One of the things I love about Panto is tradition. We all have a lot of traditions especially around the holiday season and for many of you coming to Panto is one of yours. This year’s Panto feels very different. We talk a lot about why in our dedication to Geoff King, an integral part of our Panto family who will be greatly missed.

And it is a family. Theatre often feels like that. And this show, of all three in our season, always feels like coming home. Familiar faces and some new ones, good guys & bad guys, monsters & mayhem. And of course that little bit of magic. Maybe it’s the season, maybe it’s the fairytale, maybe it’s the love of making theatre or perhaps all three. So here we are again with one of my favourite fairy tales. Whether you hearken back to the original by Hans Christian Andersen or that now more famous version, with the song we all know, it’s ultimately a story about a family; the one you are born with and the one you create along the way. So from our Panto family to you: enjoy the show and let the magic begin!

Dear Audience;

It is that most wonderful time of the year once again, Panto time!  Performed especially at Christmas time Pantomime is a funny musical play based on traditional children’s stories.  With roots rich in history, Panto was first developed in England and is a participatory form of theatre in which the audience is encouraged and expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers.  Fast forwarding to current day performed throughout Christmas and New Year’s you will still find Panto performed here on the West Coast combining musical entertainment, slapstick, and topical humour buried within a familiar fairy tale. From our very first performance, an original script of “Cinderella” written by our Founding Artistic Director Ellie King over 15 years ago the Royal Canadian Theatre Company has been bringing a holiday tradition to audiences annually. This year we are very excited to present to you the Royal Canadian Theatre Company’s version of the Snow Queen, written by Crystal Weltzin and directed by Kerri Norris, featuring all original music by the late Geoff King. We are looking forward to entertaining and delighting you.

Feel like coming out to play with us? There are many ways that you can contribute; become a sponsor, member,  we would love to have you join our family. The Royal Canadian Theatre Company is a not for profit society dedicated to providing affordable quality all-inclusive entertainment to audiences and we would like to thank all of our sponsors and many dedicated volunteers who make it possible for us to bring live entertainment to the stage.  And now we invite you to enjoy our show.

To Geoff with all of our love… this one is for you.