Aberdeen Arts Centre has revealed the stellar cast of its upcoming festive pantomime, Robin Hood.
Led by ‘the Doric Dame’ Philip Napier – the Arts Centre’s beloved panto dame, who returns as Nurse Little Joan – the cast features a host of professional north east acting talent.
To celebrate the announcement, the cast headed out to popular family attraction The Den and the Glen to interact with fellow fairytale characters.
The cast is rounded out by returning stars Xander Gordon as Rabbie Hood, Megan Wright as Maid Marrian, Hannah Buyers as the Sheriff of Aberdonia, Sarah Ord as Hamitch the Henchman – and newcomer to the cast, Corey Adam as Will Scarlet.
Robin Hood (Xander Gordon) is jealous of the attention Maid Marrian (Megan Wright) is paying Shrek
Eve Nicol, programming and creative director at Aberdeen Arts Centre, said: “We are thrilled to unveil the amazingly talented cast for our upcoming pantomime, Robin Hood. With a number of returning cast members – along with some new faces – it’s a joy to see everything coming together as we approach showtime.
“With over 80% of talent onstage coming from Aberdeen and the north east, Robin Hood truly is a local pantomime – providing essential opportunities for professional actors right on our doorstep.
“We love working with TaleGate Theatre Productions to bring festive cheer to Aberdeen, and we can’t wait for audiences to meet Rabbie Hood and the rest of his merry band in November and December.”
Aberdeen Arts Centre’s pantomime is produced for the sixth year in a row in conjunction with TaleGate Theatre Productions. The professional cast will be joined onstage by talented dancers from local dance school, Danz Creations.
The cast of Robin Hood on the Arts Centre stage. (l-r Megan Wright, Hannah Buyers, Sarah Ord, Xander Gordon, Corey Adam, Philip Napier)
TaleGate’s artistic director James Worthington said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Aberdeen Arts Centre once again for this year’s production of Robin Hood. Our talented cast and crew are hard at work getting ready to welcome audiences into the woods to cheer on our local hero, Rabbie Hood. Expect killer songs, epic dance moves and a whole lot of local humour!”
Aberdeen Arts Centre’s Robin Hood takes place deep in Tyrebagger Wood where the local hero – Rabbie Hood – robs from the rich and gives to the poor. The phoney Prince John has sent the Sheriff to tax the people of Aberdonia and it’s up to Rabbie and his merry band to save the day. Will he rescue Maid Marion from the clutches of the money-grabbing Sheriff and will Nurse Little Joan find love?
Featuring hunners of local in-jokes, Doric, dancing, songs and traditional panto magic, all loons and quines – young and young at heart – will be enchanted!
Robin Hood runs from Saturday 29 November to Wednesday 24 December at Aberdeen Arts Centre. Tickets start from £17.50, and are available from www.aberdeenartscentre.com/whats-on/robin-hood.
The cast of Robin Hood hitches a ride from Cinderella (l-r Philip Napier, Xander Gordon, Megan Wright, Hannah Buyers, Sarah Ord, Corey Adam)
Aberdeen Arts Centre is an independent arts venue in the heart of Aberdeen, operated by registered charity Castlegate Arts Ltd for over a quarter of a century.
For more than 60 years, Aberdeen Arts Centre has played a crucial role in the north east’s vibrant arts scene through its programme of performances, Creative Learning Programme for children and adults, and an Artist Development Programme to support local professional creatives.
In May 2025, the centre launched the Save Aberdeen Arts Centre campaign – a three-year fundraising drive to raise £660,000 to secure its future. The campaign has raised over £100,000 so far. Individuals and corporate sponsors can find out more and donate at https://www.aberdeenartscentre.com/save-aberdeen-arts-centre.
Aberdeen Arts Centre encompasses a 350-seater auditorium; café bar; flexible spaces for performances, events, exhibitions and meetings; and the Children’s Theatre, opened by Catherine Hollingworth in the 1950s as a pioneering youth theatre (the first of its kind in the UK) and now used as a vital resource for professional artist development.
For more information, visit www.aberdeenartscentre.com or follow Aberdeen Arts Centre on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @AberdeenArtsCentre.