“I’d pin my hopes on the help of a friendly wolf! A creature to play with, keep me warm and protect me from harm.” Director Jo Timmins talks to The QR about adapting Richard Johnson’s beloved Once Upon a Snowstorm for the Traverse Theatre stage this Christmas.
Lyra have been making work for, by and with children & young people in Greater Craigmillar area of Edinbrgh for over almost 10 years. A cross-genre creative dynamo, Lyra have generated 21 artworks and performed over 165 times both home and abroad in that time. This year, supported by the also fabulous Catherine Wheels Theatre Company straight outta Musselburgh, they will create the first ever stage adaptation of Richard Johnson’s beloved illustrated masterwork, Once Upon a Snowstorm. Lyra CEO, show director and adapter, Jo Timmins was kind enough to talk to The QR about bringing the show to The Traverse stage. The show opens December 9th.
Christmas, perhaps this Christmas is particular, is a pretty critical time in theatre land. With that in mind, what would you say makes Once Upon a Snowstorm, a winning proposition?
I suppose Once Upon a Snowstorm is a gentler offer for a younger age-group, than say your more traditional panto. I wanted to make a winter show that encapsulated the feeling of Christmas for children and families in Lyra’s home community of Craigmillar. Myself and designer Lorraine Hamilton did a lot of research into children’s storybooks that harnessed this feeling of Christmas (warmth, love, belonging, friendship) without being overtly about Christmas itself. We came across Richard’s beautiful story and fell in love.
Children’s Christmas theatre might be viewed as quite a challenging genre, not having the recourse to the pop silliness of panto or the cultural references of the many tv adaptations touring the country. What makes a venture such as this worth threading that audience-capturing needle?
I wanted to tell an original, simple story to a younger age-group – mainly those who tend not to be served by what else is on offer. The aim is for Once Upon a Snowstorm to be a cosy, intimate experience for young audiences. It is quiet and stripped back and in this respect is quite different from the reveller’s panto. This style also enables the performers to connect with each individual audience member and hopefully make each person feel special.
The book is a purely visual delight, its wordlessness being part of its charm and accessibility. Has this presented any challenges in bringing the stage show to life?
We’ve chosen verbal storytelling as the stage medium for Richard’s story. Our show is an adaptation of the picture book and my aim is for us to leave lots of room for children to use their own imaginations when watching the show. We don’t give a fixed image of what something is – rather we suggest it and let the audience fill in the rest. We only have two performers on stage and at times in the story there are many characters, so we’ve had to be creative about how we represent these. Music plays a big part in this respect. Performer Fay Guiffo plays violin and in a way the violin becomes a third performer.
What would you hope children and their families will take away from the play?
I would love for each audience member to feel warm and welcome in our audience and to be reminded of how strong and resilient children can be and how much we can trust them to lead the way.
Do you have any favourite moments in the play, and has any part of the development surprised you?
This is very hard to choose! Towards the end of the piece is a stunning variation on a theme by composer David Paul-Jones that underscores the moment when the child hero (the boy) leads his dad into a new world. I find the combination of the music and the story at this point very satisfying and very moving.
Have you worked with author, Richard Johnson in the creation of the show, and if so, how have you co-operated in the show’s development?
Richard very generously gave us free reign on the adaptation. He’s coming to see it for the first time at the Traverse. I hope he likes it!!
If you were lost in the woods, which woodland creature you hope to find coming to your aid?
I’d pin my hopes on the help of a friendly wolf! A creature to play with, keep me warm and protect me from harm.
Christmas Theatre 2022 will be one of the most crucial festive seasons in stage history. TheQR is talking to as many of those making theatre in the UK this year as possible, to play a small part in raising their profile, and opportunities for a successful run. Though many of us face a tough winter, financially speaking, a magical night of theatre offers a (warm) escape for a few hours, and if you have the expendable income available will help support the livelihoods of those who keep that magic alive.
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