By Brenda Hillegas

Next week, the Wilma Theater presents its first family-friendly production- ‘The Snow Queen,’ running from Nov. 11 to 23. Families are invited to experience the Tony Award–winning theater’s bold and imaginative storytelling through renowned Russian playwright Evgeny Schwartz’s adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale, translated by Mike Lion and Ethan Gotlieb Wilcox.

‘The Snow Queen’ highlights love and loyalty in a world of greed, fear, and control, with a dazzling set design by Misha Kachman that will wow audiences as they journey through an adventure of courage and community.

The Wilma Theater’s Hothouse Acting Company member Bi Jean Ngo plays Gerda, a determined young girl who sets out to rescue her brother from the Snow Queen.

Ngo recently sat down with Metro to talk more about Gerda and what she loves about the character, her early memories with the theater, and why audiences of all ages should experience this show.

Can you tell us a bit about Gerda? Who is she and what do you love most about playing her?

Gerda is a young girl who lives with her grandmother and her adopted brother, Kai, in their humble but cozy home. When the Snow Queen, whose heart is made of ice, comes to take away her brother, Gerda embarks upon a journey to find him and bring him home. 

What I love most about playing Gerda is navigating her challenges and also her discoveries. She’s leaving home for the first time and she embarks on a grand adventure filled with unfamiliar environments, terrifying villains, and unexpected friends. I love Gerda’s love for her brother, her resilience and determination. 

‘The Snow Queen’ marks the Wilma’s first ever family production. As a member of the HotHouse Acting Company, what does that mean to you?

I love that the Hothouse Acting Company is full of members who are not only committed to the craft and process of making theater, but also committed to their friends, families, and the greater city of Philadelphia. The Wilma has always been fearless in exploring big ideas and stretching the way we imagine stories onstage. In some ways, we are primed to create theater for the expansive and inventive imaginations of young audience members. I’m so excited to share ‘Snow Queen’ with audiences of all ages, and show that creating theater for everyone.

What do you hope this show sparks in young viewers who may be seeing live theater, or this story, for the first time?

I hope that we spark a sense of amazement and wonder. I hope that our young audiences also see themselves in some of these characters like Gerda, or Kai, or the little Bandit Girl, and that our young friends will also find humor, hope, and a sense of adventure in our play. 

Our director Yury Urnov’s staging is dynamic and inventive. Our set design, costumes, and props are really so fun and playful. Our cast is full of fellow Hothouse actors who are dazzling me every day in rehearsal with the way they transform from character to character and how they each bring their giant hearts to tell this story.

Do you remember your first live theater experience and how it impacted you?

One of the first live theater performances that I got to see was actually my local high school’s production of “I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” based on poems and drawings of children who were held in the Terezin concentration camp. My older brother was in the cast. It was incredible. I still think about it. I witnessed a group of kids, only a couple of years older than me, who were onstage, performing a play that examined difficult, deep themes and questions, and they worked on it with so much earnestness and courage. So, when I got to high school, I also joined the drama club.

Director Yury Urnov described ‘The Snow Queen’ as a funny, mysterious, and emotional adventure. How does that vision come through in the rehearsal room and on stage?

There is a lot of heart in this play. It’s about having the courage to stand up to forces that might feel more powerful and more immense than you. It’s about loving someone so much that you’ll go to the ends of the earth to make sure that they’re safe, even if it’s scary.

During Gerda’s adventure in trying to find and reunite with her adopted brother, she meets a host of characters who are wild, hilarious, haunting, and mysterious. This includes a little bandit girl, a pair of birds, royalty, and an enigmatic reindeer.

Visually, what can audiences look forward to with this production?

Get ready to be dazzled. I love this set. I don’t want to give away anything, but it keeps surprising me every moment. The costumes and props are so detailed, gorgeous, and truly help communicate who our characters are. 

Even though ‘The Snow Queen’ is a family production, what makes this version meaningful for audiences of all ages?

I think many of us, no matter what age, hope for kindness and a sense of community.

The story of The Snow Queen is one of hope and kindness in action. Gerda doesn’t make it far alone. It is through a ragtag community of strangers who become her friends that Gerda stays on course to find her brother.

‘The Snow Queen’ is on stage at the Wilma Theater from Nov. 11 to 23. For information and tickets, visit wilmatheater.org