Oxford Playhouse today announce the cast for its brand-new pantomime, Snow White, playing from Friday 20 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. 

The pantomime’s title character of Snow White will be played by local actor Eliza Bowden (Heathers The Musical – West End & UK Tour, Disenchanted! - Litchfield Garrick), with Corrina Buchan (Unfortunate - Southwark Playhouse & UK Tour, The Merry Wives of Windsor – Shakespeare’s Globe) as Queen Narcissa. Duane Gooden (Animal Rocks – Oxford Playhouse, Mama Goose – Stratford East) plays the panto dame, Marigold, Niyi Bammodu (Macbeth – Young Shakespeare Company) as Hunter, Elliot Gooch (Sister Act and Grease – UK Tours) as Elijah, Alex Roberts (Death Drop: Back in the Habit – West End & UK Tour, Beetlejuice: The Musical - NCL) as MiRi, and Izzie Winter (Moominvalley in November – Upstairs at the Gatehouse, My Sister is Missing! – Oxford Playhouse’s Queer Fest) as Ivy. 

 The cast is completed by two ensemble members playing multiple roles, Jay Albray (Berlin, Berlin – ATG) and Erin Dallas (A Fairytale for Christmas – West End & UK Tour). 

 The Panto Award-winning venue premieres this new pantomime on the Main Stage, with writer Sarah Henley bringing the adventure to life for the whole family. The iconic Playhouse production will be directed, for the first time, by Mike Tweddle, the theatre’s Artistic Director.  

This is the first pantomime that Sarah Henley has written for Oxford Playhouse, she said:  

"I'm delighted to be making my Oxford Playhouse panto debut this year, with a Snow White that's full of laughter, music, mayhem and magic. We've taken a classic fairy tale and given it a fresh take, creating a world of rebellious eco-warriors, a highly glamorous villain and one extremely scene-stealing pig. Packed with audience participation, comedy and plenty of heart, I can't wait to share the story with Oxford audiences this Christmas." 

With music composed and arranged by Grammy-nominated musician Caolan McCarthy (Amélie The Musical), Snow White features feel-good anthems from across the past five decades, as well as original songs written especially for the production.   

Returning to the creative team of the Playhouse pantomime are Bronia Housman as Set Designer, Immy Howard as Costume Designer, Chris Humphries as Sound Designer, Will Hayman as Lighting Designer, Emily Scott as Choreographer, and Augustine Van Spyk as Assistant Sound Designer.  

Paul Simpson joins the team as Associate Director, with Jo Woodcock returning as Production Manager, James Thearle as Head of Production & Master Carpenter, Bart Thiede as Musical Director, and Sarah-Jane Price as Casting Director.   

Mike Tweddle, Artistic Director and CEO of Oxford Playhouse, said:  

"We conducted a huge local and national auditioning process to find this incredible cast. We are beyond excited to work with them all and we are proud, also, that three of them are local to Oxford. With this hilarious and talented group of performers - joining forces with a brilliant band and inspiring creatives - we’ve got the right team to match the beautiful, bonkers show that Sarah has written.”

This pantomime is led by Oxford Playhouse’s in-house producers Leah O’Grady and Katy Snelling. The full stage management team is local to Oxfordshire, formed of Lara Paul, Helen Woods and Louisa Higham.   

The company brings a new band of spectacular characters to glittering life in a world of magic, mischief and music.Reimagined for the digital age, this classic adventure begins in West Oxford Wood, the kingdom’s last remaining enchanted forest.  

There, nature’s magic clashes with a world of image-enhancing technology controlled by the vain Queen Narcissa. Driven by power and the need for endless admiration, she despises the natural world, embodied by her effortlessly likeable daughter, Snow. When Narcissa’s loyal AI mirror assistant, MiRi, reveals that her popularity is fading, chaos erupts in the forest.  

Can Snow and her unlikely friends outwit the Queen and restore balance to the natural world? Expect dazzling dance numbers, spectacular songs and plenty of hilarious jokes.  

The cast of Snow White was partly recruited through a call-out for local actors, attracting 260 applications. 70 artists were auditioned over two days and three from the local area were selected for this year’s cast. The process has enabled Oxford Playhouse to meet a range of local actors, hiring them for other projects such as rehearsed readings for its Playmaker Later and Playhouse Playmaker showcases, as well as research and development for future productions. 

The Panto Young Company, formed of local 11 to 15-year-olds, will also star in The Playhouse’s production. Earlier this year, 70 young people from Oxfordshire auditioned at the venue, with two groups selected to perform as the Green Rebel Club and take on various other roles alongside the show’s Adult Company. This is an opportunity for young performers to gain experience in a professional production, mentored by a range of working creatives, including directors, choreographers, and musical directors.