A Hundred Words For Snow

By Tatty Hennessy

Directed by Chris Baldock with Steph Evans

A Mockingbird Too Production

January 28-31, 2026

The Mockingbird Studio, Belconnen Arts Centre

The performance will run for approximately 80 minutes with no interval

From the Director:

I still remember the first time I read A Hundred Words for Snow. It was one of those rare discoveries where you quietly realise, a few pages in, that the play already has you. It’s funny without trying too hard, deeply moving without sentimentality, and filled with a sense of curiosity and wonder that feels increasingly precious.

Working on this production has been a genuine joy — particularly collaborating so closely with Zoë Ross. From our earliest conversations, it was clear we shared an instinct for the play’s tone: light on its feet, emotionally honest, and never afraid of laughter sitting right alongside loss. Zoë brings an intelligence and generosity to the work that allows the humour to sparkle, the silences to breathe, and the heart of the story to land with clarity and warmth.

At its core, A Hundred Words for Snow is a coming-of-age story — but one that doesn’t talk down to its audience. It explores grief with compassion and curiosity, allowing space for anger, confusion, resilience and joy to coexist. It’s also a play about self-acceptance: about finding your voice, owning your place in the world, and realising that being “enough” doesn’t require permission.

Then there’s the North Pole. The facts woven throughout the play are genuinely fascinating — sometimes surprising, sometimes funny, sometimes quietly devastating. They give the story texture and scope, expanding it beyond the personal into something global. The play never lectures, but its subtle engagement with climate change is unmistakable: a gentle but firm reminder that the landscapes we inherit, love and dream about are fragile — and worth paying attention to.

What I love most about A Hundred Words for Snow is how heart-warming it is. For all its themes — grief, identity, environmental responsibility — it remains hopeful, playful and generous. It trusts its audience. It invites us in.

This production also marks the beginning of an enormous year for Mockingbird Theatrics. A Hundred Words for Snow is the first of eleven productions we’ll be bringing to the stage this year, with the epic Shakespeare in Love opening just weeks away. It’s a bold, ambitious season, and one we’re incredibly proud of.

We’d love you to join us — not just for this play, but for what promises to be an extraordinary year of storytelling, risk-taking and shared experiences in the theatre.

Thank you for being here.

Christopher Baldock

CAST:

Rory – Zoë Ross

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Director – Chris Baldock with Steph Evans

Assistant Director – Gabrielle Purcell

Lighting Design – Rhiley Winnett and Chris Baldock

Set, Projection and Sound Design – Chris Baldock

Stage Manager – Callum Doherty

Lighting & Sound Operation – Callum Doherty and Ethan Wiggin

Costumes – Zoë Ross

Set & Props – Chris Baldock, Callum Doherty and Zoë Ross

Publicity – Chris Baldock

Photography – Sebastian Leigh

FOR MOCKINGBIRD THEATRICS:

Artistic Director & Head Tutor – Chris Baldock

Technical Manager – Rhiley Winnett

Publicity, Graphics and Photography – Chris Baldock

Associate Directors – Zac Bridgman, Steph Evans, Céline Oudin

THANKS TO:

Anni, Christopher, Paul & the Belconnen Arts Centre staff, Nick Fuller & Canberra Daily, Helen Musa & CityNews, ABC Radio Canberra, Zac Bridgman, and a special thanks to Steph Evans and Gabrielle Purcell

MOCKINGBIRD SUPPORTERS:

Special Friend of the Theatre: Jane Ahlquist, Tracey Pulli

Season Supporter: Sarah Byrne & Peter McDonald, Anonymous

Season Patron: Liz St Clair Long

Zoë Ross – Rory

Zoë first found herself onstage in 2019 in a school production to the surprise of friends, family and really, herself. She has since quelled her fear of people (to a certain extent) and has even gone so far as to pursue a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Acting) with QUT. Her credits (admit it, you’re dying to find out) include; A Hundred Words for Snow with Mockingbird Theatre (Feb 2026), A Midsummer Nights Dream (Helena) with Villanova Players (Nov 2025), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Snout/Wall) with Echo Theatre (2024 & Dec 2025, past and upcoming (confusing, right?)), Lord of the Flies with Canberra Repertory Society (2024), Happy Meals, Happy Kids with Sunny Productions at The Q (2024), Legacies with Ribix Productions (2023), Sympathetic Resonance with Canberra Youth Theatre (2023), Puffs! with Echo Theatre (2023), and This Changes Everything with Echo Theatre (2022). Zoë has loved bringing Rory to life and is excited for you to follow along on Rory’s adventure.

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Mockingbird Theatrics acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land where we meet and work, the Ngunnawal people, and recognises all other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We celebrate and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of the ACT and region.