Oxford Playhouse has announced the cast for its new production of Snow White, which will run from Friday 20 November 2026 to Sunday 03 January 2027, with a press night on Wednesday 25 November.
The new family pantomime will feature a cast including three performers from the Oxford area, selected through a local casting initiative that attracted 260 applications.
Local actor Eliza Bowden, whose credits include Heathers The Musical in the West End and on UK tour and Disenchanted! at Lichfield Garrick, will play Snow White. Corrina Buchan, known for Unfortunate at Southwark Playhouse and on UK tour and The Merry Wives of Windsor at Shakespeare’s Globe, will play Queen Narcissa.
Duane Gooden, who previously appeared in Animal Rocks at Oxford Playhouse and Mama Goose at Stratford East, will take on the traditional pantomime dame role of Marigold.
The cast also includes Niyi Bammodu as Hunter, Elliot Gooch as Elijah, Alex Roberts as MiRi and Izzie Winter as Ivy. The ensemble will be completed by Jay Albray and Erin Dallas, who will play multiple roles.
The production marks the first pantomime written for Oxford Playhouse by Sarah Henley. Her version of the familiar fairy tale introduces a world of rebellious eco-warriors, a glamorous villain and what the theatre promises will be a scene-stealing pig.
“I’m delighted to be making my Oxford Playhouse panto debut this year,” Henley said. “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.”
The production will be directed for the first time by Mike Tweddle, Oxford Playhouse’s Artistic Director and CEO.
Tweddle said the theatre had undertaken a “huge local and national auditioning process” to assemble the cast, with three of the performers coming from the Oxford area.
The local casting process attracted 260 applications, with 70 artists auditioned over two days. Beyond filling roles in Snow White, the process has also created opportunities for the theatre to build relationships with local performers.
Oxford Playhouse said artists encountered through the auditions have subsequently been hired for other projects, including rehearsed readings for its Playmaker Later and Playhouse Playmaker showcases, as well as research and development work for future productions.
For a city with a long-established theatre community, the initiative offers a wider glimpse into how Oxford’s professional performing-arts ecosystem is being developed alongside its major productions.
Snow White will play on the Oxford Playhouse Main Stage from Friday 20 November 2026 to Sunday 03 January 2027.
