INTERVIEW: Cast of Snow White pantomime

Actors Katie Haygarth and Scott Waugh took some time away from Snow White to answer a few questions about this year’s Children’s Christmas Show.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your previous acting experiences.

Scott: I’m from Glasgow originally and moved to London at 17 to go to Guildford School of Acting. I did my BA in Musical Theatre there and then once I graduated I was lucky enough to play Richard Cunningham in a UK tour of Happy Days. I then worked for Cameron Macintosh and Disney and did a year and a half UK tour of Mary Poppins which we then took to Switzerland and Dubai, which was incredible. Since Poppins I’ve moved back to London and now I’m here in Hereford to enjoy Snow White with the lovely Katie!

Katie: I trained at LAMDA and since then I’ve done mostly children’s theatre. In 2013 and 2015 I did In The Night Garden Live which was a UK tour, mostly based around puppetry. It was also, in fact, where I met my husband! I was Upsy Daisy and he was Iggle Piggle! Since then I’ve gone on to do regular children’s Christmas shows including Dear Father Christmas at the Oxford Playhouse and Home For Christmas at the Litchfield Garrick. I’ve done a lot of CBeebies and puppetry children’s theatre, which I love because I feel like children are the most honest crowd.

What can audiences expect from Snow White?

Scott: I think audiences can expect fifty minutes of utter madness! Fun and high energy, different costumes, different voices and lots of audience interaction. It’s a really well written, feel good show.

Katie: Our version of Snow White is a little bit different from the traditional version because it’s an adapted Grimms fairy tale. The idea behind it is we’re going back to basics and we’re just having fun on the stage and with our audience. And like Scott said, lots of props, lots of colour, lots of fun and hopefully lots of laughter!

Snow White is aimed at children aged 7 and under – why do you think it is important for younger children to go to the theatre?

Scott: I think it’s really important for younger children to go to the theatre because it’s an immersive experience, it builds confidence and it tells them traditional stories in a way that they’ll understand. The great thing about Nick’s script is that it’s really well written for kids of all ages, but I think the parents are also going enjoy being here as well. Kids have such a vivid and wild imagination, when it’s so free and natural I think that’s the best time to explore it.

Katie: I think it’s a sense explosion! It’s important for children’s growth and understanding. We live in a world of technology at the moment so it’s nice to have some good old fashioned, traditional story telling which will encourage them in the future with their confidence and their learning skills and their interaction with other people.
 
What would you say to any families who may be concerned about bringing their children to the theatre?

Scott: We’re not going to worry if you’ve got someone crying, because the beauty of what we do is we’re allowed to go out into the audience and calm people down and make them feel relaxed and comfortable. We’re not scary characters!

Katie: I think for anyone who’s concerned, they should know that our show in particular is a very gentle show. When the children enter the auditorium we’re there to greet them and say hello so they meet us instantly in a very non-performance style. During the show, the parents are welcome to take their children out to go to the toilet and come back in and the show won’t stop, they don’t need to feel embarrassed. I also think The Courtyard in general is a very child friendly place. It’s a bright building, there’s lots of space, lovely café and the staff are always welcoming and understanding to what parents and children need. Also I think for people who may think ‘my one year old is too young for the theatre’ there are so many bright colours and glitter and a sensory explosions, they will be stimulated even if it’s only for 5 minutes at a time.

As part of The Courtyard’s Children’s Christmas Show there will be some festive magic sprinkled into the performance. What makes this time of year so magical for you?

Scott: I genuinely think Christmas is the best time of the year! I think it’s fun, it brings everyone together, it’s just magical.

Katie: There’s a huge amount of joy everywhere you go, everything looks beautiful, there are lights and tinsel, baubles and people are smiling and obviously there are presents!

Scott: It’s a chance for everyone to stop. Which is very rare throughout the year, and people take time for each other. I think with technology nowadays it can be quite an isolated world because you can get everything you need from a phone or a laptop, but you can’t get that sense of love and togetherness.
Katie: And coming in to the warm from out in the cold is always nice isn’t it? And obviously mince pies!

Snow White will be in The Courtyard’s Studio Theatre from Saturday 8 – Saturday 31 December.

To book tickets, or for more information contact the Box Office on 01432 340555 or visit www.courtyard.org.uk