The Rose Theatre, Kingston Presents THE SNOW QUEEN

The Rose Theatre, Kingston is set to present The Snow Queen, Hans Christian Andersen's charming tale of friendship adapted by Charles Way. In a season dominated by pantomime, the Rose is once again offering an artistic and heartfelt alternative.

Directed by Natascha Metherell, the story sees the power of love triumph over wickedness, as Cei and Gerda embark on an epic journey to conquer the evil Snow Queen.
Natascha recently directed a reading of Minotaur at Inner Temple Hall featuring Timothy West; Barber of Seville (Stanley Hall Opera); My Fifteen Minutes (Wimbledon Studio Theatre); and Contemporary Opera Showcase (National Opera Studio, London). She was Associate Director for the Rose Theatre productions of Treasure Island and Miss Julie.

The theatre is delighted to announce that artist and art director Su Blackwell will be designing the set, her first stage production. Born in Sheffield in 1975, Su works predominantly within the realm of paper. Her studios have collaborated with Nicole Farhi, worked on advertising campaigns for Pilsner Urquell, Crabtree and Evelyn, O2 and also created a beautiful Christmas window for Harvey Nichols.

Sara Stewart (Fresh Meat, Sugar Rush) will star as the titular Snow Queen, Bettrys Jones (Skins) as Gerda, and Zac Fox as Cei. The rest of the cast includes Deidra Morris, Michael Matus, Charlotte Roach, Sian Robins-Grace and ChristIan Edwards. Music will be by Alex Silverman (God of Soho at the Globe) and lighting design courtesy of Mike Gunning.

Artistic Director of the Rose, Stephen Unwin added:
"The Rose's family show at Christmas lies at the heart of what we're about. This year, we're presenting Charles Way's terrific adaptation of The Snow Queen, staged by a young - and largely female - creative team: the opera director Natascha Metherell, the brilliant paper artist Su Blackwell, and the emerging costume designer, Mia Flodquist. I'm delighted that the remarkable Su Blackwell is designing The Snow Queen. Her book sculptures brilliantly capture the strange, mysterious, enchanted world of the fairy tale, and it's a huge pleasure to have her here designing her first stage production."

Venue: Rose Theatre Kingston

Dates: Fri 2 Dec 2011 - Sun 8 Jan 2012

Performances: Daytime performance times vary: 11.00 am, 12.00 pm, 2.00 pm,

5.00pm.

Evening performances: 7.00 pm

Press Night Thu 8 Dec

Tickets: £15, £20, £24, £26, pit cushions £8

Family ticket £70 (4 tickets, minimum 2 children under 16)

Carluccio's offer: free child's meal per adult's meal purchased

Advance booking essential, maximum booking less than 10 people.

Offer applicable during the run of The Snow Queen upon

presentation of theatre tickets.

Box Office: 08444 821 556/ www.rosetheatrekingston.org (bkg fee)

"SNOW QUEEN TRAIL" IN KINGSTON TOWN CENTRE - THANKS TO THE MAYOR OF LONDON'S "OUTER LONDON BOROUGH" FUND

The Rose Theatre will be treating Kingston town centre to an exciting "Snow Queen Trail" from the 25 November to 23 December. Open to all and free of charge, this is thanks to Kingston Council's successful bid to benefit from the Mayor's "Outer London Fund" which aims to nurture sustainable growth and enhance the vitality of Outer London.

Four "story houses" will be constructed and host a series of short, original Hans Christian Andersen tales, performed by professional actors. Using storytelling and popular songs, a group of travelling players will perform short and lively adaptations of The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Nightingale, The Emperor's New Clothes and Thumbelina.
Each story house, dotted strategically throughout the town centre, will provide an intimate and magical burst of story-telling for eager eyes and ears amidst the hustle and bustle of the festive season. A fifth troop of wandering troubadours will move around the town centre, engaging and entertaining shoppers and passers by in a truly interactive live theatre experience.
In order to take part, all one has to do is turn up on the day and find one of the story houses around the town centre and market square. Children will be given a ‘story map' to describe their favourite tale. The trail will lead to the Rose, where the intrepid audience member will be presented with the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets for The Snow Queen, to continue their Hans Christian Andersen journey in the comfort of the theatre.

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