Dive into panto season with this comedic Snow White performance

Many theatre companies in Kelowna are getting set to put on Christmas themed shows over the next few weeks and the Theatre Kelowna Society (TKS) is underway with its seasonal offering.

The troupe is once again bringing the art form of pantomime to the Mary Irwin Theatre with a production of Snow White.

“Pantomime is for the audience and audience participation,” Director Jerome Laroche told Kelowna10. “In pantomimes, it’s strongly encouraged for them to boo for the bad guys and cheer for the good guys.”

Laroche said it will have the same feel and spirit of Snow White, but with more fun and wacky characters with comedic and visual gags.

The story will follow the princess as she is celebrating her 18th birthday, and her stepmother, the evil queen, wants to get rid of her as she is destined to be prettier than she is.

Laroche said there is much joy in bringing back live performances.

“It’s great to come and see live theatre especially from a world after COVID with everyone stuck at home for a long time,” he said. “Now we’re free to come see these shows and see the passion behind the actors.”

Among those is Kalista Klaver, who is playing her first major role with TKS as Snow White after having smaller ensemble rolls.

“It’s a really interesting experience, the character is really bubbly and fun,” she said. “It’s definitely a scary experience [playing my first lead role] but it’s a lot of fun and I’ve been enjoying myself.”

Klaver explained how she studied the movies ‘Enchanted’ and ‘Snow White’ a few times, along with looking at Disneyland recordings of how those actors have portrayed her, and other famed princesses.

She said the whole team behind the production has provided a positive experience for her in her first titular role.

“We built these good relationships and it’s a good community to be in and it’s a lot of interactive work with the audiences and it’s just a great group to be part of,” Klaver said.

The show runs until Dec. 2. Tickets can be found online.