Let the artists speak for themselves

Peter Hinton introduces the 06-07 Season

Peter Hinton on The Snow Show

Estelle Shook, Artistic and Managing Director, Caravan Farm Theatre on The Snow Show

World Premiere

At the Central Experimental Farm Arboretum

First love, true love, enduring love… an impossible journey. In this adaptation of the Norwegian folk tale, (a variation on Beauty and the Beast), a poor girl follows her bear bridegroom to the land east of the sun and west of the moon, to save him from marriage to a hideous troll. As she tracks through the wilds on horseback, cajoles the four cantankerous winds into helping her, and crosses the tumultuous sea, she comes to know herself, the real possibilities of love, and the art of growing up. A romance of epic proportions.

"Creating theatre outside in the snow with horses and actors and stilt walkers is as ridiculous as it is sublime. The effect is nostalgic without being sentimental, magical without the use of sorcery, and familial while one sits on a sleigh with strangers. Creating theatre in the snow reminds me of the indomitable and whimsical nature of the Canadian spirit. Its artistry is in its audacity." Jennifer Brewin

We are proud to present our first Snow Show in collaboration with British Columbia’s Caravan Farm Theatre and the National Capital Commission’s Winterlude. What better stage for this winter’s tale, than the great outdoors. Yes, that’s right, a winter show for families – outside. You’ve heard of the Ice Hotel: now get ready for the Snow Show. Bundle up under blankets and climb aboard a horse-drawn sleigh that will take you along the journey "east of the sun and west of the moon." This environmental production features horses, stilt walkers, all the beauty of the Experimental Farm and a sleigh ride too. A sold-out tradition at the Caravan, only in Canada could such a unique fairytale come true.

Hailed as a national treasure, Caravan Farm Theatre is one of Canada’s premier professional outdoor theatre companies, annually producing a full-length musical in the summer and a wildly popular winter sleigh-ride show in winter. There is no theatre building - productions have been staged in nearly every corner of the farm - in a field, in the pines, in the barn, or the riding ring. All Caravan Farm Theatre productions feature live music and stunning design- often incorporating audience movement, mask, horses and cars in a blend of spectacle, modern drama and good old-fashioned storytelling. Drawing on the energy of the rodeo, the celebration of the fall fair, and the ritual of the Easter parade, the Caravan aims to wed narrative with spectacle, high drama with honky-tonk, reflecting the rural experience back to the world with sophistication, complexity, and bold originality.

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." Albert Einstein

Left to right: Jennifer Brewin, Director and Estelle Shook, Artistic Director Caravan Farm Theatre
Photo: Laird Mackintosh
Illustration: Lino