“It’s about a small girl. And a great adventure.”
This winter, Northern Stage will be transformed into a dazzling winter wonderland with a magical musical reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale The Snow Queen. Written by Laura Lindow and directed by Northern Stage’s artistic director, Natalie Ibu, this thrilling, heart-filled new production is packed with adventure.
Following previous family-favourite festive shows such as A Christmas Carol and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice at the theatre, this new production blends enchanting storytelling, new original music and imaginative staging to create an unforgettable theatrical experience for audiences of all ages. It draws on folk traditions, shaped by a strong sense of place and community to tell this story of a brave girl on a journey beyond everything she’s ever known.
Set in the small town of Stifle, The Snow Queen follows the story of Gerda who lives a quiet, regulated life. She is the only child in the town until Kai arrives, bringing with him friendship and a sense of possibility. Her world is transformed by this friendship - and then shattered when he is enchanted by the Snow Queen and whisked away to her frozen realm. Gerda courageously ventures beyond everything she has ever known, encountering wondrous and elemental worlds. Told with a fresh perspective that places the backdrop of the village at the heart of the story, audiences will be brought into a world that feels both intimate in detail and epic in scale.
Music is central to this new production’s identity. A multi-instrumental cast will perform live on stage, creating a dynamic, ever-changing sound world inspired by folk traditions, with particular echoes of Scottish influences. Fiddles, accordion textures and raw, atmospheric soundscapes combine with moments of recorded voice to create something immediate, physical and at times uncanny.
The design draws on landscape and the winter season, shaping a theatrical environment where audiences are taken on a journey rather than just enjoying a simple retelling of a known story.
Rooted in the theatre’s ethos of community, The Snow Queen continues Northern Stage’s passion for local collaboration. Northern Stage’s Scale Up project supports artists in developing their careers and gaining experience working at a mid-scale level. It sits within a wider ecology that spans young people’s programmes in directing, designing and technical, emerging artist opportunities and professional pathways to the mid-scale with the venue acts as a launchpad, nurturing the next generation of theatre-makers.
As part of Scale Up, Anna Robinson, who began her journey with Northern Stage as a youth theatre participant and then set designer the young company, will step into the role as Associate Designer – working at the midscale level for the very first time. Anna will work alongside Set and Costume Designer Jen McGinley on The Snow Queen and will lead on the set design for the Stage 3 Christmas show for under 5s, The Christmas Sorting Office.
As part of her work for The Snow Queen, Anna will design Northern Stage’s first festive window installation. The installation will tie into The Snow Queen and feature an interactive element for audiences to enjoy. Her progression reflects the organisation’s wider commitment to nurturing talent and creating clear, supported routes into the industry.
Showing their commitment to partnerships, representation and talent development, this summer Northern Stage will hold their fifth year of Open Auditions and their second year of Open Creatives where local producers, directors and theatre companies join Northern Stage for a weekend of speed meeting 90 actors and as many creatives as they can.
Natalie Ibu, Artistic Director of Northern Stage and director of The Snow Queen – comments, I love making shows for Northern Stage at Christmas time. We welcome our biggest and most diverse audience to our festive shows and it’s a real privilege (and not a little bit of pressure!) to know that for many young people, The Snow Queen will be their first theatrical experience and so I want to make it feel extra special. I’m building a superb team – including Anna Robinson whom I met during my year of So Zoom to Meet You during the first year of my tenure during the pandemic. I am working with the brilliant writer Laura Lindow on some script updates to make the show unique for our North East audiences in 2026 – including new songs! At the heart of this show is a story about community, friendship and the power of kindness – something we can all get behind. Through Gerda and Kai’s friendship we see that it’s not just the grownups that can make change happen. I can’t wait to for audiences to come on the adventure with us and, of course, there will be snow…it’s Christmas!”
