Packed with original sing-along songs, puppetry, dance and lively audience interaction, this joyful reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale, The Snow Queen, celebrates friendship, warmth and the wonder of helping one another. At its heart is Gerda, a fearless and curious young mouse who leads the adventure through magical woodland worlds of snowy forests, starlit skies and icy landscapes—inviting children to discover their own courage and appreciation for the natural world along the way. From artistic director Nancy Hirst (co-creator of theSaves Christmas series, The Brook Theatre), with design by Laura McEwen (Well Done Mummy Penguin, the Albany; The Princess and the Pea, Unicorn Theatre) and original music by Eamonn O’Dwyer (The Lion Inside, Southbank Centre), The Snow Queen is a festive treat for children and their grown-ups alike.
We caught up with designer Laura McEwen learn more.
What inspired your creative vision for the set of The Snow Queen?
We did a series of research and development days exploring the beautiful script ideas of our writer and director Nancy Hirst. These days were a dive into the different worlds of the story, the contrasts, the colours, the textures and the transformations. They helped inform initial ideas as to how the show could look.
I then spent a period of time looking through some of the many published versions of The Snow Queen including some fantastic paper cut and pop up versions. I also spent time immersing myself in photography and artwork connected to the worlds of the story, in particular of magical, icy woodlands.
In my work as a designer I am always trying to explore what is at the heart of the story for me. InThe Snow Queen I was captivated by the mirror. It reflects a fragmented world of epic scale but also it reflects the fractions within the human relationships in the story. This became my creative inspiration and from here everything else followed.
Were there specific elements from Hans Christian Andersen’s original story that influenced your designs?
Absolutely, the magic mirror that distorts the world was a key image from the original story that I developed into the design for our show. I wanted to use this image of refraction and fragmentation to then create a magical forest which is central to our retelling of the story. The HCA story is close to our retelling in many ways and all of the imagery in this story has helped inform my ideas.
Can you share your experience working with Nancy Hirst and the rest of the creative team?
As I mentioned previously we had a wonderful few days doing some research and development work where we explored the script, music, dance and visuals. It was chance to all throw our ideas into the pot without worrying about what the end show might be. Nancy had created a really strong framework for the story which instantly provoked visual ideas for me and this was further developed through hearing the magic musical interpretations of our Composer, Lyricist and Musical Director, Eamonn O’Dwyer and seeing the stunning movement work of our Movement Director, Maria Ghoumrassi. The actors were also full of fun and creative ideas at this stage, giving the characters voices and personality, which really informed the costume designs.
The story unfolds in magical woodland worlds. How did you approach creating these different environments, and what materials or techniques did you use to bring them to life on stage?
I always like to think about the colour, shape and texture of a theatrical world and this is always my starting point. It’s about finding the right language for the design and giving the whole space an overall style. Select materials and colour palette can really help with this. With this production the whole design idea grew out of an image I initially designed for the floor in the space. This embodies the cracked mirror in The Snow Queen story and is also a metaphor for the fractured friendships within the narrative. The floor is very integral to the design in the Albany as all of our audience look down onto it so I felt it was very important place to start.
Our show is for young audiences so I wanted the woodland to feel immersive, warm and inclusive. Working with our lighting designer Callum Macdonald we also looked at ways that lighting could be built into the set to make the environments transformative.
I would be lying if I didn’t say that budget also played a part in deciding the direction the design could head in. However, sometimes limitations such as budget or time provoke the most inventive solutions!
What challenges did you face while designing the set, especially in translating the icy landscapes and snowy forests into a theatrical experience?
There are many challenges in designing this show. Obviously we can’t have real snow or even lots of artificial snow as it will not work with the narrative and movement in the piece so it was about finding shapes, colours and compositions that would give the audience this epic, other worldly feel. Scale is an important thing too, there is a feeling of these landscapes being vast so I really wanted to maximise the amount of space that we use in the theatre and for the design to feel very immersive.
With the emphasis on audience participation, how does the set design facilitate interaction and engagement between the performers and the audience?
I have thought about the audience’s experience from the very first moment they enter the theatre space. I have worked hard to make the set feel warm and comforting as well as expansive and adventurous so children will feel comfortable as well as inspired. Our actors will be able to move freely into the audience space and some of our props and puppets will also span both the performance and audience areas.
Considering this production is aimed at children, how did you balance artistic integrity with creating a safe and inviting environment for young audiences?
I think it’s important to think through the eyes of the child from the very first moment they enter the space. For some children this may be their first experience of theatre. At the beginning the set will feel very warm and cosy, the children should find it a comforting and secure place to be in. However as our story grows, so will the space, to be more epic, wild and adventurous and by this point we hope the children will feel brave enough to take the adventure with us.
In the spirit of environmental consciousness, did you incorporate any sustainable practices in the creation of the set?
I always try to be environmentally conscious in my work. Vinted is a great starting place for costume purchases, for example! We will be building the set from wood and making sure that all set elements are built so they can tour in the future. Some elements of the set such as the raised platforms incorporate existing set pieces that belong to the Albany. This means that not everything is built from scratch and we are thinking about recycling from the offset.
Looking back on your previous productions, such as Well Done Mummy Penguin and The Princess and the Pea, how do you think this experience will influence your future projects?
With every show I design I learn so much particularly when we get our first audiences though the door.
We are exploring some interesting ‘in built’ lighting ideas into this set which I imagine will inspire future work. The world of lighting has changed so much in the last ten years. In the old days you designed a set and the lighting designer mostly the lit the set from lights in the theatre lighting grid. Nowadays there are so many interesting and clever ways to light set from within, using lighting tape and small inbuilt lighting effects. It enables sets to transform in so many more ways and really excites me.
There is a continued theme of strong sculptural shapes in my work, I’m usually a great fan of circles but in this show I have really enjoyed exploring straight sharp angular shapes. Who knows which direction this will head in next?!
Lastly, what does this adaptation of The Snow Queen mean to you personally, and how do you hope it resonates with audiences, both young and old?
I have loved creating the design for this show, particularly designing specifically for the Albany theatre space which I think is architecturally so interesting. I hope the audiences make their own interpretations from the set and costumes and ultimately feel transported to somewhere very other worldly this Christmas time.
The Snow Queen runs at The Albany in Deptford from Saturday 6th - Wednesday 24th December 2025. Tickets are available from https://www.thealbany.org.uk/events/the-snow-queen-a-woodland-adventure
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