giggle Buns (Josh Langhorn), the Queen (Allyson Leet), and many more
favorites.
Snow White is a holiday tradition for the whole family to enjoy, full of ridiculous fun, music, dance and
cool special effects. There will be plenty of opportunities for audience participation and children are
encouraged to come dressed as Snow White. Everyone will be invited to meet their favorite characters
after the show! On stage at the Sid Williams Theatre Dec 22 -31
https://www.sidwilliamstheatre.com/events/snow-white-a-traditional-pantomime/