The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe takes stage over Christmas

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on December 6, 2025.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

While perhaps not considered a Christmas story, C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is taking the stage in Medicine Hat later this month to inspire new love for the classic story.

The Paperback stage is returning from something of a hiatus says artistic director Richard Grafton. The theatre group was formed in Calgary before eventually making its way out to Medicine Hat, having performed in the One Act Film Festival in years past as well as the Edmonton Fringe Festival in 2024.

This time, they have turned the expansive story into something possible to perform with an eight-man cast, prompting a unique challenge for those on stage.

“Everyone’s kind of switching and becoming animals and becoming side characters and becoming, sometimes, characters back-to-back in different scenes,” said Matthew Fosen, who takes on the roles of Aslan, Father Christmas, the Professor and the narrator.

“It’s a delightful challenge,” said Fosen. “Instead of having to just be one consistent thing for the entire run of the show, I’m stepping back and I’m narrating some parts, then I’m going into a character, and then out back into the narrator, different character, all while adopting different physical stances, different accents all to make them all distinct.”

With the story so focused on the four children, Grafton says, having eight case members seemed to be the magic number of actors to allow each person to take on multiple roles. With most of them on stage for nearly the whole performance, this also means some creative work with their multi-level, attic-like set to pull masks and props from various suitcases and hiding spots.

“Our set is a mix of pieces from around Medicine Hat, from some other shows that have been done,” said Grafton. “We were loaned masks. We were loaned some of these wonderful silks in the background. And, you know, we rented a wardrobe from another company in Calgary. It’s been great, pulling it all together for this eclectic feel.”

Fosen says they have the set for most of their rehearsals, which has been a boon as they were able to practise moving around the space from the beginning.

It is the hope of the Paperback Stage that their performance inspires those who see it, especially children, to read the original book, as well as the other books in the series.

Tickets are already available on tixx.ca for the six shows. The performance will run at the Medicine Hat High School theatre on Dec. 20, 27 and 31 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

“This has been a great group to work with. They’re all really, really keen actors and actresses that are. They’ve got really bright futures ahead of them,” said Fosen. “This is going to be something that people will be able to get into, they’ll be able to share with their kids and then hopefully it’ll inspire them.”

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