News Article
Preview – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
22 Nov 24
Director Sally Toynton introduces her production of the classic CS Lewis story for our Christmas show.
You're new to SLT - we'd love to know a bit more about you and your previous experience!
Hello, I’m Sally, it has been an absolute pleasure to work with this incredible team and I am very excited for this, my first show with SLT. I’m a Director, Producer and Drama Teacher from Guernsey. I studied Theatre and Film at the University of Bristol and since starting my studies in 2018 I have directed 13 shows and worked on over 30. I have done further training at ALRA, NYT and the Young Vic. I teach drama across South London and this show has given me the great opportunity to combine my love of working with young people and of directing. Christmas is my favourite time of year and I can’t wait to spread the festive cheer with this show. As a newcomer to SLT, it has been great to see the community gather together to offer help in so many ways, I can’t thank you all enough for entrusting this newbie with the Christmas show.
What do you think it is about this story that's made it a classic?
This play to me is really about childhood imagination and the magic that children can discover that adults struggle to notice. There’s a reason Lucy is the first to discover Narnia; she is the youngest and therefore is the most open to believing anything is possible. In childhood we turn spaces into magical realms in the blink of an eye, so the nostalgia for this time where we can suspend our disbelief makes this story a classic.
How does the story translate to the stage?
Being able to literally walk into a world from a childhood story makes this a magical tale for the stage. We’re able to be transported through the wardrobe and meet these characters we know and love. We can truly sit back and watch as our imagination comes to life in front of us. With our staging, I really wanted to capture how with theatre we don’t just watch the story unfold, we’re in the story as much as when we read it. So join us in Narnia, for a story about how hope and an openness to believe can take us on all sorts of adventures.
Tell us about the characters we'll meet.
Who to meet first! The wise professor can speed you on your way, but be careful that housekeeper Mrs Macready doesn’t catch you.
Once in Narnia why not have a cup of tea with Mr Tumnus, the friendly faun? Or stop by the Beavers’ house for singing and a fish supper!
If you’re unlucky you might run into the White Witch, who’s always made it winter and never Christmas! Watch out for Maugrim, the wolf, her head of police, and her servant Grumpskin… even some of the trees are on her side. However if you’re lucky you might meet the king of Narnia, Aslan, he’s a lion you know?
Of course we have our four adventurers, the Pevensie siblings; Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Will the Witch be able to tempt them apar, or will good triumph over evil?
Another familiar face may make an appearance… listen out for jingle bells.
What have been the challenges for you in directing this play?
With a double cast, 15 actors; a combination of children and adults, a two-week run and 8 songs to learn, we had our work cut out for us. Keeping the momentum going in rehearsals was the key challenge I set early on, aware of the time needed to run each scene twice and add in songs. We worked very quickly and my cast were incredible at keeping up with the amount of content covered in rehearsals.
We decided early on that the audience should be on three sides to really bring them into the story. This in itself added the challenge of ensuring the audience always got a good view. Bringing the music into this production added so much magic, yet has challenged us all into doing something out of our comfort zone. I couldn’t have done it without Andrew Chadney who is so skillful and patient with our large cast.
Our young performers have exceeded all my expectations with their talent and passion, and the rest of the cast have not only been smashing it in rehearsals, but have also been incredibly supportive and flexible when adapting rehearsals to work best for our child actors. I can’t not mention my incredible AD Cerys who not only has great creative ideas but has also been an absolute rock, consistently supporting us all through all the twists and turns this process has revealed.
Any challenges that came with this show were negated by the absolute joy that is working with this cast. Rehearsals are filled with joy, laughter and play, and a real commitment to the story. I hope you see that in the show.
Describe the play in three words.
Well the title itself does a great job at that, my three alternative words are:
The adventure, the magic and the Turkish Delight.