FIRST LOOK – joyful new images from the Mr Snow rehearsal room at Leeds Playhouse

Sprinkled with flakes of pure joy and filled with flurries of fun, new images beautifully capture the high spirits of the Mr Snow rehearsal room at Leeds Playhouse.

This enchanting new show will be delighting young audiences in the Playhouse’s Courtyard Theatre from 30 November to 4 January. Mr Snow runs alongside The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in the Quarry Theatre, ensuring audiences will have an absolute (snow)ball throughout the festive season.

Craig Painting (Oliver Twist, Leeds Playhouse & Ramps On The Moon; Robin Hood, Derby Theatre; Romeo & Juliet for Graeae, Shakespeare North Playhouse) is Mr Snow, a polar explorer and expert snowologist. Jayden Reid (Grantchester, ITV1; EastEnders, BBC1; Offie award-winning High Times & Dirty Monsters for 20 Stories High, UK tour including Leeds Playhouse) is Blessyou, Mr Snow’s son; a trainee snowologist with a fondness for fish fingers, adventure and his best friend Beartie. And Paul Brown (Macbeth, Leeds Playhouse; Potted Potter, US and ROI; EastEnders, BBC1) is Understudy for both roles.

Director Amy Leach said: “We are having so much fun in the rehearsal room! Craig, Jayden, Paul and the entire creative team are so energised and full of ideas – they absolutely encapsulate the joy of this incredibly uplifting show. My face is literally aching at the end of every day from smiling and laughing so much!”

Writer Robert Alan Evans and Leeds Playhouse’s Deputy Artistic Director Amy Leach wowed audiences in 2019 with their fun festive family tale The Night Before Christmas and are teaming up again for Mr Snow.

The talented creative team also includes Set and Costume Designer Rachael Canning; Lighting Designer Laura Howard; Sound Designer & Composer John Biddle; Assistant Director & Creative BSL Consultant Nadeem Islam; Creative Audio Description Dan Parr, Hear the Picture; Lead BSL Interpreter Sarah Cox; Choreographer Rachel Clarke; and Esther Irving, Trainee Assistant Director.

Blessyou is surrounded by penguins, polar bears and piles and piles of snow, spending his days fishing (for fishfingers), dreaming of adventure, and avoiding studying for his snow exams. But when his dad brings home a jar of unusual snow – extraordinary things begin to happen.

Continuing Leeds Playhouse’s commitment to creatively integrated access, Mr Snow is a bilingual production, performed in both spoken English and British Sign Language. Creative Audio Description will be available via headsets at all performances from 5 December.

Families are at the heart of the theatre experience at Leeds Playhouse. As well as enjoying an array of exciting shows, families can make use of the theatre’s child-friendly facilities, including its free creative play area, baby change and family toilets, highchairs and special catering options.

Mr Snow is sponsored by Access Partner Irwin Mitchell, a committed supporter the Playhouse’s award-winning access programme since 2009, enabling it to deliver accessible performances and supporting its pioneering development of Relaxed and Dementia Friendly Performances.

Mr Snow plays at Leeds Playhouse until 4 January 2025. Tickets are available here.