Cochrane loves its pantomimes.

Thanks to Take a Bow community theatre, we're about to be taken on another fun-loving adventure with the opening of the Snow Queen pantomime tonight (Dec. 8) at 7 p.m. at the Cochrane RancheHouse Theatre.

It's a magical fairy tale told as a pantomime by Helen Gard that encourages audience participation. There's a dame, an evil queen, and her comedic minions. In the end, good triumphs.

It's based on the story of The Snow Queen, a formidable character whose heart is cold as ice. When she tries to come between two young people in love, a musical adventure begins, taking us on a snowy journey of laughs and excitement.

Please don't hold back. Laugh, cheer, and boo, because audience participation plays a huge role in pantomime.

"It's all about the humor," says Amy Hodgers, who is Bae the Reindeer in the production."We love interacting with the audience, we love getting them involved."

Take a Bow is an inclusive group of theatre enthusiasts. They began working on this particular production in September, and have several more in cue starting in the spring.

"It's meeting people who are interested in theatre as well," says stage manager Roxanne McCallum. "It's so much fun just coming out twice a week and performing and practicing. It's just a great way to get involved in the community."

They always welcome others to join them, no matter their age or whether they have any theatre experience.

"What's always been great is we have people of all ages," says McCallum. "We have kids through adults and it builds that community and it makes lots of fun. My kids are growing up with it. I have a kid doing tech this year. Kevin's (Polischuk) daughter grew up doing it as well. So it's been lots of fun to bring families and communities together."

A pantomime just before Christmas is also a deep-rooted Cochrane tradition that dates back decades.

"I've been on the board and with this group since 2017 and the pantom's are a tradition we pull off every year," says Kevin Polischuk, who is Nanny Rose in the production. It's a lot of fun."

The cast

Shows tonight, Dec. 9, Dec. 15, and Dec. 16 have a 7 p.m. curtain time. There are 2 p.m. matinees on Dec. 10 and 17. Including intermission, it's a two-hour production.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for youth and are available with cash at the door or online here.

To learn more about Take a Bow, other upcoming productions, and how you can get involved, visit here. 

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Snow Queen