STEPHEN Joseph Theatre artistic director Chris Monks knows how to sell a show!

Promoting his new adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s timeless story of The Snow Queen, the Scarborough writer-director draws comparisons with a certain Harry Potter author.

“In his lifetime Andersen was a global publishing phenomenon. More popular than his contemporary Charles Dickens, he was the JK Rowling of his day,” he suggests.

“Such works as The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid are brilliant, original stories that continue to entertain and intrigue. Inspired by Scandinavian myth and folk-lore, his tales are witty and adventurous, and in this brand new adaptation of The Snow Queen there’s something to delight all ages.”

For his telling of Gerda’s epic quest to save her best friend Kai from the Snow Queen’s icy clutches, Chris decided to include all seven of Andersen’s original stories, including the opening tale of the Trolls, About The Mirror And Its Pieces.

“I’ve tried to stay true to the shape of Andersen’s stories, as it's not exactly normal, but I like its idiosyncrasy, and so far our audiences have responded very well to that, as we plunge them straight into the world of the Trolls and then take them off to Gerda and Kai’s story,” he says.

The play’s structure takes the form of a magical, dangerous journey. “The Snow Queen is an actual physical journey and a journey of the mind, and that’s how I have approached writing the piece,” says Chris. “For me, it’s about showing the rites of passage that Gerda is undergoing and the troubles she faces on the way, which Andersen was very aware of, as his stories were always very personal.”

Staging the play in the round precludes relying on “great big walls of scenery”, and so the lighting, trapdoors and walkways take on great significance in re-creating the journey across the Northern Lands to the Snow Queen's ice-bound realm. “We also fill our stage with people…as we like to at this time of year,” says Chris.

“We have 12 children from the borough of Scarborough working alongside our profession cast, which is very important for us, as we need maintain contact with the local community.”

The children, who range in age from ten to 15, auditioned for the roles in May and then took part in a summer school with a team of professionals including Chris, and they are now performing in two teams of six. Expect more of the same in future winter productions.

Significantly too, Monks’s version of The Snow Queen provides an alternative to the plethora of pantomimes playing across Yorkshire.

“It’s a story of friendship and courage that makes you think, and it’s a story where you can hear a pin drop when it’s being told, which is very different from other shows at this time of year, when elsewhere you have boisterous noise and amplified voices booming out at you,” says Chris.

• The Snow Queen runs at Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until January 8 2011. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.co.uk